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Omar-S - Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself

    • Label /
      FXHE Records
      AOS-7000
    • Released /
      April 2013
    • Style /
      House
    • Comments /
      120 / View
    • Rating /
      3.0/5
    • Previous
    • Next
    Omar-S - Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself Omar-S - Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself
    Omar-S - Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself When CD copies of the latest Omar-S full-length arrived at Hard Wax recently, the Berlin institution, famous for their quirky record descriptions, appeared to be stopped dead in its tracks. The product page featured no "big room" advisory or "don alert" or even a "TIP!" They went with just one word: "House."

    Hard Wax doesn't exactly do hard-hitting criticism, but their brevity here raises an interesting point. How much is there left to say about Alex O. Smith? The Detroit producer has remained enviably consistent since his debut ten years ago: his style has been more or less unwavering, and with the exception of a lone 12-inch for Theo Parrish's Sound Signature in 2009, every single one of his slamming analog club tunes has come out through his own FXHE. There's certainly variety in Omar-S's oeuvre (and a lot to be admired about his thoroughly DIY operation), but there aren't really surprises or moments of reinvention. You wouldn't mistake his music or aesthetic for anyone else's, but "house" pretty much covers it.

    Where the title of his last album, It Can Be Done But Only I Can Do It, conveys the extent to which he owns what he does, the title of his latest, Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself, suggests he's not likely to budge from it. That pretty much plays out across the album. Thank You is stuffed with some very high-quality house music, but it's not the sort of statement dance artists often make when they tackle the format. It's just more Omar-S than we typically get at any given moment, and all of it falls within his back catalog's standard deviation in terms of quality. You'll find some extremely good tracks on here, like the hard-edged "I Just Want" (mixed by Luke Hess) and the gleefully lo-fi "Hellter Shelter." You may also find yourself skipping through a few less-than-considered moments. Notably, these come when Smith lets collaborators enter the fray. On "Rewind," his singer-on-call L'Renee's well-performed vocals sound awkwardly naked in the mix, leaving you relieved once the brittle machines take over fully. D. Tayler's piano jamming on "The Shit Baby," though perfectly competent, feels a little slapdash.

    "I wanted this to be a good listening Album from beginning to end which it is BTW!!" Smith told Juno Plus earlier this year when Thank You was first announced. And with a few surprisingly slick transitions and faux-tough guy sketches thrown in, you can see what he had in mind. Still, I'd contest this statement: it clocks in at well over an hour, and though it more or less covers his stylistic range, all the scratchy drums and dusty keys start to bleed together about halfway through. Omar-S has produced some genuinely club-transcending tracks, "Psychotic Photosynthesis" and "Here's Your Trance, Now Dance!!" chief among them, but even his best moments here aren't likely to blow minds outside of a DJ set. So at the end of the day, Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself is just house—albeit a bounty that only this guy could deliver.
    • Published /
      Thu / 2 May 2013
    • Words /
      Jordan Rothlein
    • Share
    • Tracklist /
      01. I'll Bring U Ah Lil Sumpin Back
      02. I Just Want
      03. Air Of The Day
      04. Be Yoself
      05. Rewind
      06. The Shit Baby (CP-1 Played By D.Taylor)
      07. Hellter Shelter
      08. Amalthea
      09. Tardigrade's
      10. Thank U 4 Letting Me Be Myself
      11. Ready My Black Asz
      12. Messier Sixty Eight
      13. DumpsterGraves
      14. Its Money In The D
    0/
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    • More on FXHE Records

      FXHE Records

      Detroit house label run by Omar S.
      View the full label profile

    • Reviews

      • 12 comments

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    0/
  • More on Omar-S

    • Omar-S
      Follow


      View the full artist profile

    Upcoming dates

    • Fri01/Mar 2019

      San Francisco

      Ayli & TGN present Omar S & DJ Nobu (Pisces Birthday Party)

    • Sat02/Mar 2019

      Los Angeles

      Lights Down Low La feat. Omar-S

    • Fri08/Mar 2019

      Lausanne

      Carl Craig et Omar-S

    • Sat16/Mar 2019

      Paris

      Rex Club presente: Omar S & Siler

    • Fri29/Mar 2019

      Montreal

      Omar S - Ostrich

    • Sat20/Apr 2019

      Milan

      Omar S - Take it Easy

    • Sat25/May 2019

      Glasgow

      Riverside Festival 2019

    • Thu22/Aug 2019

      Midlands

      Lost Village 2019

    News

    • Thu, 31 Jan 2019

      Post a comment

      Omar-S announces his first record of the year, 1992

      The three-track 12-inch from the Detroit house staple is out next month.

    • Tue, 18 Dec 2018

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      Norm Talley back on FXHE with a new 12-inch, Pier Place Project

      It's the Detroit house artist's third release for Omar-S's label.

    • Tue, 02 Oct 2018

      3 comments

      Andrés lands on NDATL with Latin-influenced D.ATLien EP

      It's the Detroit producer's first solo release on Kai Alcé's label.

    • Tue, 21 Aug 2018

      14 comments

      Printworks reveals autumn and winter programme featuring Nina Kraviz, Theo Parrish

      The Black Madonna, Moodymann, Bicep, Jeff Mills, Todd Terje and Peggy Gou are also booked for the Canada Water venue through the end of 2018.

    • Tue, 24 Jul 2018

      Post a comment

      Omar-S reveals new EP, One Of A Kind, on FXHE

      The three-tracker is out next month.

    • Tue, 19 Jun 2018

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      Into The Valley back with new 2018 festival in southern Spain

      Amelie Lens, Peggy Gou and Omar-S will play the September event at Sohail Castle in Fuengirola.

    • Wed, 23 May 2018

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    • Wed, 23 May 2018

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    Reviews

    • 14 comments

      Omar-S - Tap Dat Ass

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    • 21 comments

      Omar-S ‎- I Wanna Know feat. James Garcia

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      OB Ignitt - Let Me Tell You

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      Omar-S - Annoying Mumbling Alkaholik

    • 7 comments

      Luke Hess & Omar-S - Motown Methods EP

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      Omar-S - Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself

    • 6 comments

      Omar-S - Triangulum Australe EP

    • 16 comments

      Omar-S - 998

    • 24 comments

      Omar-S and Ob Ignitt - Wayne County Hill Cop's (Part 2)

    • 173 comments

      Omar-S - It Can Be Done, But Only I Can Do It

    • 22 comments

      Alex.O.Smith - Ultra Fine One

    • 18 comments

      Omar-S - Here With Me

    • 20 comments

      Omar-S - Still Serious Nic

    • 119 comments

      Omar-S - Fabric 45: Detroit

    • 25 comments

      Omar S - Blown Valvetrane

    • 25 comments

      Omar-S - Psychotic Photosynthesis

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