T3Y: Optimo
Eclectic, innovative, and entirely in a league of their own, Optimo remain ahead of the game 20 years on…
Veterans in the industry, Twitch and Wilkes of Optimo can be considered the poster children of Glasgow’s underground. A delectable fusion of electro, ambient, techno, rock, aswell as an assortment of other left field genres, Optimo’s appeal comes from their unabashedly unique music selection. It’s not uncommon to see their online sets overflowing with desperate pleas for “Track ID???” only to remain forever unanswered, adding to the ether of fans who always seem to be trailing behind them, eternally addicted.
Developing their sonic signature at the Optimo event which began in 1997 at the notorious SubClub, their weekly event hosted names such as Jeff Mills, Green Velvet, and Richie Hawtin. Their remix work falls under the alias Optimo Espacio, and amidst all this they manage to fine the time to curate their own imprint record label Optimo Records. In turn, a quick google search of Optimo might find you struggling to distinguish which facet of the Optimo empire you’re delving into… but rest assured you’re in for a treat whichever realm you choose.
Ahead of Optimo’s return to Australia which will see the duo play at events Pitch Music & Arts and Animals Dancing, we thought Optimo would be the best candidates for a new instalment of our Top 3 YouTube series, where we look at the top YouTube moments and comments from their extensive career. Without further ado…
Optimo Boiler Room x AVA Festival DJ Set
Straight out of the gates, the first YouTube result presents us with an absolute doozy of a set, and may even go down in history in Boiler Room all time hall of fame. Held at AVA Festival in Northern Ireland in 2016, the combination of mixing selection, and absolute hype coming from the audience, is a cocktail that has us absolutely hooked.
TOP YOUTUBE COMMENTJames Corden at Boiler Room? We can only dream… good call though ‘francisbegbies’.
2. Optimo 'Espacio' - Boiler Room and Ballantine’s Stay True Scotland 'Collections'
For those of you who are craving an insight into the minds of Optimo, then this one is definitely for you. This hour long interview with Twitch and Wilkes is a refreshing look at the minds behind the empire, from career beginnings to where they are now - and of course sprinkled with a few of their favourite records in-between.
TOP YOUTUBE COMMENT
Leigh Mc the ultimate ‘Wannabe tittie shaker’ getting a little nostalgic in the YouTube comments is a breath of fresh air. Thankyou for your contribution Leigh.
3. Factory Floor- R E A L L O V E (Optimo (espacio) mix)
Whilst the quintessential Optimo sound is hard to put into a box, this is probably the closest you’d come. 7 minutes of rich pop synthesizers accompanied by warm analogue drum machines and the perfect amount of ambient effects, this remix may just be better than the original.
TOP YOUTUBE COMMENT
Us too John Michael… us too.
