Since taking the leap from emerging studio talent to now being a commanding authority on the international club scene with his 2018 debut album ‘Hyperfall’, Helsinki-based artist Yotto has remixed acts like Orbital, Coldplay, and the Gorillaz, and has collaborated with top dance music specialists Cassian and Lane 8. His rise has been pretty unprecedented, though somewhat hindered by the pandemic, at a time when he should have been selling out arena-sized shows, he was stuck at
home with no clue of what the future had in store. Like many of his peers, one of the few things he had the option of doing throughout lockdown was to get into the studio and channel whatever emotions he was feeling into his work. His inability to get behind the DJ booth saw him discover a new approach to his studio sessions, instead of building tracks with a focus on the dancefloor, he let his mind wander introspectively, and the outcome is pretty impressive. 8 tracks of drum-free, multi-layered ambient sounds, Yotto’s new ‘Erased Dreams’ long player not only proves how talented he is as a producer, but offers a completely different soundscape to what we know him for. According to Yotto, the album is structured as a journal of his own experience with the pandemic, though I think it’s safe to say that the deeply visceral harmonies on a few of the tracks speak to what we were all feeling throughout 2020. The project marks the Finn’s debut on Above & Beyond’s newly launched Reflections imprint, which now sits alongside Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep to complete one of the most impressive label family’s in all of music. The label is still very much in its infancy, but has so far released works from boerd, Above & Beyond, and Compuphonic. After a few listens through ‘Erased Dreams’ we’re highly impressed by Yotto’s abilities in the downtempo realm, though we would certainly be lying if we aren’t hoping to see a few progressive remixes of the album in the near future.
Where to start:
Lone Machine: Ambient synth chords and chilling vocal harmonies
Under Trees: Playful pluck-style melodies with subtle delays
Silhouette: Deep, visceral top line vocal from Sansa meets gentle melodies
Previous from Yotto:
Hyperfall LP (2018, Anjunadeep)
Rogue EP (2020, Odd One Out)
If you like this then check out:
boerd – Misplaced LP (2019, Anjunadeep)
Jon Gurd – Phoenix LP (2022, Anjunadeep)
Yotto – Erased Dreams LP is out now on Reflections.