Otik

Over the past few years, Ashley Thomas has been steadily building his collection of forward-thinking and hard-hitting club music under his alias, Otik.

After releasing tracks with labels such as Polydor, Dusky’s 17 Steps, Infinite Machine, and DEXT Recordings, he made his debut with a 4-track effort, ‘Top Ten’ EP, on Keysound Recordings in late 2018.

In 2019, Otik started the year with the compilation track ‘Memoria’ and the ‘Stoned Ghost’ EP on Berlin’s Nous imprint, further exploring the emotive and dreamy side of UK Techno. This was followed by the vocal club track ‘Actress’ on Midland’s Intergraded, and later the experimental ‘Dioxide’ EP on his staple label DEXT Recordings, featuring a remix from Hessle Audio’s Bruce. October 2019 saw the release of the EP ‘Blasphemy’ by Boogie Box Records, with a striking remix from Timedance’s Metrist.

2020 has been a rapid year for Otik, as he returned to Intergraded with a 4-track solo EP 'Wetlands', gaining critical acclaim and broad support. In March, he released the single 'NDE' on Hodge & Franklin De Costa's 'Mother's Finest' imprint, followed by another 4-track effort for Mr. Mitch's Gobstopper Records in April. With more releases expected later this year, he shows no signs of slowing down.

Otik’s Techno, Worldly, and Breaks influenced DJ mixes are a surefire hit on the dance floor, earning praise from Earmilk & DJ Mag for his “inventive and infectious club sets and radio shows.” With previous mixes on NTS, Rinse FM, Worldwide FM, and BBC Radio 1 & 1xtra, he currently hosts a quarterly radio show on Rinse France (featuring past guests like Cosmin TRG, Andrea, Throwing Snow), aiming to blend the sounds of UK Techno, Weightless, and other experimental & underground music from around the world.