The latest artist is ALT’s Homegrown Spotlight is laying down the beat.
Specializing in electronic music, Oblique has created his own work and also produced for rappers, including Extraordinary.
His diverse style ranges from synth-pop to more aggressive, leaving even himself to struggle defining it.
“For the more experimental stuff I do, there’s not really a good name for it currently,” he said. “There’s IDM, which is Intelligent Dance Music … that fits sonically, but I just don’t like the label. It’s very pretentious. I like electronica, experimental.”
Whatever it’s called, ALT DJ Zack Skyler likes what he hears, and you can hear it and an interview with him at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, and Sunday, Dec. 4.
Knowledge is power
Growing up in Ohio, Mark Waldrick (Oblique’s offstage name) came to Fort Wayne to attended the University of Saint Francis in 2014. It was there that he honed his craft.
“When I was high school, I was starting to get into electronic music a little bit, but it was just like using GarageBand and FL Studio,” he said. “Once I went through Saint Francis’ music technology program, I really got to learn about all the different facets of that, like audio engineering, production, and live sound. I got to experience so many different things there and really got into writing when I was there.”
Getting experience with the likes of Pro Tools and Cubase, Oblique felt most comfortable with Logic, and his music took off.
Experimentation
While many high school and college students might be playing alternative, indie rock, or metal, Oblique was drawn to the world of electronica.
“When I first got into electronic music in high school, I got into dubstep,” he said. “That really intrigued me because I had not heard anything like that before. I was just like, ‘I have to go down this rabbit hole and see what all is out there.’ I eventually found Flying Lotus, Aphex Twin, who do more experimental stuff and have been big inspirations for me.”
Through his early days, he leaned a bit more pop, but has been getting into more darker ambient material as of late.
“I did a remix for local rapper M.O. that came out a couple months ago called ‘No Drive,’ and that’s a little more of the aggressive thing that I do, kind of like my song ‘188,’” he said of his latest release. “But I also have another song that I did with Haley (Sorg) called ‘Troublemaker.’ That’s when I started to dabble in the more experimental stuff.”
He says he’s been able to dabble more in experimental due to his knowledge growing.
“When I started out with my first album and early releases, I think the issue was that on a technical level, I wasn’t able to achieve what I wanted to,” he said.
Going darker
Oblique released his debut album, Last Call, in 2018, which was a senior project with Sorg, Ellie Parker, and Neras contributing vocals. In 2019, he released Beat Tape, Vol. 1.
He’s recorded a couple more singles with Sorg, including “Troublemaker” in 2018, before coming out with his Y-000 EP in 2021, which saw him taking on the more dark, ambient sound.
His latest single, “188,” was released Nov. 11, and can be heard on ALT 99.5FM/102.3FM.
When he’s not working at Sweetwater, he says his time is devoted to producing for others and creating his own album, which he hopes can be released in 2023 … if he gets the sound he wants.
“Last year, I started working on a new synth-pop record, but due to personal frustrations, I was just like, ‘This is not what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to force something that I don’t actually want to do,’” he said. “I do have a lot of stuff in the works, hopefully an album next year. As long as everything falls into place.”
