ALT-OK flies us into his electronic cosmos with 'Retrograde' [EP Review]

We’ve mentioned Cambridge based label Zone Def before, who truly rep the DIY electronic scene in the Boston area and three of their artists Holm, Tide Eye and Tone Ra have already been featured independently. I’ve always personally had great respect for those EDM musicians who enter the industry using organic support and a strong community (the label was originally comprised of four fast friends) to just get their artists out there without waiting for representation. It’s the hardest path to take but often pays off in unexpected and ultimately more rewarding ways. Zone Def is also behind the intimate East Meets Beats electronic events, which are some of the most unique and creative presentations that I’ve seen around here for a long time.

New EP from Zone Def artist ALT-OK is in signature label style, full of intensely unique electronic fusions of more offbeat genres such as footwork, intriguing beats and samples with some alternative hip-hop flavoring. Everything that I’ve heard released through this label is inherently visual, which can be a rarity in the electronic genres.

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/146152725" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]

First track “Sky Net” is a breezy rendition that almost evoked a sort of technological “net” image of a beautifully painted sky when I listened, with some tripped out and perfectly skipping, distorted beats underneath it.

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/146152724" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]

“The Mess (That Is My Life)” is very open to interpretation, but a topic that we can all relate to through, which resonates in evenly (and perfectly spaced unevenly) beats and airy synths that allow the listener to think on exactly what the track means to them.

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/146152722" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]

Finale track “According To Cosmos” is exactly that, beginning smooth and floaty until it later transitions into a rolling yet hard-hitting beat that takes us right into the celestial elements of electronic music.

Tags: