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Once11 - Once11 versus the Pyramid

XLR8R
A founding member of NYC's illbient collective We, Once 11 (Ignacio Platas) recently relocated to Barcelona, and now records music as a solo artist. The debut album is an easy-skanking mashup of dub vibrations, found sound, and gritty lo-fi beats. While many of these tracks have a rough, unfinished feel about them, others are classic dub versions ready to rock any sound system powerful enough to take their assault. Rock Solid. (Brock Phillips)

BPM Magazine
Questionable scatological references aside (titles like Wet Paris High Heels and Dog Shit, and Shapeshitter) Once 11 has devised a satisfying treat of dubbed out downtempo grooves. The melodic arrangements and instrumentations are lush, providing a smokers delight of a soundtrack for those hazy evenings. Dubby basslines, a plethora of tripped out sound effects and beats that echo around zero gravity soundscapes hallmark the album, exemplified by "Wet Paris High Heels". Panama Cell displays a thick, layered reggae sensibility, with heavily filtered samples emerging through the cloud of low-end fumes. Other tracks follow suit, sounding like they have come from an imagination slightly removed from reality. Atmospherics take over and are occasionally punctured by sounds of the outside world, such as the motorbike engine of Zoomtown Zietlupiges. What remains constant throughout is the head-nodding rhythmic lexicon always translated through a heavy groove, and a wink of the eye, manifested in such song titles as Evolutionized Forms of Americans. This cheeky perspective is probably derived form the fact that Once 11 relocated to the fun and sun soaked environs of Barcelona after a long stint in Brooklyn NY. Once 11 Versus The Pyramid comes highly recommended for any purveyors of left-of-center dub and downtempo. (Lucy Beer)
BPM Magazine

Propeller Magazine
Once11 Versus the Pyramid (!K7/theAgriculture) Once11, dj Olive and Lloop are WE, the band that literally gave us illbient, as one of their tracks was titled such. Illbient was the big thing a few years back, its biggest name most likely dj Spooky (although WE deserved success far more). Born in Brooklyn, the genre was all about thick ambient textures, hip-hop rhythms, flirtation with drum'n'bass, and instrumentation of other cultures. It doesn't sound like really a big deal, lots of other bands do this, but the illbient circle did it with a ferocity and power most other producers couldn't touch. On this release, Once11 steps out on his own with a solid, solid album full of heavy grooves and lush textures. Judging from the sound of this one, Once11 brought the dub influence to WE. It doesn't open as such, but about halfway through I found myself really digging some heavy dub piano and melodica. I never actually noticed that it changed styles - the dub just sneaks up on you - which goes to show how subtle the skills of Once11 are. I actually like this a lot more than the last WE album - it's lots more cohesive and groovy and eclectic. (MS)
propellermagazine.com

Grooveradio
Igancia Platas AKA Once 11's first solo LP is a hybrid of many genres of music, creating a synthesis virtually unimagined by electronic artists. The diverse composition of this album creates a clear understanding of Platas' sundry adventures and experiences in life. Combining layers of eclectic instrumentation, melodies and innovative sounds, Once 11 Versus The Pyramid demonstrates his intelligence through docile atmospheres created with abstract beats and wickedly deep basslines. The modern dub album combines original orchestration such as flamenco guitars, accordions, melodicas, vintage synths and pianos, into a collection of sounds, beats and personas that are rarely heard in electronic music. With a range of influence from ska and house in "Shapeshitter" and "Worm Mini Hiniekens," to a sensual combination of dub and dancehall in "Monkey Byte" and "99% Sure," to the ever popular abstract beats of "Panama Cell" and "Zoomtown Zeitlupiges" you are sure to keep you head bobbing. A contagious beat that is sure to please anyone looking for modern dub/downtempo atmosphere to chill to.
grooveradio.com

Levelheaded
Brooklyn's WE has been offering up some smoked out and sample heavy dub and downtempo for a few years and now member, Once11, has found a new home in Barcelona and recorded his first solo full length for theAgriculture label. For this material, Once11 uses primarily acoustic instrument sounds including, flamenco guitars, harmonica, synths, accordions, and loads of chilled-out flanger and delay effects to give it a classic dub flavor. Subtle percussion provides for the back drop for harpsichord melodies and a wash of effects and will then lead into dubbed out bass lines and familiar, yet twisted sounds that drop in out of the songs. Oncel1 writes his tunes, all of which are chilled-out, by keeping close attention to the subtle details and combining sounds that are eclectic and warm but don't lean towards some sort of world music/ bad neo-dub sound. This is early Sunday morning wake up music at it's best.
hybridmagazine.com/level