- Otik combines liquid drum & bass, techno and UK garage on an album of heavenly beats inspired by his own soul-searching.
- For Otik, the pandemic album cliché means something different. When the world shut down, the Bristol-raised, London-based producer not only had a crisis of career, but also faith and his entire belief system. Inspired partly by the experimental filmmaker Terrence Malick, he sought to chart out a narrative of spiritual belief through the hardcore continuum. As one of the many producers in the UK making cutting-edge leftfield techno, releasing an album that dates back three years might seem counterintuitive, but Cosmosis is unique in Otik's discography. He applies his ear for unusual textures and off-kilter rhythms to drum & bass, jungle and UK garage with all the works—wailing vocals, breakbeats that reach for the sky and unfailingly romantic pads. Painting with a palette of bright pastels and warm, comforting hues, Cosmosis veers on the correct side of cheesy, channeling some of the most beloved of '90s electronica in the process. It's all wrapped up with a distinctly Bristol touch, especially in the low end.
Words are sparse, but the album's narrative is clear. Following the nervous fluttering of "Non Believer," emotions ratchet up through tracks with names like "Rebirth," "God Given" and "Odyssey." Otik settles on a widescreen style of dance music here, with Reese basslines that send pounding breakbeats into the azure on the title track or raucous garage rhythms reinforced with the rigid feel of drum & bass. "Odyssey" features a drum & bass rhythm shrouded by an almost blinding sense of light, like early morning sunrays flashing through sheer curtains. "Epiphania"'s broken techno is touched by the tinkling, snow-capped atmosphere of liquid drum & bass. All of these tracks match their titles, portraying earnest hope and salvation. It's hard not to get swept up in the album's tide of emotion, primarily because Otik sells it so well—and so physically (check out that drill-inspired bassline in the otherwise lightweight "Geronimo").
Those looking for darker shades of club music or jagged techno might not find much solace in the undulating vocals of tracks like "Raw Whispers" and "Geronimo," which borrow the vaguely Middle Eastern vibes of old prog and crossover acts like Banco de Gaia and The Future Sound of London. Elsewhere, an interlude like "God Given" harks back to witch house and Balam Acab, all midnight-blue synths and chipmunk reveries. These tracks are obvious homages to that bygone era, and some younger listeners might be left scratching their heads—but there's always an element of strength and solidity to pull things back down to earth, even when the album is at its most celestial.
Cosmosis is an album's album. Otik gets to try his hand at some of his favourite kinds of music, with a level of pathos that doesn't always fit dance floor music. Like some of the best Orbital records, Cosmosis is an orchestral take on drum & bass and techno unencumbered by the need for functionality or tough-guy posturing. Sometimes it bangs, sometimes it's mawkish, but it always feels honest, even when Otik's head is fully in the clouds. As hackneyed as it might be to say, it's the sound of someone finding themselves, and ending up in a place like "Astra," the album's confident, steel-plated techno-garage closer: powerful, stable on two feet and a little misty-eyed, too.
Tracklist01. Non Believer
02. Cosmosis
03. Epiphania
04. Raw Whispers
05. Rebirth
06. Geronimo
07. Blue Hills
08. God Given
09. Odyssey
10. Astra
11. Noontides