Fledgling London based Prism records has set lose its second release; an eight track EP from the Bristolian producer Otik. Their first EP, Grid Games from Jon Phonics, was received very positively, and after a significant gap, Otik’s Persist EP has some living up to do.
With a huge number of producers making House in London at the moment, there was some concern as to whether Otik (with two self-released EP’s to his name, as well as a freebie via Paul Arnold’s Fat! Records, to his name) would be able to fight for distinction in a genre, frankly, saturated with plenty of sub-par releases.
Otik has fought well.
With four original productions and four remixes, Prism has assembled a solid release (it has to be said; before you even start to spin the first number, the art work is spot on). Although one of the Otik originals left me feeling a tad cold, his other productions are intelligently crafted club compositions. Highlights include the opening track, Show No Love, with its audacious tackling of a club anthem’s vocals, using samples from Show Me Love, results in a low end heavy thumper that would send anyone scuttling to the dance floor. Persista, steals the show for me; it grabs attention with its nod to break beat – sure to catch your ear from the very first play. The remixes lend support to flesh out the release, doing what good remixes should, though eplp’s remix of Green Tea comes very close to outshining the original. eplp creates a track with a wall of bass and a shuffling beat that is sure to cause a stir in the club.
Otik’s Persist EP is a solid second release for Prism. With club focused production that you certainly would not be disappointed to hear, we can safely say that Otik is doing well in raising his head and neck above the House riff-raff.
Top Track(s): Persista
EP Rating: 
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