Om Unit

As a producer and DJ, Om Unit’s persistent presence in an ever-changing musical landscape has solidified his place as an electronic music pioneer.

Jim 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.

He has been known to distil and cross-pollinate tropes of breaks, techno, hip-hop, dubstep, ambient, jungle, footwork, 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 is how, under the recently retired ’Philip D Kick' alias he came to pioneer the stylistic and rhythmic links between jungle and footwork via a series of acclaimed edits that led to what is now known as ‘160’ as a movement. This daring approach to creativity has earned Coles praise as a refreshing voice in dance music from both peers and the media.

On record his explorations into the ‘deeper’ end of the electronic music spectrum have come via such releases as his critically acclaimed debut LP ‘Threads’ via Civil Music, 2014’s ‘inversion’ for Metalheadz (an homage to the label’s original sound palette via DAT’s lent by Goldie himself), 2017’s ‘Self’ via his own now-defunct ‘Cosmic Bridge’ label and his recent spate of conceptual ‘Acid Dub Studies’ LP as non-label self-releases complete with 2 sets of remixes from a whole host of luminary producers and DJ’s including Hodge, Deadbeat, CV313, Yushh, Tapes, Surgeon’s Girl and many more.

A fan of collaboration, there are various projects out in the world which feature collaborative works with the likes of TM404 via Acid Test, Martyn via 3024, Seekersinternational via Berceuse Heroique, and Deadbeat via Midnight Shift.

It is Om Unit's exploratory approach that has made him an in-demand remixer (DJ Magazine once shortlisted him for Best Producer and Best Remix) 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.

Coles is also a sought-after DJ and now live performer with his ‘Acid Dub Studies’ Live show, with over 500 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.

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.