Sometimes dance music takes itself far too seriously and tries too hard to impress – and when that’s the case the best thing to do is go back to first principles and explore what we love about it in the first place. There are strong hints of this approach on the debut album from Future Unit, the alias behind which Remy Felix Vas explores an enjoyment of disco-influenced house, late 1980s Manchester and early 1990s acid house. A common enough combination you might think, but there is some hugely enjoyable music here. The mix of bubbling analogue bass lines, memorable hooks and slightly sullen, Stone Roses-esque vocals is a potent one, and with a different twist to each of the ten tracks here the combination works a treat. ‘The More I Know’, ‘Future People’ and ’82-92’ are just three tracks that stick in the mind, the latter thanks to its lovely rich chords, while ‘Lazy Bones’ bothers the lower end with its brilliant 303-aping bass. All the elements here have something to contribute, the production nicely stripped back in places to reveal just the riffs and beats that make us dance. In looking back a bit, Future Unit makes excellent music for us to enjoy here and now.
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
FUTURE UNIT – THE DRAWBACK – FUTURE UNIT (BANDCAMP)
