Fresh off of his jaw-dropping performance with Nate Boyce at the ICA, Dan Lopatin has unleashed a stunning new piece of his ever growing aural puzzle, effectively whetting our already crazed appetites for the much anticipated R Plus Seven. “Problem Areas” steps boldly out of the plunderphonic haze of Lopatin’s much loved Replica. Crisp synth arpeggiations bounce off each other in between massive stops and silence, setting the stage for heavenly vocal manipulations and a sudden deluge of severed heads, babbling incoherently while they jumble through the aether. Throughout the track, Lopatin shows his growth from the earlier synth-scapes of vintage OPN releases to this brave new sound. Tonally, this might share more with Drukqs than Emeralds, so it might make sense that Warp is handling the new disc. As always, though, Lopatin is unafraid to crack open the sky and see what his sequences look like from every side.

Takeshi Murata’s visual accompaniment emphasizes Lopatin’s obsessions with the cultural artifact. Desexualized, hyperreal symbols are given the slow pan, fitting perfectly with the detached, energetic gaze of the musician. Pre-order R Plus Seven here and take in the glory below.

Oneohtrix Point Never – Problem Areas from Warp Records on Vimeo.