[MACH039]

Clean, crisp and darkly compulsive is the MO for UNIT. There is a maturity to their production that speaks volumes of the duo’s experimentation across genres and years. This, their second EP on Machine Label will appeal to well seasoned and tired techno ears. Driven and compelling and full of international intrigue, there’s a mission being undertaken here, something, with a bit of MI5 about it. A foreboding sense mystery; think of this EP as the techno embodiment of a phantom figure caught under street light in the predawn mist.

UNIT are a tight outfit. No doubt. This EP is a fitting follow up to their Machine Label debut, Surge [MACH036] back in August 2017. UNIT (Mark Dressler and John Ford). The duo formed in 2017 to explore directions in techno. Drezz and John have been working in various genre's of electronic music for over 20 years. What these are remains a mystery, as UNIT are not letting the cat out of the bag. We’re more than happy to remain shrouded in mystery for it is clearly evident in the production quality that UNIT have served their time.


1. Expo
A huge opener featuring steady pulsing kick drum providing the impetus and the bed. The track opens up with a growing string of glitch percussive elements, which slowly build into a swirling brutal cyclone, only to open up into eye of the maelstrom which is a whispering, melodic thing of beauty. This is a track in three parts; a telling testimony to what is about to unfold.

2. WRHL.
Another solid drum outing, this time with a recurrent electronic cry, pitched up and driving the momentum. Add in the UNIT signature of tight, telling and intriguing percussion, of heavily treated samples and sounds, the listening ear is left mystified at where and what and how. The underlying motif is an equally intriguing vocal sample that will leave you guessing.

3. Airtight.
Stripped back minimalist outing that relies on a steady build of groove with call and response left-right echoes, reverb and finally opening out into some deeply rhythmic patterns that could only be called funky. Enter the beautifully well weighted break down in the middle and giddy up on the back of that. This one is totally dance floor in an easygoing and contrasting way to the lead tracks.

4. Morbius.
Morbius is as deep as it gets in drone techno. Rolling across the 7 minute mark, this is a mystic tour through some kind of dreamscape that doesn’t stop to smell any roses and doesn’t relent on it’s momentum. Complex in it’s simplicity, textured in it’s smoothing, layered on a single plane. Put on a good pair of headphones, close your eyes and we’ll see you in next week.