- Otik (pronounced oh-tick) is the Bristol-born DJ and producer Ashley Thomas, yet another talented youngster to rise from the city's seemingly bottomless pit of bass music artists. He makes loud, hard-edged club music that captures his love of jungle, UK garage, Burial and plenty more besides. His discography, though brief, isn't short on bangers—try this or this—but none match "Hunga," his new one on DEXT Recordings.
The track's opening seconds pull you in with a gassy hiss. The atmosphere, shadowy and tense, feels pregnant, like it's about to kick off. The shadowy atmosphere explodes 60 seconds in, as a fierce battle cry gives way to hard drums laced with sizzling synths and dancing claps. Thomas's intuitive ear for rhythm is matched only by the fullness of his sound design, two qualities that should pave the way for a bright future. On the B-side, Dead Man's Chest latches onto the original's late flurry of jungle drums, delivering a hectic remix whose best feature is the pitched-down, footwork-style vocal that gracefully rides the sputtering percussion. When the two collide, it's a real screwface moment.
TracklistA Hunga
B Hunga (Dead Man's Chest Cosmic Grime Remix)