Otto

Massachusetts-based producer OTTO programmed rhythms, glitchy breakbeats and shares his debut EP World Greetings via PLZ custom built synthesizer art pieces was hard Make It Ruins. Described as, “a deep fried to ignore. Vegyn had this to say about signing cheese ball with a fully ignited cheese sauce” OTTO: by the producer, World Greetings is a mindboggling and completely novel mix of “OTTO was initially shown to me by bedroom pop and 90’s IDM songs. Built on my friend Sydney, who now works with me at OTTO’s handmade instruments and synthePLZ. I was dumbfounded when I first heard sizers, that the producer sees as works of art his cover of “About You Now” on as much as the songs, World Greetings Soundcloud. At first, I didn’t recognize the features previously released single “About song but once the chorus hit it all came You Now” and contains 6 tracks of heady, off flooding back. We reached out not long the wall fun. after and everything else he sent over was just as impressive as the last.” To celebrate the release of this new EP, OTTO and PLZ Make It Ruins are releasing a OTTO’s music, playful and special edition collection of limited merch deceptively sinister, mirrors the artist’s featuring a kaleidoscopic array of T-shirts and fascination with cartoon characters and a World Greetings stress toy. The merch kids’ TV shows from his childhood. It collection, featuring OTTO T-shirts as well as evokes not only the feelings of joy they the World Greetings stress toy, and limited provide, but also the existential and edition World Greetings cassettes are materialistic dangers these corporate available now at www.PLZ.world. mascots represent. OTTO’s buoyant, analog melodies represent the fun, OTTO, an electronics student, technicolor appeal of such characters. analogue synth designer and musician, caught Yet his dense, chaotic drum programthe attention of PLZ Make It Ruins label head ming, and jarring rhythmic and textural Vegyn with early musical sketches posted to shifts, evoke the feelings of dread Soundcloud. OTTO’s musical world, a multiOTTO feels towards electronic waste. verse containing highly tuned voices meant to “I find it funny and also very trourepresent “corporate sprites”, immaculately bling,” OTTO says, “that 15-20 years 70 Rock and Blues International • September 2020 after all of this kids’ media, there are still bits and pieces of these obsolete franchises drifting around in the form of cheap plastic shit, now in landfills and contributing to lakes of toxic leachate.”

Hear World Greetings and buy the limited edition OTTO and PLZ Make It Ruins merch above, and stay tuned for more from OTTO soon.