Yoko Solo

Bay Area producer Brandon LaSan once literally schooled people — Oakland high school students and at-risk youths, actually — in the art of beat construction. Now he (metaphorically) does the same for esoteric electronic-music heads. LaSan specializes in cramming maximal amounts of data into his compositions; much of his second outing under the name Yoko Solo recalls fellow Bay Area denizens Meat Beat Manifesto, but with a more ADD-afflicted approach. While both artists seem enamored of science-fiction soundtracks, bizarre analog-synth effects (The Beeps indeed) and militantly funky breakbeats, LaSan comes across more as a child of video games' golden era. Whereas Meat Beat's Jack Dangers has a vault full of highbrow musique concrète LPs, LaSan likely harbors dozens of Nintendo and Sega products in his closet, channeling their fantastic visions into compositions that induce uneasiness and disorientation while jolting you into hyper-vigilant alertness. The Beeps will surely help you get your game on.