Ott & The All-Seeing I-Review

Jenn Cohen | March 1, 2013 | 0 Comments

by Joel Center

Despite the electronic uprising that has taken Denver, and much of the music scene, by storm, there are still some lifelong supporters of full bands that refuse to encourage solo producers. Even the most beautifully inspiring sounds – if created by one man behind a computer – are given less respect by the “band only” variety of music fanatics. Given, these sorts of people are usually just resistant to change and tend to come around over time, they still present a challenge that many electronic artists, and specifically solo producers, struggle to overcome.

Personally, I must say that solo producer Ott has far surpassed the banalities and monotony that all too often accompany electronic music. He has managed to introduce organic, naturalistic elements into his sounds right alongside the confounding aural pulses and stabs that transport the listener into another place and time – one of both awe-striking natural beauty and incomprehensibly intimidating technology. Now, after over 20 years in the music recording and producing industry, Ott has started touring with a full live band. Ott & the All-Seeing I has given the band-only fanatics out there an inexcusable reason to get over frivolity and start enjoying incredibly profound music, whether it’s produced by a single artist or a full band.

Ott certainly wasn’t lacking in success previous to his All-Seeing I project. In fact, before he was a solo artist, he made a successful career out of freelancing around London as a well-renowned studio engineer and producer. Soon, he found himself overwhelmed with creativity and moved to a remote cottage in southwest England to immerse himself in his own studio work. With a yearning to produce the perfect soundtrack to an outdoor festival, he began experimenting heavily with a variety of sounds, focusing specifically on classic Jamaican dub and the hypnotizing electronic pulses from mid-1980s Germany. After generating a plethora of original tracks that were hidden away for later release, he composed and published a series of Hallucinogen remixes, which made up the album Hallucinogen in Dub.

This first official solo release was well received, and it encouraged Ott to release his earlier sonic experiments such as the album Blumenkraft. This was the push into the world of live performance and album production that Ott needed. Since then, aside from releasing two more solo albums, he has worked in many side projects including Gargoyles with Shpongle’s Simon Posford, and most importantly, the All-Seeing I, which toured through Denver on February 8^th.

Ott had come through Colorado alone before, his most recent being a performance at Sonic Bloom. Those who had seen him at that festival and times before definitely liked what they heard, because Cervantes was packed that Friday night. I was impressed with his draw, but would a four-piece band really be capable of improving upon the sonic journeys that Ott had perfected? It was soon made beautifully obvious that they were, indeed, quite capable. With Ott acting as conductor behind his podium of keys, computers, synths, and controllers, the rest of the band continued to produce one of the most fantastic performances I’ve seen in a while. The All-Seeing I did a fantastic job of reproducing accurately and expounding upon the soundscapes that Ott has so painstakingly developed.

I should have known that a musician like Ott would find only the best players, the ones with which he could communicate solely through music, to perform live alongside him. The level of connection was incredible; each member of the band was completely in sync for the entirety of the performance. Chris Barker and Matt White (bass and drums, respectively) held it all together with the perfect amount of give and take between each other, while Ott laid down the most incredible melodies from his tower of electronic devices. Vocals, guitar, and the occasional synth line or percussion hit was given by Naked Nick, the multitasking final member of the All-Seeing I.

Regardless of Ott’s varied and extensive experience in the music industry in the past, his current live performance projects are being extremely well received. It looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of Ott & The All-Seeing I in the future. Don’t miss out!

www.ottsonic.net