Omar-S' profile has gone through the roof in the past two years, due primarily to the epic techno anthems "Psychotic Photosynthesis" and "The Further You Look - The Less You Will See" released on his FXHE label. This rise in popularity led to the release of a mix CD for Fabric which consisted of only his own tracks, a mix which was the first exposure to his diverse productions for many of those who had only recently gotten hip to him. Still Serious Nic is a four-track EP, and he uses the longer format to display his varying styles quite effectively.
Things kick off with "Flying Blind," a deep hi-tech-soul cut that wouldn't sound out of place on Natural MIDI (which makes sense given Omar's recent obsession with Scott Grooves). The synth pads and thick bass segue perfectly into the mechanical skeleton of "Still Serious Nic." Oddly, there are no spaces separating the tracks on this EP, they overlap a bit for true extended play. The title cut strips away most of the harmony that made the preceding track so beautiful and replaces it with jacking lo-fi drum machine programming and minimal dubbed out chords to create a late night banger.
"Lift Him Up" on the B-side feature's Omar's brother Don-Q on vocals (whom you may remember from "U"), creating the highlight of the record as well as another raw vocal house anthem. Omar-S doesn't often work with vocals, but when he does it tends to work out well. Another smooth transition marks the second track "Flying Gorgars," which is a synthed-out epic that will be getting hammered by the minimal DJs as well as the deep house jocks.
It's rare to find a producer who can put out four hot tracks that sound almost nothing alike, but still have an easily identifiable signature sound. Omar-S happens to be one of those few, and the results are just as good for listeners as it is for DJs who will find the flexibility of this 12-inch an asset in their crates.
Buy Omar-S - Still Serious Nic at
Tracklist: Omar-S - Still Serious Nic
 A1 Flying Blind
A2 Still Serious Nic
B1 Lift Him Up feat. Don Q
B2 Flying Gorgars
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