I’ve been a fan of Om Unit for roughly 10 years, having probably my first major impression of his work via the now legendary Exit Records “Mosaic Vol. 2” compilation. His contribution to that particular work was a collaboration with Sam Binga called “Triffidz”. The track itself was an ominous and punishing halftime number which I remember was (along with most of the rest of that compilation) completely unlike anything I had listened to in dance music previously.
Over the years I’ve watched Om Unit’s output and been a continuous fan of the direction that he’s chosen to push bass music through his own productions and through his label Cosmic Bridge, while also greatly enjoying the slower, more dub oriented output that he frequently has a hand in like his collaborations with the Berlin-based Deadbeat (originally of Montreal). With “In The Afterworld” Om Unit pairs up with Sweden’s TM-404 (aka Andreas Tilliander) to provide a seven tracks of dubby broken beat tunes at a range of tempos. The production on the entire album is top notch and I personally regret that I wasn’t able to purchase a vinyl copy, having had to content myself with digital only.
“In The Afterworld” is a psychedelic journey via microdose. The acid is there and is on display, in some cases almost naked, as the breakbeats and atmospheric dub textures swirl in and out of focus; throughout the entire album the TB-303 remains at the forefront and in it’s cycling squelches the guides on this trip show us what that acid can do.
Whether you’re locked into the infectious groove of the opening track “Roadway Acid” (a title fittingly evoking nighttime highway driving as a ritual form of entry to the party during the acid house days of yore) which combines climbing synths with crashing breaks to create a truly progressive and riveting introduction to the album or the more ominous ambience of “Meanwhile In The Smoking Area”, “In The Afterworld” remains hypnotic throughout. On tracks such as the slowly chugging “Thursday”, the artists switch the vibe, introducing more dub elements while still retaining the centrality of the 303 sound to the overall piece.
As of now I think I’ve listened to this album maybe a dozen or so times in full and it has yet to bore me. If you want to purchase “In The Afterworld” you can do so at the Bandcamp link below.
Nickel City Frequencies // Official Website 