Yotto - Hyperfall

Yotto
Hyperfall
2018
Spotify

It's hard to think of an album I have been low key anticipating more than this debut from Finnish producer Yotto. I've reviewed a couple of his records seen him at a festival but that album was always just out of reach. His label heads Above & Beyond have drifted into some weird EDM world where the music they make seems to matter less and less as the years go by, but Yotto is keeping the techno flag raised. The album doesn't waste time, it dives right in to his near perfect production. There is not a note that feels out of place. Lane 8 has a similar style but for some reason Yotto's feels a bit less grounded in nature and more focused on the industrial dark techno vibes. That's the through line, dark dance with explosive exuberant explosions. If you've ever been to a super wooky festival this is the kind of music people dance, eyes down, swaying until that drop makes them shake with excitement. The songs each have their own personality and are distinct, but Yotto does well to make some of the tracks blend together while others feel more like singular units. Sometimes He is asking you to go on a meandering journey with him like on "Nada C" while other tracks like "Kantsu" feel far more grounded in dance. Every time He takes you down more of the soundscapey kind of stuff though He comes back with something that puts a beat straight on the floor. As a side not it's also nice to see one of the Ajunna Deep artists finally break away from the graphic design they have been using for fucking ever, it was about  damn time.

His touch is so light on songs like "Epilogue" that it makes the moments He lets the thing fully loose so much more satisfying. Then there is the absolutely wild "Outsight" that feels somehow like world music but through this crazy electronic filter. It combines so many genres and goes so many places that it's hard to keep your footing, but you enjoy every second of it. The way this record slides and wiggles it's way into your head is mesmerizing. Before you know it you're eyes closed full in pumping your fists. Clearly this kind of music won't be for everyone but, for the techno fans out there this record is transcendent. What is really great about Yotto though, and you find this in his DJ sets also, is that there is a sense of lightness to his music that you don't often get in techno. They want to take you into the abyss and see if there is anything else there that a drum machine and overloaded tones can find, but Yotto instead employs Disco elemetns and old school dance that give this record a sense of place in history. A stellar record from a stellar artist, make sure you don't miss this one.

8.8 out of 10