After wrapping up the momentous year of 2025, Yoko, also known as Emi Veliz, has released her highly anticipated album, Vantage Point. 2025 was a paramount year for the Yoko project. We saw Yoko dominating the underground scene, captivating fans of glitch-hop and halftime across the country. Playing monumental venues such as The Gorge in Washington at a striking edition of Tipper & Friends, as well as the coveted Caverns in Tennessee with Daily Bread, she exhibited her unique style and skill set all year. With 2026 kicking off, Vantage Point is her most ambitious project yet – proving that she is trailblazing her own distinct lane of sound. It is nothing short of sonic excellence.
Vantage Point is a remarkable body of work. Yoko has always remained dedicated to clean sound design and intriguing soundscapes. This album conveys her knack for emotional storytelling and her niche in futuristic bass. Featuring the sounds of fellow glitch-hop and halftime producers pheel. and another that will soon be uncovered in Part II, nonetheless, this album howls with electric ingenuity.
Join us as we dive into Part I of Vantage Point
The first song, titled “Emergence,” feels like springing into the new year after a season of snow in the atmosphere. Airy plucks carry us along as sweeping and swirling sound design meanders through the soundscape. The beat picks up gradually before swinging into a glitchy crescendo into the future. The halfway point of the song brings to mind the feeling of being halfway between winter and spring – chilly, but bursting at the seams with verdant energy.
“Downhill Jam” saunters its way to the second spot on the album. Alongside fellow Denver artist pheel., this song daydreams into a groove with a beautiful, headnodding beat. Distorted bass soon snaps us out of the hypnotic daydream and into a trance of malleable metallic notes. Yoko and pheel. join forces to meld together a track that is like liquid diamonds. This collaboration is a brilliantly polished presentation of their two styles.
Now let’s take a breather to reflect on the talent that Yoko illuminates before continuing!
The third song, “Can of Mackerel,” demonstrates classic Yoko flavors. This can is filled to the brim with biting glitches and slippery reverberations. The track wastes no time, gnawing through a delicious drum beat before unleashing inventive sounds that hook neuro fans.
Next up is “Quasi-Elastic Scatter.” The song opens with mysterious static pitches, crunching their way up and down through the song’s setting. Pulsing notes heavy with grit gradually increase energy. The song scratches into distorted vocals that lure the track forward, face-first into scattered, erratic sound design. The vibrating notes of the track bounce into each other, creating a very unique propulsion forward.
The fifth and final song of Part I is titled “Full Tilt.” We are greeted by a looming atmosphere, awash with the sounds of lapping water and birdsong. It is easy to relinquish oneself and fall deeply into this track, as it courses through the air. Tilting forward headfirst, one can almost swim along the currents of the upcoming beats. Currents speed up before casting an anchor into commanding glitch-laden rushes of sound. Layers upon layers of unique sounds dive through this track, showcasing Yoko’s impressive ability to seamlessly blend together a variety of wonderfully weird components.
Vantage Point is an immaculate testament to Yoko’s sound design skills.
Part I of Yoko’s Vantage Point is an absolute joy to experience. Yoko is skillfully carving her own unique path in the underground, spearheading a fresh sound. She is pioneering a path of bass music full of innovation and inspiration. Part I of this album is the perfect balance of the Yoko sound we all crave, paired with new sounds and experiments that transcend genres.
This is a groundbreaking body of work; we can’t wait to share Part II, launching March 3rd, 2026!
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If you’re looking for new music, keep up with our weekly Spotify Playlist, Fresh Hunts. Whether it’s the newest tracks from Yoko, something new from your favorite artists, some old school, or underground—we want you to hear it.
