HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT
HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT
aka HDU
High Dependency Unit formed in Dunedin in 1993 and following a single and EP their first full length LP Sum of the Few (1996) was released on Flying Nun Records. The three-piece melded sonics and psychedelia into moments that could explode with aggression or burst with beauty.
Higher++ (1998) combined an EP with remixes by artists, into a set that seamlessly navigated raging guitars with sounds and rhythms explored by electronica. Cross Channel Multi Tap (1998) cemented their reputation as an act willing to experiment with instruments and sounds.
Recordings of the band were cut, spliced, edited, and overdubbed in a way that twisted extended jams into cohesive songs. Following the release of the EP Memento Mori in 2000, they embarked on a tour to the United States that culminated in a twelve-date tour with Steve Albini’s band Shellac and two weeks recording at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. The resulting album Fire Works was released to much acclaim.
The band went quiet in the early 2000s resurfacing only for occasional performances, but in 2006 released Tunguska, a single that continued their sonic exploration. Metamathics was released in 2008 and possibly comes closest to capturing the band’s ferocious live sound.
Those who’ve experienced HDU live, will know it is not an overstatement to say that something magic happens when the three play together.
The Other’s Way 2025 will be a very rare opportunity to witness sonic mayhem at its very finest. Not to be missed!
‘No one does noise/space/minimal better than HDU – worldwide. They have carved out the most unique and intelligent sound since Bailterspace’s heyday…’ Under the Radar