The Selects series continues as Low End Theorists shift their gaze to the enigmatic London-based selector, producer and DJ ONY.
ONY is a genuine rarity: a DJ, producer and selector with the ability to paint pictures in sound. For several years now, Thierry Phung has been crafting unforgettable stories on his genre-bending NTS show. He mines vintage advertising, old foreign films, screwed rap joints and even the occasional pop hit to craft an immersive musical environment like nothing you’ve heard before. Whether invoking the ambient waves of Ryuichi Sakamoto or the deep pathos of Atlanta rapper Future, ONY’s shows have the tendency to displace the listener - to envelop you in his own strange and beautiful musical world.
Whatever the mood, atmosphere is central to ONY’s stories. His sets contain a combination of unusual textures, unbound to any particular era or aesthetic. His shows are by turn dark, ethereal, uncanny, and captivating, often all at once. Even his recent tape of chopped and screwed UK drill edits - made in collaboration with Nammy Wams and First Circle - feels deliberately playful, uninhibited by one specific time or place.
As someone who possesses an uncanny knack for crafting his own unique soundscapes from incidental music, it seems apt that ONY has chosen to make a playlist of his favourite video game soundtracks. Gaming soundtracks may be a primarily functional and supplemental medium, but these tracks show this kind of music can be enjoyed outside of its original context. Although it’s something ONY has been doing for years - repurposing, re-using and rearranging familiar sounds to create strange new worlds - few others do it this well. Listen to ONY’s selections below.
Tracklisting
01. Dark Souls - Motoi Sakuraba - Souls of Fire
02. Final Fantasy X - Nobuo Uematsu - Wandering Flame
03. Kingdom Hearts - Yoko Shimomura - Dearly Beloved
04. Final Fantasy VIII - Nobuo Uematsu - The Oath (Orchestra)
05. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Asuka Ohta, Koji Kondo &
Toru_Minegishi - Title Theme
07. Secret Of Mana - Hiroki Kikuta - Phantom And A Rose
08. Chrono Trigger - Yasunori Mitsuda - Corridors of Time
09. Donkey Kong Country - David Wise - Aquatic Ambience 800% Slower
10. Donkey Kong Country 2 - David Wise - Forest Interlude Slowed Down
11. Soul Blade - Takayuki Aihara and Takanori Otsuka - The Wind and
Clouds (Theme of Mitsurugi)
12. Street Fighter II - Yoko Shimomura - Ryu Original Theme
13. Final Fantasy VII Remake - Nobuo Uematsu - One-Winged Angel
14. Silent Hill 2 - Akira Yamaoka - Fermata In Mistic Air
15. Final Fantasy X - Nobuo Uematsu - To Zanarkand (Orchestra)
16. Kingdom Hearts - Hikaru Utada - Hikari (Simple and Clean)
17. Onimusha Warlords - Takashi Niigaki - Rising Sun - 3rd Movement
18. Final Fantasy VII - Nobuo Uematsu - Aerieth's Theme (Orchestra)
19. Resident Evil 1 - Makoto Tomozawa, Koichi Hiroki & Masami Ueda -
Long Lost Friend