ON-RADAR: dINMachine – The Opposite of Unity

dindiNMachine is a collective of musicians hailing from the musical bio dome of New York City. Driven by composer Michael Schumacher, and a bevy of musicians with world class pedigrees ranging from the Julliard School of Music to the Jazz Conservatory in Vienna, they put aside their classical chops in favor of a trip into electro-pop, and avant-garde dance music. The result is The Opposite of Unity an ambitious and challenging record full of interesting,  but good,  uses of the word dance.

Album opener “e.W.A.F.T” brings a good club-mix, background spaces, vibe. Something that could be found in an artist’s gallery, or pre-music before a concert, to break the uncomfort of strangers. “Jabor Wawky” is reminiscent of Stereo MC’s, but with a progressive 9 minute, jazz-sleaze, bend with stellar organ solo at mid-point. “Brise” offers streams of minimalist tribal percussion with symphonic sounds mixed in until the background noise of the wind is used its own instrument, good to fall asleep to watching the chimes bang against each other in a desert town. “Fawcett” begins with a lull to sleep, again with haunting tribal percussion, with another 15+ minute story using the songs space to create open and airy compositions building a painting rather than building a song.

All in all the music on The Opposite of Unity is stellar. Personally I enjoy a record that is not just music, but challenges and forces the listener to sit, close their eyes, and escape for a minute into a landscape painted by the sound. The beauty is found in the spaces in between the instruments, and diNMachine do a good job of that here.

The Opposite of Unity was released on September 9th via Greedy Dilettente Records