Draft:Batu (Music Producer)

Batu
Birth nameOmar McCutcheon
Genres
Years active2013-present

Omar McCutcheon, a.k.a. Batu, is a Bristol-based music producer and DJ. He is also the owner of music label Timedance and A Long Strange Dream.

Biography

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Grown up in Oxfordshire, McCutcheon wanted to become a musician since early age because of his family's love of music. As a teen, McCutcheon became part of the then emerging Dubstep scene, quietly building knowledge from dub​step​fo​rum​.com and broadcasting from his bedroom as Streamizm.[1] McCutcheon met Bristol-based producer Lurka, who advised him to pursue a music production course at Bath Spa University, during the course, he met producers Bruce and Ploy.[2]

In 2015, Batu started Timedance, a label based in Bristol,[3] so far it has over 30 releases.[4]

On 23 June 2017, Batu released EP Marius, with London-based label Hessle Audio.

In 2018, Batu signed to XL Recordings, and released his EP Rebuilt, the four-track EP is described by the label as "pushing his sound forward in every way possible".[5]

On 29 April 2022, Batu released his debut album Opal, it 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.[6]

Following the release of his debut album Opal, in 2023, Batu started a new label A Long Strange Dream, and released two EPs half speed and For Spirits.[7]

Batu is also "a producer who DJs", he learnt to DJ in his bedroom and started playing at parties in Oxford when he was 18.[8] His presence as a DJ on the international club and festival circuit touches on venerated events such as Glastonbury, Dekmantel Festival, Sonar 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.[9]

Beyond sonics, his interests expand into visual work too, having produced and directed the video to his own track 'Solace' and collaborated on an A/V composition with Harry Butt for his Crack Magazine cover feature - one of multiple cover features he's been placed on.[9]

Discography[10]

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EP
Title Label Year
Dekalb / Collate Mistry 2015
Monolith Timedance 2016
Marius Hessle Audio 2017
Rebuilt XL Recordings 2018
I Own Your Energy Timedance 2021
half speed A Long Strange Dream 2023
For Spirits A Long Strange Dream 2023
Album
Title Label Year
Opal Timedance 2022

Radio Apperance

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Radio Station Show Name
Beats in Space Batu, Bradley Zero 2019
NTS Radio DEBONAIR B2B Batu 2019
BBC Radio One Essential Mix 2021
BBC Radio One Martha's Big Weekend Warmup 2024
The Lot Radio Batu @ The Lot Radio 2024
NTS Radio A LONG STRANGE DREAM W/ BATU 2022-present

References

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  1. ^ "20 Questions: Batu".
  2. ^ "Producer Batu has made a studio for aspiring musicians". The Face. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  3. ^ "Batu announces Timedance label".
  4. ^ "Timedance - Bandcamp".
  5. ^ Wilson, Scott (17 May 2018). "Batu signs to XL Recordings for Rebuilt EP". Fact Magazine.
  6. ^ "Giant Artist Management".
  7. ^ "Batu starts second label, A Long Strange Dream, for his own music".
  8. ^ "The Art of DJing: Batu".
  9. ^ a b "Widetempo artist's page".
  10. ^ "Batu-bandcamp".