OM UNIT
Om Unit
As a producer, performer and DJ, Om Unit's persistent presence in an ever-changing musical landscape has solidified his place as a well-known and adaptive electronic music innovator. Beginning this project in the late 00s, the English producer has sought to challenge himself and his audience by going beyond the confines of typical genres and styles. In the process he has found success by connecting styles of electronic music in unique and daring ways.
He has been known to distil and cross-pollinate breaks, techno, downtempo, dubstep, ambient, jungle, footwork and dub into a fluid take on electronic sound system music that sidesteps the pitfalls of pastiche, creating new areas for exploration with many following in his footsteps.
It is how, for example, under the recently retired 'Philip D Kick' alias, he came to pioneer the stylistic and rhythmic links between jungle and footwork, inspiring a global movement of up-tempo bass music that dared to break out of the norm. This daring approach to creativity has earned him praise from both peers and the media as a refreshing voice in dance music.
His explorations into the 'deeper' end of the electronic music spectrum have come via such releases as his critically acclaimed debut LP 'Threads', 2014's 'inversion' and 2017's 'Self' via his own now-defunct 'Cosmic Bridge' label, and his recent spate of conceptual 'Acid Dub Studies' LPs, with three sets of remixes from a host of luminary producers and DJs including Satoshi Tomiie, Daniel Avery, Hodge, CV313, Yushh, Tapes, Beatrice M and many more.
A fan of collaboration, he has numerous projects out in the world featuring work with the likes of TM404 via Acid Test, Martyn via 3024, Seekersinternational via Berceuse Heroique, James Bangura via Local Action and Deadbeat via Midnight Shift.
It is Om Unit's exploratory approach that has made him an in-demand remixer — DJ Magazine once shortlisted him for Best Producer and Best Remix — and BBC Radio 1, Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, FACT, XLR8R, Rinse FM, Keep Hush, The Lot and Kiosk Radio have all called on him to provide mixes and showcase his sound.
He is also a sought-after DJ and now live performer with his 'Acid Dub Studies' live show. Over 500 appearances in clubs and festivals across more than 30 countries amount to the equivalent of approaching twenty-five trips round the globe, and counting. In line with his desire to imagine new potentials for dance music, he has appeared on bills as varied as Montreux Jazz Festival and Dekmantel, Waking Life and Mysteryland.
Om Unit has never been an easy producer to pin down sonically, but zoom out and view the marathon of exploration he is undertaking and you will find yourself in the space of slow-motion beats and chugging textures, in some of the darkest corners of the hardcore continuum, in the frenzy of up-tempo footwork patterns, and in his more recently mature take on dancefloor tropes in the worlds of acid, dub, breaks and techno.
The journey so far contains a distinct lineage of innovative and playful takes on various musical tropes, fashioned from experience, experimentation and excitement. By consistently connecting fresh musical ideas with classic studio techniques, he has truly made an indelible mark on electronic music and remains here to stay.