“When I think about [the music] too much, it just really doesn’t work out. I try to keep things as intuitive as possible. I see it as me building a riddle in a live setting,” says electronic sound artist Olan, short for Thomas Olanrewaju Osunsami, the figurehead behind Nadir Smith.

Using two samplers, Olan’s approach depicts a musical stream of consciousness, often drawing on music from lost or long-forgotten sources. The result is a seamless movement of maverick, dance-music tricks and musique concrete textures, touching on elements of Detroit’s futurist electronic pioneers Drexciya & Octave One collective, and referencing the underground maverick obscurities of the Nurse With Wound list.

Olan’s streamline approach feels most akin to a journey, like soundtracking for psychological realms. His spontaneous sets play on a surrealist collage of discovered sounds and digital effects. Emerging from the underground music scene of Peoria, IL, Olan has since relocated to St. Louis where he has become an established performer on both experimental and punk shows. On top of a busy performing schedule, he is part of the St. Louis collective, MATERIA, a monthly underground DJ rave, bringing out massive, enthusiastic crowds, often at secret locations throughout St. Louis.