VICE Exclusive: Listen to Ben Zimmerman's Chaotic Electronic Composition, 'Da Chopp'

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VICE Exclusive: Listen to Ben Zimmerman's Chaotic Electronic Composition, 'Da Chopp'

It's from an experimental collage of songs produced using a Tandy DeskMate computer between 1992 and 2002.

Daniel Lopatin (known musically as Oneohtrix Point Never) began an electronic label called Software in 2011. Software generally showcases experimental or minimal electronic artists, reflecting Lopatin's desire to mess with expectations and crank out unique tunes in the 2015 world of often-derivative electronica.

This track is from Software's upcoming archive album for the mysterious electronic composer Ben Zimmerman. It's a collection of songs Zimmerman produced using a Tandy DeskMate computer between 1992 and 2002. The computer had a built-in sound chord that allowed for three-voice polyphony and gave Zimmerman the opportunity to play around and experiment over a long period of time.

This album is a document of both this weird, technologically restrictive musical practice, and of Zimmerman's life, described by the label as an "abstract diary." The track itself is fractured and chaotic, representing what seems like a string of loose, but not unconnected, thoughts. This is the type of album that's immersive and takes up your full attention—it's not background music.