When your mind instantly wanders off to the 1970s upon hearing the intro and first bars, you already know this band is one to keep an eye on. Unit Nine is a rising band from The Hague that just released their debut single, and it's a real gem.
Unit Nine is a group of friends from The Hague who've been collecting records and vintage gear, are into beat-making, and share a mutual love for soul and jazz music from the 60s and 70s that ultimately led them to release their own music now. They started creating music together in a classroom of an old abandoned elementary school, which might have subconsciously already set the tone for their cinematic approach early on. Besides that, some of their other influences are hip-hop, Blue Note records (specifically from the 1970s), and classic movie soundtracks. One of the key inspirations in crafting their sound was those highly wanted library records, also called production music or stock music. Those are the terms used to describe music that was made to potentially be used in film, tv, or radio, but not for a specific purpose/product. It gave the musicians a lot of freedom to use their imagination and create cinematic scores, often with strings or synthesizers. Many of those records were found throughout the years, and have been sampled by most of your favorite producers, or found a home with record collectors. It's a highly intriguing scene and if this sparks your interest, come and watch The Library Music Film with us June 14th at Melkweg Amsterdam.
Another feature you don't see a lot anymore, next to fully having the vintage sound down, is having your track split in two parts. That makes it work perfectly for a 7-inch single, with one part on each side. In digital form, it's presented as one track, and it's a beautiful journey as well. So it works in both ways. Even if they didn't think about this when originally creating the track, it's a great little addition to an already wonderful release.
'Mirrors In The Object' is the type of song many hip-hop producers would hope to find in the crates when digging for that perfect sample. I can definitely see that happening in the near future with this record. There have been more and more new artists who managed to succeed in capturing the sound and spirit of eras like the 70s, and it's always an absolute treat when they do it right. Also, we heard there's a full album in the works, which will be produced by Tijmen van Wageningen. So there's something to look forward to, but for now, we'll keep on flipping the record over and dream off. Or press repeat on your favorite digital streaming platform, one of the perks of living today.
Released via PIP Records, digitally and on limited 7-inch vinyl. Get yours!
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