Easter Sunday w/ OM UNIT and Friends

Details

OM UNIT (UK)

SOULECTRO DJ's (Sho Nuff x WD4D)

GRYM

ROB NOBLE

As a producer and DJ, Jim Coles's persistent presence in an ever changing

world has solidified his place as an electronic music pioneer. Coles took on

the mantle of Om Unit in the late 2000s, and since then the English producer

has sought to challenge himself and his audience by going beyond the

confines of typical genres and styles. In the process he has found success by

striving for a more human and daring approach to connecting styles of

electronic music in unique ways.

What drives Coles is a desire to keep challenging himself, and in turn his

audience. During his time as Om Unit, this has led him to distill various

influences — hip-hop, dubstep, ambient, jungle, footwork, techno and dub —

into a fluid take on sound system culture and electronic music that sidesteps

the pitfalls of genres and pastiche and creates new potentials for exploration

and inspiration, with many following in his footsteps. It’s how, in the early

2010s (under the recently resurrected ’Philip D Kick' alias) he came to

pioneer the stylistic and rhythmic links between jungle and footwork via a

series of acclaimed edits. This personal approach has earned Coles praise as

a refreshing voice in dance music from both peers and the media.

On record, Coles’ explorations into the deeper end of the electronic music

spectrum have come via releases for Civil Music, including a critically

acclaimed debut album, 2013’s Threads, legendary drum & bass outfit

Metalheadz, where he was given access to Goldie’s personal sample archive

as the inspiration for 2014’s Inversion album - a personal homage to the

Metalheadz sound, and his own Cosmic Bridge imprint where in 2017 he

released his daring third studio album ‘Self’. He has also released on Planet

Mu, a collaboration with Machinedrum as Dream Continuum, on Astrophonica

as Philip D Kick, on R&S's Apollo imprint with Kid Drama, on All City Records,

remixing Grammy-winning producer Om’Mas Keith, on Plastician’s

Terrorhythm, and dBridge’s Exit Records. Not content with remaining still for

too long, he has since moved more into the world of technoid and more

experimental music, collaborating with Seekersinternational, remixing for

Limbo Tapes, collaborating with Deadbeat for Midnight Shift and notably,

producing 2 albums of a new style of Dub, with his 'Acid Dub Studies' Series

which have been by far his best selling work, with over 3500 vinyl records

sold in an 18 month period, and a new Live show to boot, there seems to be

little sign of slowing down on the horizon.

It is Om Unit's exploratory approach that has made him an in-demand

remixer (DJ Magazine shortlisted him for Best Producer and Best Remix at the

close of 2016) and BBC Radio 1, Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, FACT, XLR8R,

Rinse FM, Keep Hush and HÖR have called on him to provide mixes and

showcase his sound.

In 2011, Coles set up a label, Cosmic Bridge Records, through which he has

exercised an A&R sensibility that has created an exciting independent home

for likeminded artists. The label’s releases, pressed onto limited edition vinyl

runs, have all mostly sold out within days of their street date. Through

Cosmic Bridge, Coles has championed veterans such as Kromestar, J:Kenzo,

TMSV, DJ Madd and Boxcutter alongside new voices from Europe and

America, including Moresounds, Danny Scrilla, Crypticz, Proc Fiskal, A.Fruit

and others. The label’s breadth is best seen in the celebrated, and award-

nominated, Cosmology compilation series Coles began overseeing in 2014.

Moving towards it's 30th release, and with an all important Om unit album in

the catalogue Cosmic Bridge continues to represent a dual path of

inspiration: that which Coles found in others’ music, and that which others

have found in his. He continues to release music on his own 'self-released'

imprint also.

Coles is also a sought after DJ and now live performer, with over 600

appearances in clubs and festivals in more than 30 countries he has made

the equivalent of approaching twenty five trips round the globe and

counting. And in line with his desire to imagine new potentials for dance

music has appeared on varied bills from the Montreux Jazz Festival to Bass

Coast, Waking Life to Mysteryland.

After two decades in London, Coles relocated to Bristol in 2015. From his

studio on the English west coast he continues to explore new musical

horizons; through production work - his Torchlight EP series on Cosmic

Bridge, and with new projects and aliases - including 2019's Violet project,

2020's 'Submerged', 2021's 'Flux' as well as some continuation of work as

Philip D Kick and his new Acid Dub Studies project garnering support

worldwide via radio, club and streaming playlists.

Jim Coles has never been an easy producer to pin down sonically but if one is

able to zoom out on the years of exploration in the potentials of beats, the

space of slow-motion house music, the darkest corners of drum & bass & the

hardcore continuum, or the frenzy of footwork patterns and now his more

mature take on acid, dub, breaks and techno one can see there is a lineage

of very personal takes on various musical tropes fashioned from experience,

experimentation, and excitement. By consistently connecting between

musical ideas, studio techniques, and potential emotional outcomes and by

inviting listeners to hear and feel the experiences and memories that make

up who we are - Coles has truly made an indelible mark on electronic music

and remains here to stay.

Event Host

Deep'n'Bass