It is getting harder and harder to create original music. I am not talking about songwriting originality, but rather the actual “sounds” used in the recording. Much of what we hear on a day-to-day basis is produced “in-the-box”, that is to say, recorded and mixed directly into a computer using similar programs, plug-ins and mixing techniques. This hyper accessibility to recording techniques and tools that were once only available to signed artists recording in expensive studios, has democratised music and granted musicians the chance to reach an audience without the approval of the music industry’s traditional gatekeepers. But it has also produced a certain homogeneity, where you hear the same style of beats (80s drum machine), guitar (Swedish pop power chords) and vocal effects (autotune). So when an artist steps up and dares to break the mould, it is always refreshing – and unsettling. This week’s artist, État (Daniel Wohl) does just that.