- All-over-the-map (or off the map) uptempo club music from the master of all trades Om Unit.
- When Om Unit launched the once-anonymous Philip D Kick project, it felt almost revolutionary. The idea was right there in the name of the debut EP: Footwork Jungle. That original trilogy of free-to-download releases bolstered jungle classics with footwork rhythms, pulling on a frayed thread also tugged by artists like DJ Rashad and Machinedrum. The project laid in limbo like an afterthought until its relaunch in 2018, when RA's Angus Finlayson lamented a lack of "giddy thrill." Not so anymore. On the third and final release of a Philip D Kick trilogy for Fracture's Astrophonica label, Om Unit opens the project's purview to encompass grime and dubstep and infuses it all with a, well, giddy feeling of speed and elasticity.
Om Unit has always been a talented producer, but lately he's touched on something really special, exemplified by the pandemic-era Acid Dub Studies albums. Off World Tales carries itself with a similar blend of atmospherics and melodic expertise. The bass is incredibly tight, for one thing—just listen to the footworky stabs of low-end on the dubbed-out opener "Predator," or the sinusoid wubs of "Hyperspanner," which might have sounded aggro in anyone else's hands, but flit across the stereo spectrum in a way that's both cutting and cerebral. Dubstep rarely sounds as rich and bright as it does on "Replicant," with all the empty space filled by deeply textured acid leads and cinematic pads.
For more of what the project started with, there's "Orbit," a slice of lofty atmospheric jungle with killer strings and pad work, or the creepy-crawly "Future Shock," which has more excellent, cushiony bass and just the barest whiff of electro. The easy number one here is "Clappin Alien Cheekz," and not just for the title. On this one, Om Unit turns the Philip D Kick float into a straight-up lunge with a "Pulse X"-style dive-bomb, accented by snare hits that feel like they're surprised and jolted by each new swing of the axe. It's all a bit pastiche, sure, but rarely does pastiche sound this exciting.
Tracklist01. Predator
02. Clappin Alien Cheekz
03. Orbit
04. Future Shock
05. Hyperspanner
06. Replicant feat. Om Unit
07. The Journey Home
08. The Journey Home (Party Loop)