Omar McCutcheon (Batu)
Omar McCutcheon’s celebrated work as Batu has pushed at the vanguard of bassweight dance music for more than 10 years, largely centred on his Timedance and A Long Strange Dream labels with notable excursions to respected platforms such as Hessle Audio, Livity Sound and XL Recordings. His 2022 debut album Opal took his accomplished sound design into broader spheres of expression, while production work for serpentwithfeet saw him approaching pop sensibilities with his non-conformist sonic palette.
Throughout the evolution of his career, McCutcheon has mutated conventions around techno and soundsystem music with a precise intention according to the ideas and inspiration that drive him. When he started Timedance in 2015, it was a conduit for a close-knit community of artists responding to the innovations taking place in post-dubstep dance music. Launched in Bristol, the label quickly carved out its own slant guided by Batu’s own artistic trajectory. The label’s signature sharp edges and wild textures became a benchmark in an increasingly global scene.
Batu’s presence as a DJ on the international club and festival circuit touches on venerated events such as Glastonbury, Dekmantel and Unsound. The flexibility in his sound also translates to the intimacy of smaller underground events – an environment which remains inspiring even as he graces some of the biggest stages for electronic music globally.
