Modular synthesist takes on Debussy
Who they?
Colloboh is the stage name of Collins Oboh, an exciting LA-based artist you need to keep tabs on. Born in Nigeria, raised in Baltimore, the 26-year-old began making music on a cracked version of FL Studio (a story shared by many producers) before slowly moving up the electronic food chain to Eurorack. These days, his Instagram shows a thriving ecosystem of tangled wires and flashing hardware.
Why Colloboh?
In 2021, Oboh’s debut EP ‘Entity Relation’ gave us five IDM rollercoasters that whizzed and fizzed like a shaken up bottle of cola. Acid splurges met autotuned vocal samples and there were wubs aplenty. Leading track ‘Borderline’ sounds like Roy Davis Jr went to bed with Four Tet and something beautiful happened. But his forthcoming ambient EP is a collosal change of pace. A switched-on modular version of Debussy’s ‘Arabesque No 1’, anyone? Following in the footsteps of Isao Tomita, who released his own much-revered rendition on 1974’s ‘Snowflakes Are Dancing’, Oboh’s latest release gives the well-known composition a minimalist makeover, balancing a sense of euphoria and melancholy with poise.
Tell us more…
Oboh moved to LA just five months ago, but is already forging important relationships in the city. ‘Arabesque No 1’ was mastered by Daddy Kev, founder of the city’s influential club night Low End Theory, which helped launch the careers of producers Flying Lotus, Daedelus and Nosaj Thing, while ‘Entity Relation’ was mastered by rapper, producer and underground stalwart, Zeroh. “Yes!” replies Oboh enthusiastically when his name crops up. “He’s the man. An incredibly talented engineer and artist who I’m grateful to work with. There are so many dope musicians in LA that I’ve already connected with. I usually prefer working by myself, but I’m learning to be a better collaborator.”
‘Arabesque No 1’ is available now via Bandcamp.
