LTO is the moniker for an unnamed solo producer from Bristol in the UK and his No Pasa Nada EP charts some of his backpacking travels around South America. His style is to use a lot of ambient noises and reverb to create patterns and chains of noise and then riffing lost melodies over the top.
As experimental as that sound, “Hundirse” opens with sharp industrial metal percussive sounds and slowly a warped watery keyboard melody grows and develops over the top of it. By the time we reach the climax a more standard beat is in full flow and the shimmering waterphone effect has taken hold over all the instruments. it’s hypnotic without being relaxing. “Rebelarse” is more tuneful from the start as a four chord organ kicks the track off but soon disappears into a two-minute beat train with little or no accompaniment. “Contar” then plays more with the bass end of music sounding like a cross between a stalker horror movie and pre end boss game music piece. The electronic elements push to the front with a glitching beat, heavy sine wave bass lines and vocal snippets sandwiching a trumpet solo section in the middle. Strangely… it works! Brazilian Silent Hill perhaps? The closing track “Trabajar” is probably my favourite on the EP because it brings a lot of the elements together in something more rounded and easily accessible. The beats and changes in frequencies make a lot of sense and it’s flow really let’s you dig the ambient beats.
LTO definitely has something here. It will be interesting to see where he goes next. The production is great and there’s plenty going on. Something less drone heavy seems to push my buttons more personally, but fans of ambience or experimental electronica should find something very intriguing here.