.Once11

As electronic music continues to fragment and fracture, the art of borrowing both directly (sampling) and indirectly (influence and inspiration) has become nearly as important as possessing actual musical ability. Virtually all musical genres are fair game in the never-ending quest to find the perfect combination of sounds. Brooklyn producer Once11 (Ignacio Platas) is certainly no stranger to scraping styles together in a big heap of sound. He’s a member of the groundbreaking collective We, along with partners DJ Olive and Lloop. We is known for producing a hybrid of ambient, dub, electro, hip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass, reggae, breakbeats, jazz, and found environmental sounds in what has often been labeled the New York “illbient” scene, alongside fellow experimentalists DJ Spooky, Sub Dub, and Byzar. Fans of We will have little trouble adapting to Once11’s full-length debut Once11 Versus the Pyramid, a clattery and abstract album that meanders along a strangely inviting musical path. Centered more in the slower dub element compared with We’s dense material, the thirteen-track album is full of skittering breakbeats, wheezy textures, haunting keyboards, and dull, throbbing bass tones to rattle the skull and tickle your toes. Though often sounding as if the producer is stumbling through the tracks, Once11 Versus the Pyramid is a cohesive and enjoyable swim through a big bowl of musical soup. Just don’t be surprised if you wander off into dreamland before making it to the end of the album. That’s what Repeat buttons are for.