Production Unit Xero – Dyasporan Metaphysics (2025) – Album Review

Album: Dyasporan Metaphysics

Artist: Production Unit Xero

Release Date: September 11, 2025

PUX (short for Production Unit Xero) is a longtime PDX-based hardware musician (both on stage and in the studio), promoter, and runs Heterodox Records (circa 2006) to showcase both local artists and his own prolific work. He is a very kind human, from my interactions. Married/partnered with a lovely human named Bex, who does visual and physical crafts (knitting!). They threw some fun summer parties with local artists to do ambient music cookouts. He puts on shows called Equalizer, a quarterly held event which features local artists, both new and seasoned veterans, with a focus on all things IDM/Drum’n’bass/Techno/etc. If it bleeps and kicks, you’ll hear it there.

Let’s break down the theme of this title: Dyasporan Metaphysics.

I believe it’s an altered spelling, Diasporan/Diaspora, referring to the concept of a population scattered from its native/indigenous region. This could be due to displacement from war, famine, slave trading, pilgrimages, climate change, etc. 

Metaphysics – philosophy that studies the basic structure of reality. Questioning and trying to understand objects and their nature, observed or otherwise, in their relationship to how we think/perceive them. 

Now I’ll need to figure out how these concepts tie in, with people being scattered and what that does to their minds or people’s perceptions of them? Perhaps it’s more of an outside observer perception and how they view people away from their homelands, and how it affects the observer’s feelings about their reality? 

Production Unit Xero – Dyasporan Metaphysics

Track Titles:

1. The Magnetic Mirror
2. Arcology Pressure
3. 563 AEC
4. Conjurer
5. Psychoautix 

Initial feeling: Juke/Footwork, IDM/Techno (Derrick May, B12, Plastic Man), Detroit Ghetto Tech, Drum’n’Bass

Overall sound design: Very heavy use of warm analog sounds and drum breaks/chopped. Pad/evolving sounds really stick out the MOST, as this seems to be where he leans with his work. Might be his current deep interest in warm drones or softer pads swells. There aren’t harsh/or mega-aggressive elements, no overuse of distortion. Aside from the kick drums, it does feel that the percussion isn’t the strongest emphasis, as it sits below the warm sounds. It’s refreshing to hear, because some people tend to go in the breakcore/extreme drum cut-up approach, which can cloud up the mix and lose direction or intent. Each track stays within its key/chord, so we’re not seeing drastic deviations or key changes. 

Track: The Magnetic Mirror: I had to look up the potential reference, since this album has its foot in science and philosophy, maybe a hint of mysticism! Magnetic Mirrors are powerful, as they can trap particles or, in the case of Earth’s magnetosphere, reflect particles of the sun away from Earth, preventing serious harm to the creatures that dwell here. I find the meaning of trapping particles to be a bit more meaningful regarding capturing the listener with a rush of footwork-inspired rhythms and lush chords that harken back to the ’90s chillout vibes you get in afterparties. This continues to build into more frantic breaks, sped up and chopped not in excess, so it’s not distracting. 

Track: Arcology Pressure: Oh, I love this type of song! Moody saw waves and soft tones, with vocal sample shots that carried over from Magnetic Mirror paint a darker or more TENSE image in my mind. If humanity manages to build a true Arcology, it will not be without its problems and immense impact on the environment and people in and around it. I feel the breaks have a harder, sharper movements, where you get faster edits that really constructs a difficult dance flow to move to. That never stops a raver juiced up on “vibes” and “energy drinks” to keep up with this kind of drum cut and cram.

Track: 563 AEC: The significance of this number and the possible initialization of AEC (it would be A.E.C if that was the case, but it is NOT) or perhaps pronounced ay-eh-k escapes me, but does not deter me from enjoying its more laid back warmth and rubbery kicks and bass notes. You get more bubbly synths and a heavy dose of repetitive vocal shouts that become more like electric echoes. While this fun synth pinball machine flashes and ping-pongs in the higher registers, the drum breaks are more experimental and edited to be more playful than in the previous selections. I never like an entire album that takes itself so seriously that it doesn’t have moments of engaging movement. 

Track: Conjurer: Now we are back into making some footwork and drum’n’bass magic with tight break edits. I want to avoid saying the floating pad is watery, because it doesn’t invoke that sort of trope, more like a fog, as it is dense, but doesn’t leave you drenched since we’re moving at some high speeds with the rhythms. That’s the great thing about a magical track like this: it sounds so full and lush, but when you break it down, it’s not cluttered with tones of FX or sounds. To be frank, I feel like this would be a GREAT track to end on as it has a finality as it peels away the layers of percussion, leaving a simple and forlorn squarewave trailing in the distance. 

Track: Psychonautix: I suppose we should expect the study and exploration of the mind to sound like Psychonautix! With the thrumming of the bass hits and kick being cheered on by a clap on the 2 and 4, you get that sense that this is a race and not a casual journey around the psyche. It’s quick and beautiful, with some great filtered transitions of the mid-frequency section percussion, and the mood of the soft chords keeps to the sides of the mix in your mind. The filtered synth line is moody and forlorn as the Conjurer, but with more urgency in the delivery, and it sweeps and repeats until the end. 

Overall experience of Dyasporan Metaphysics is an electronic music EP with significance and not just a random assemblage of tracks. It isn’t a practice in being filled with gimmicks, even if the genre usually is FILLED with production tricks, but emphasis on emotion and mental exploration. This would still be at home in any drum’n’bass/IDM party, where movement is encouraged but not required to enjoy. Personally, I love moving and shaking to these faster rhythms while letting my mind and heart wander. There is something that does feel a bit lost or a memory of a time past, familiar feelings. Perhaps this is the diaspohoria that we feel when we’re living our lives in places our ancestors did not originate from? I wonder how far back that feeling goes? Is it tied to our belongings or creations? Are we looking to recreate lands wandered from or lost in new territories? Perhaps it’s a bit of all of that, whether we’re consciously doing it or not. HA! PUX really does a fine job creating an album that makes one ponder its meaning, internally and externally!

Graphic artist for the release: Mattia Travaglini