Otzeki

Otzeki are an electronic dance rock group from the United Kingdom, based in London. The project centres on cousins Mike Sharp and Joel Roberts. Their sound combines carefully sourced electronics, electric guitar and falsetto vocals, and it is described as electronic-punk as well as electronic dance rock.

The duo begins after a semi-drunken jam using a partly functioning Yamaha AN200 drum machine and a Fender Jaguar guitar. Their name comes from a misremembered Russian author. They tour across Europe, the UK and the USA, and their live performances are noted for a strong, forceful energy.

Otzeki release their debut record Binary Childhood in 2018. Their second album, Now Is a Long Time, takes its title from the phrase “Now is a Long Time”, which is inspired by the Truisms of artist Jenny Holzer. The words are written on a piece of paper above Mike Sharp’s bed in Finsbury Park while the pair write the follow-up album. The phrase also appears in the album artwork after the band spray-paint it across a billboard in Waterloo, where it remains for four weeks before being painted over.

Now Is a Long Time is written mostly on a laptop while the band is on the move, and it reflects a quicker, more immediate writing process. The album includes the singles “Max Wells-Demon” and “Sweet Sunshine”.