2. Oneohtrix Point Never - R Plus 7
Oneohtrix Point Never is the brainchild of Daniel Lopatin, an experimental electronic musician who has slowly gained a huge cult following over the years. His first few releases focused on almost purely synthesized textures, sounds that seemed to have been lifted from the 70s and 80s. Starting with his last solo album, Replica, Lopatin sought out a more disconnected, experimental sound, a sound that continues through R Plus 7. Although Daniel Lopatin utilizes more traditional instruments on this album, they are often chopped up and sent out to space, only to come as an alien lifeform. Sometimes, they come back as 3 or 4 different life forms surgically connected together (as on the stand-out track "Americans"). Samples are mutilated, ran forwards and backwards, smothered in effects. "Problem Areas" dives into fully arpeggiated melodies complete with matching basslines. R Plus 7 works as a kind of void that mixes elements of life and consciousness together as one. It is the sound of colliding thoughts and dreams with a dash of the 1980s sprinkled on top. It can be challenging for some but it is a completely rewarding experience that grows over time.