Ambient Dairies Vol. 1 – Production Unit Xero (2025) – Album Review

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James Krustofski
September 9, 2025
5 minutes read

Album: Ambient Dairies Vol. 1 [HTX147]

Release Date: September 5, 2025

Longform ambient compositions. How did I take you for granted? Okay, so to be fair, I think a lot of Ambient musicians overdid it with longform ambient compositions in the late 80s and early 90s. As much as I love Global Communication’s 76:14 or Brian Eno‘s Neroli, both of those albums are kind of in The Lawrence of Arabia category: well made pieces of art, great for a time and place and not something I can absorb over and over. Too long. But then there are albums like Structures from Silence or The Pavilion of Dreams that have a nice dose of shorter long form ambient pieces that are perfectly in that sweet spot – they maintain clarity and accessibility. Production Unit Xero’s Ambient Dairies Vol. 1 is in that sweet spot.

When you listen to this album you’ll notice that while it still holds that harmonically chaotic vibe that’s become customary of PUX’s work, it’s a much different showcase of their musical ability. I mean, this kind of stuff has always been in the bones of their work through their vast discography, but it’s nice to hear it all stripped down. It’s very organic and deliberate. Sonically speaking, I think a lot of musicians are afraid to bare it all and will often drown their music in reverb giving their final product a pleasing sheen – much like a chef will finish a dish in a pan with a large pat of butter.

Rather than relying on layers of reverb to smooth the sound into a polished haze, PUX bares it all on this record. It’s a showcase of a foundational understanding of sound and the music seems to be stripped back to its most essential elements. It’s quality work that’s confident and understated. Each piece is guided by precision and restraint, qualities that reveal a level of craft not always present in music. This album is a display of themes that have long existed within their body of work, but now articulated through another lens – it’s a clarity that emphasizes the discipline behind the practice.

Absolute masterclass Ambient album. I look forward to more entries in this series.