Premiere: Otik – Futile

Intended as a companion record to May’s Emphasis EP (on Tessier-Ashpool), East London producer Otik‘s Strangelove EP (out July 24 on Infinite Machine) comes in as another piece of well-executed breakbeat revivalism focusing on various strains of the ‘ardkore continuum. Like contemporaries Wallwork & RZR, Tsunga, Benton and Tessela, Otik prefers to drop the tempo down into the 130 range from hardcore, jungle and drum and bass’ raucous pacing, drawing out the classical elements in those forms and recontextualizing them across contemporary space. This is readily apparent throughout Strangelove, a record where classic reese bass bumps up against Missy Elliot samples and a clear sense of songwriting exists throughout. Tracks like “Futile” (premiered below) and “Glimpse”, while banging in a club context, also feature extremely well-conceived sound design and are pleasurable to listen to outside of the mix, the former featuring a beautiful soul sample that recalls the better side of the late 2000s pitched down R&B craze. The Strangelove EP is out this Friday (July 24) and can be previewed after the jump. Also be sure to tune into Otik’s Radar Radio sessions for a consistently on point update on the breakbeat-based musics past and present.