Growing up in rural Oxfordshire in the 2000s, Omar McCutcheon immersed himself in online dubstep communities, and when he was old enough, he made his way to Bristol, where alongside like-minded artists Lurka, Bruce and Ploy, he helped fashion a dynamic new strain of UK dance music. McCutcheon’s music as Batu is rooted in dub, drum 'n' bass and other staples of sound system culture, yet it’s driven by the energy of techno and contemporary bass music. Since 2013, his releases on labels like Hessle Audio, XL Recordings and his own Timedance label have helped shape this nameless strain of rapidly evolving club music. But his interests aren’t limited to the dance floor: His 2022 debut album, Opal, draws heavily upon dark ambient and industrial influences, while 2023’s For Spirits—the inaugural release on his A Long Strange Dream label—brings those atmospheric qualities back into the realm of powerful, body-moving rhythms.