Despite his stoner demeanor, Oneohtrix Point Never's Daniel Lopatin is as thoughtful in conversation as he is on tape. His abstract synthpop outfit's sixth full-length, Replica, is built from snippets of '80s commercials, gauzy loops and an almost-scientific curiosity about what music is. Though he says they're mostly improvised, Lopatin's instrumental meditations feel deliberate. Using DVD compilations of old ads as opposed to user-directed YouTube searches for specific words, Lopatin sought out to create Replica… more »
It used to be easier to pretend that an album was its own perfectly self-contained artifact. The great records certainly feel that way. But albums are more permeable than solid, their motivations, executions and inspirations informed by, and often stolen from, their peers and forbearers. It all sounds awfully formal, but it's not. It's the very nature of music — of art, even. The Six Degrees features examine the relationships between classic records and five… more »
Many years ago, I used to pen a monthly column for eMusic called Sounds Of The Stars, in which I attempted to bridge the gap between astrology and music. I did my best to approximate the sounds of various signs, and to suggest artists that might represent a certain aspect of a sign - even if the artist might not actually be the sign in question. We did a 365-day spin around the sun on… more »
