Rising producer pluko releases forward-thinking debut album ‘sixteen’ on Foreign Family Collective

How pluko caught the eyes and ears of ODESZA’s Foreign Family Collective (FFC) is a wonder. For one, the young talent hails all the way from a tiny town in rural Pennsylvania. On the other hand, the producer taps into some experimental flavors that fit perfectly into the FFC’s sonic wheelhouse — and even push the boundaries of the label’s sound further.

With label favorites in Rüfüs Du Sol, Jai Wolf, Chet Porter, Kasbo, and Big Wild, pluko comes along as a refreshing face with a wildly unique sound and stirring inner monologue that has manifested itself in the form a 12-track debut studio album, sixteen. The rising producer has been teasing singles off the LP with the previously released tracks, “l o v e,” “asleep,” and “pink.” Now the 18-year-old producer unveils eight more tracks off his full-length project to bring the past few years of his life full circle. 

The entire work is marked by tracks that are delicate, smooth, scenic, introspective, and yet crisp, high-energy, enrapturing, and beguiling. Experimental instrumentals abound on the album — such as with the lo-fi tones in “flight”, the glitchy synth work in “forgiveness,” and the budding airhorns in “no, not yet” — all meant to build tension towards a calmer release. Still, the album contains some poppy, vocal-driven tracks in “need ya,” ft. Neeve, and the MOONZz-assisted track, “asleep.” There is something for everyone to take away in this honest and mature production. If the future is unknown, then pluko’s place in driving electronic music forward is certainty.