Otzeki release their debut album Binary Childhood this Friday.
Otzeki are Mike Sharp (vocal, guitar) and Joel Roberts (keys, Ableton) who craft clever pop music built upon vocals that meditate upon millenial struggle, and underpinned by electronic rhythms and subtle production. Binary Childhood is they say – “a multilayered dissertation on the internet, introversion, constant online self-expression, and the struggle between our co-existing private and public personas. We believe we’re a part of a generation that’s been raised as binary children, programmed by a series of ups and downs. Slowly but surely we became enveloped in data, our own personalities were translated into online forms before we really knew who we were.
Their new single ‘Pay The Tax’ imagines “an algorithm is the establishment” and references the leaked Paradise Papers and the injustice of a system that serves itself rather than the people it’s supposed to. Mike Sharp (vocals, guitar) says “I’m pretty A-political in the sense that I’m interested in humanity, politics has become automatically associated with economics and business and humanity should come before that.”
Directed by Christian Cargill and shot on the fly across London’s tube and overground network, Otzeki’s guerrilla tactics proved cost-effective – the only fine they incurred whilst filming was forgetting to tap their oysters whilst rushing for a connection. In the final cut Mike Sharp ramps up his performance as he strides across London’s transport network.
Otzeki have fielded our 20 Questions below:
1) Where are you and what’s the weather like?
We’re in London and the skies and grey and the air is polluted.
2) What’s your favourite record in the charts?
Most probably Sanctify by Years and Years.
3) What are your favourite films?
Withnail and I and Cafe du Flore. Love Paulo Sorrentino too and Luca Guadagnino too.
4) What is your favourite book?
Breath by Tim Winton, had a nice impact as a teenager
5) What are your favourite TV programmes?
True Detective (season 1) The Office (evidently UK), Extras, Fawlty Towels, Deal or No Deal
6) What was the first record you bought and where did you buy it from?
If your chatting vinyl, bought the first Darkside EP they released from Phonica back in 2012 I believe it were
7) What is your least favourite record that you have made, and why?
Musicians always consider their old material as far inferior to their new material. But who are we/they to judge?
8) Do you believe in God?
Yes, we believe in a unifying being, but not a divisive one. We also believe in Jimi Hendrix.
9) Which football team do you support?
Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham (although Mike doesn’t really follow the beautiful game, his dad was a West Ham man back in the day)
10) Do you have any pets?
I have a cat called Sox
11) Who would you want to play you in the film of your life?
Emile Heskey/Ronnie Corbett
12) Vinyl, CD, Download or stream?
All 4 baby
13) When was the last time you cried?
On the plane last week listening to Spiegel im Spiegel through the rubbish headsets they give you looking at the clouds and skyline
14) What’s the best cover version you have ever heard?
We saw this amazing german brass band at SXSW called Muete who covered techno classics with a dozen drummers and horn players, they absolutely tore the house down with classics like Ame – Rej and The Man With The Red Face by Laurent Garner, amongst other tunas
15) What’s the strangest thing that has ever happened at one of your own gigs?
Too many extremely strange moments to count. We had our first gig at SXSW this year pulled due to an onstage tuggle with the barmaid over a bottle of whisky
16) Have you ever been starstruck?
Watching David Beckham take a corner at Real Madrid when I was 13. We were right next to him sitting in the corner and shaking.
17) What is your culinary speciality?
Stir fry udon noodles with oyster/soy sauce, chicken soup
18) The Royal Family: should they stay or should they go?
Not even a question
19) If you weren’t doing this, what would you like to be?
I.T technician
20) If you could change one law, what would it be?
Looser alcohol laws in Austin, TX. Don’t know how they survive, poor buggers.
APRIL:
11th : Rough Trade East in-store performance
16th: Rough Trade Bristol in-store performance
17th : Oslo, LONDON **
19th : Badaboum, PARIS
21st : Motel Mozaique – Worm, ROTTERDAM
23rd : YUCA, COLOGNE
24th: Orangehouse, MUNICH
26th: Kantine Am Berghain, BERLIN
28th: Zukunft, ZURICH
MAY:
1st: Melkweg, AMSTERDAM
2nd: Merleyn, NIJMEGEN
3rd: Les Nuits Botanique, BRUSSELS
5th : Sound City, LIVERPOOL
6th: Stag & Dagger, GLASGOW **
8th: Workman’s Club, DUBLIN
9th: Soup Kitchen, MANCHESTER **
11th: Bau Wow, BRIGHTON **
12th: Crofter’s Rights, BRISTOL **
30th: Flux Day & Night Party, LEEDS **
JUNE:
29th: Fusion Festival, BERLIN
JULY:
5th: Rock Werchter, BELGIUM
6th: Feel Festival, BERGHEIDER SEE
28th: Juicy Beats, DORTMUND
AUGUST:
16th: Artlake Festival, BERGHEIDER SEE
17th: MS Dockville, HAMBURG
