ODETARI x AYYBO – HYPNOTIC DATA 2.0 (Single Review)

The voice of Gen Z, Odetari, is back with a remix to his renowned single, ‘Hypnotic Data’. As the title implies, this is ‘Hypnotic Data 2.0’, back to hypnotize you with essential and ethereal elements of electronic dance music to elevate the original song and turn it into a piece of art that is simply not to be missed.

In case you aren’t a wild zoomer caught in the wild with music tastes semi-influenced by the breakneck spread of information and emerging trends on social media, Odetari is a multifaceted musician. He is a rapper, producer as well as a songwriter. He has been quoted to have started producing music at the age of 13, but it wasn’t till 10 years later, in 2023 did his music start to pick up on social media. One of the songs that started heavily circulating in 2023 was ‘Good Loyal Thots’. The crunchy, lo-fi beats as well as the fast paced jersey-club influenced beat instantly resonated with the zeitgeist of this generation (including me) and solidified Odetari as one of the significant musical influences of this period. Even though his lyrics aren’t the star of his compositions, how he modifies his voice to fit his instrumentals enhances the instrumentality of the song. Owing to his prowess as a producer, he has also released many instrumental versions of his major songs under the umbrella term of ‘Odecore‘- what he brandishes his genre to be. To me, Odecore is a combination of today and a bit of the technological influence of music from the 2010s as well. The tempo, the crunchiness, the style of beats and infusion of jersey club and sigilkore really represents how fleeting and apocalyptic today feels, but the emphasis on influence from electronic dance music also reminds me of how it really has been a whole decade since people have added electronic music (be it EDM, trance, or even deep house) to general popularised music. We are in a deeply technological age, especially with the rise of hyper-AI (think of Sora) so this genre really fits it to a degree.

My picks from Odetari are the instrumental for GMFU and the instrumental for NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER.

In today’s review, however, we will be exploring the universe of the song ‘HYPNOTIC DATA’ and its remix. The original song comes in pretty devious and dark in its tone, while remaining fairly cheeky with the lyrics. The stuttering and the gate effect added to his voice instantly takes me back to the electro-club style of the late 2000s to the early 2010s. I can also hear a slight phonk influence in the song, and the signature crunchy lo-fi beat that characterises the music of today. The song also bears influence from chopped and screwed music, slowing down towards the end. What I find quite fascinating about today is the way people have really strong preferences for a hyperspeed or a slowed down variant. Essentially, nightcore vs chopped ‘n’ screwed. I think this reflects how we access and interpret data these days- it is extremely easy to slow or speed up a YouTube video if you want to capture certain details or simply cruise through it. We either skim through webpages or seize up on a certain topic or statement that catches our brain. Similarly, I think this behavioral pattern also reflects in the style of music that we prefer today.

The remix, however, takes the original song beyond the constraints of the period it characterises and immortalises it, in a strange-but-expected way. AYYBO, the collaborator in the track, is another multifaceted musician who does not let genre define his body of work. He has dabbled in all sorts of musical styles as well as genres, from drumming to house music. His current persona, AYYBO, is a moniker for primarily electronic dance music and house. As a result, the remix to HYPNOTIC DATA with his input turns it into a captivating and entrancing house track.

The song basically isolates and expands upon the devious motif of the original track, and amends the tempo so that it fits house. It isolates certain lo-fi sound clips from the original songs, as well as isolates vocal clips from Odetari himself, to add some spark and pizzazz to the overall soundscape. It definitely makes good use of the love filter as well as other filters to play with the synthesizers, giving it an in-and-out feel with the sound. The strong bass in the song mixed with the additional synthesizers gives the song a boldness that is quite incomparable to the original track. Even though it is quite minimalistic in its approach, without adding too much or straying away too much from the original track, there is something about it that elevates the listening experience of the original track. I think it is also because of the typical ‘build-up’ of electronic tracks that usually makes the listener anticipate a musical ‘drop’, which usually indicates that the lower ends, bass, and percussive elements of the track will get deeper and darker.

Overall, the remix does give the original song more state-space to expand upon when it comes to its darker undertones. It definitely sounds different as it eliminates the jersey club cadence, but it does give the song more of a gutsy feel. I can’t say I prefer this to the original or that the original is superior to this, they seem to both stand on its own merit. If you’re looking for more musical variability and excitation, the original will fit you. If you’d like a more edgy take on the song and something you can blast outright, the remix is perhaps for you. For me however, I think both variants of the song suit my musical palate.

Score/Good: ‘HYPNOTIC DATA 2.0’ does a great job at re-imagining the original track in a completely traditional house setting, while expanding upon the song’s dark undertones, giving it a great edge. However, it does lack a distinct form of musical variability. It certainly is ‘hypnotizing’, with its cadence, but more ‘data’ in the form of more instrumentation would’ve made it excellent.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]