Ford & Lopatin

Just last year, Joel Ford and Daniel Lopatin operated under the moniker Games. Considering their day jobs ― Ford is the bassist/keyboardist for soft rockers Tigercity, Lopatin is the brains behind Oneohtrix Point Never ― Games never seemed like much more than just an occasional outlet to get off on their Vangelis fixation. But after the success of their double cassette, a single and the blog favourite That We Can Play EP, a cease-and-desist letter for their commonplace name seemed inevitable. Now using their surnames, the duo's debut LP has become the inaugural release on Mexican Summer's new imprint, Software. Partially, and fittingly, recorded in Jan Hammer's home studio, with help on vocals from Autre Ne Veut and Stepkids' Jeff Gitelman, Channel Pressure doesn't stray far from the framework they previously worked with, infusing Ford's synth-pop song structures with Lopatin's cascading soundscapes. The album was envisioned as a soundtrack to an imaginary film about a teenager named Joey Rogers, who battles "a computer-ruled, megalomaniacal music industry" with his music. Using elements of prog, Italo disco, Balearic, R&B, Krautrock, glitch and ambient, the 14 tracks undulate constantly to meet the demands of such a concept. However, Ford and Lopatin's meticulous, MIDI-obsessed production is both shrewd and accessible enough to win over anyone put off by the elaborate nature of their work.