Otem Rellik
Holed up in various basements across Fort Collins, Colorado, otem rellik (Toby Hendricks) has made the best of badly lit recording spaces with dusty floors and creaking ceilings. With a never-ending list of influences, otem's music, though rooted in hip hop, resonates with a wide spectrum of musical appetites. Whether harmonizing a powerful chorus or spilling out rough, sometimes guttural raps, rellik's regard for poetic lyricism is underscored by humbling and translucent honesty. otem stands mastermind on stage behind a hollowed-out suitcase full of mostly homemade electronic gizmos, involuntarily forced through a series of pedals and mixers. His showcase of emotional lyrics and clutching musicality has been seen all over Colorado as well as the west coast, Canada, and an eight stop European tour of Germany and France. otem rellik won the Best Hip Hop award from the Fort Collins Music Association in 2009 and 2010. He has shared the stage with acts such as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Foot Foot, Pictureplane, Astronautalis, Bleubird, Sole and the Skyrider Band, Restiform Bodies, Cars and Trains, Ceschi Ramos and many more.
5280 | Elephant Graveyard
Honestly, Toby Hendricks, the singular man behind Otem Rellik, may be brilliant. In addition to engineering instruments, he paints, writes poetry, and brings an artistry to his music that cannot be contained. Sure, he rhymes like an MC, over strong beats, but it would be shortsighted and limiting to call this hip-hop. His songs move both body and soul, and the music he produces is mournful and often beautiful, like the best indie rock.
Denver Westword | Elephant Graveyard
These Otem Rellik songs aren't hip-hop so much as they are experiments in what pop songs of the future might sound like now, as distinct genres of music cross-pollinate and influence one another to produce fascinating hybrids.
Colorado Music Buzz | Elephant Graveyard
In the day of complete saturation of musical styles, it is extremely refreshing to listen to and review artists such as Otem Rellik, who banishes all the rules and does what comes naturally – makes incredibly original music.
Scene Magazine | Elephant Graveyard
You can just taste the blood, sweat and tears when listening to Otem Rellik’s new album, Elephant Graveyard. Finely tuned and long awaited, this indie Hip-Hop album by Toby Hendricks drips with emotion. The album’s mood reminds one a bit of Radiohead – emotional and depressing, but very beautiful.
Denver Westword | Elephant Graveyard
Performing for the last several years under the moniker Otem Rellik, Toby Hendricks has certainly paid his dues. Living in Fort Collins, he's developed his craft largely through experimenting at open mikes and performing at shows with indie rock bands. Although his own vocal delivery is heavily influenced by Sole of Anticon fame, Hendricks drops his words like dominoes, one falling after another, rather than the fiery, chain link burst delivery that has made Sole such a magnetic figure.
Rocky Mountain Collegian
From the basement to the stage, Toby Hendricks, known as Otem Rellik has become the Cinderella story of do-it-yourself musicians, and a home-recording guru. He has come a long way since his humble beginnings as a bedroom-recording artist - armed with only an iPod, a mic and a Casio keyboard. Now, nearly six years later, he has released his biggest album to date, "Chain Reaction Robot," on the Denver-based label Ponowai Flora.
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