Noise Unit
{{Short description|Canadian industrial band}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Noise Unit
| image = Band Noise Unit in Mark Verhaegen studio 1988.jpg
| caption = Recording sessions for Noise Unit "Grinding Into Emptiness"
| image_size =
| origin = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| genre = Industrial,{{AllMusic |class=artist |id=noise-unit-mn0000385523 |tab=biography |title=Noise Unit |last=Ankeny |first=Jason |accessdate=December 7, 2018}} EBM,{{cite news |last=Van Isacker |first=Bernard |title=3 new Noise Unit to be re-released as deluxe vinyl sets |url=https://www.side-line.com/3-new-noise-unit-to-be-re-released-as-deluxe-vinyl-sets-full-order-info/ |date=August 1, 2016 |work=Side-Line |location=Belgium |access-date=May 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806050528/http://www.side-line.com:80/3-new-noise-unit-to-be-re-released-as-deluxe-vinyl-sets-full-order-info/ |archive-date=August 6, 2016}} Electro-industrial
| years_active = {{Start date|1989}}–present
| label = Wax Trax!, Antler-Subway, Dossier, Cleopatra, Off Beat, Metropolis, Artoffact
| associated_acts = Conjure One, Cyberaktif, Decree, Delerium, Equinox, Fauxliage, Fear Factory, Front Line Assembly, Haujobb, Intermix, Klinik, Left Spine Down, Pro>Tech, Skinny Puppy, Stiff Valentine, Synæsthesia, Unit:187, Will
| current_members = Bill Leeb
Rhys Fulber
| past_members = Marc Verhaeghen
Chris Peterson
Jeremy Inkel
}}
Noise Unit is a Canadian industrial band, founded by Bill Leeb of Front Line Assembly as a side project.{{cite web |url=http://www.metropolis-records.com/artist/noise-unit |title=Noise Unit |publisher=Metropolis |access-date=August 23, 2014}}{{cite book|author1=Michael Barclay|author2=Ian A. D. Jack|author3=Jason Schneider|title=Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance, 1985-1995|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xLIiOE_jCpAC&pg=PT707|year=2011|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=978-1-55490-968-1|pages=707–}} The band has seen several changes in line-up, with Bill Leeb being the only permanent member.
History
Noise Unit's first album, Grinding into Emptiness, arose from the collaboration between Leeb and Marc Verhaeghen of Belgian industrial band Klinik.{{cite news |author= |date=November 22, 2015 |title=Two classic EBM albums of Noise Unit back on vinyl |url=http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/news/2015/two-classic-ebm-albums-of-noise-unit-back-on-vinyl/ |work=Peek-a-boo |location=Belgium |access-date=December 7, 2018}} It was released in 1989 through Wax Trax!, and Antler-Subway.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
The 1990 album Response Frequency included Rhys Fulber. After the completion of the album, Verhaeghen left Noise Unit for several years.{{cite web |url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/bands/Noise-Unit/17679/ |title=Noise Unit |publisher=Sputnikmusic |access-date=August 23, 2014}} Fulber remained with the band for the next three releases, including the contemporary techno album Decoder in 1995.{{AllMusic |class=album |id=decoder-mw0000187479 |tab=overview |title=Noise Unit Decoder |author=AllMusic |accessdate=December 7, 2018}}
Verhaeghen resumed his collaboration with Noise Unit for the 1996 album Drill, which also featured members of German industrial band Haujobb.{{cite journal |last=Mercer |first=Matt |year=1997 |title=Noise Unit Drill |journal=Ennui |location=Kent, Ohio |volume=2 |issue=2 |page=38}}
After an eight-year hiatus, Leeb teamed with former Front Line Assembly member Chris Peterson in 2004 to release Voyeur in 2005. Jason Filipchuk and Michael Balch also contributed to the album.{{cite web |url=http://www.releasemagazine.net/Onrecord/ornoiseunitv.htm |title=Noise Unit: Voyeur |last=Carlsson |first=Johan |date=June 13, 2005 |website=Release |publisher=Release Musik & Media |location=Gothenburg |access-date=December 7, 2018}} The album peaked at #4 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC) and ranked #26 on the DAC Top Albums of 2005.{{cite web |title=DAC Top 50 Albums 2005 |url=http://charts.trendcharts.de/jahrescharts2005/DAC/top50.html |website=Trendcharts oHG |publisher=AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH |access-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423220622/http://charts.trendcharts.de/jahrescharts2005/DAC/top50.html |archive-date=23 April 2008 |date=2006 |url-status=dead}}
In 2016, Canadian label Artoffact reissued the albums Grinding Into Emptiness, Response Frequency and Drill on vinyl and CD.
=''Deviator''=
In May 2020, it was announced that Rhys Fulber and Bill Leeb were working on a new Noise Unit album, the first in 15 years.{{cite web |url=https://www.side-line.com/rhys-fulber-and-bill-leeb-working-on-a-new-noise-unit-album/ |title=Rhys Fulber and Bill Leeb working on a new Noise Unit album |last=Van Isacker |first=Bernard |date=May 5, 2020 |website=Side-Line |access-date=May 13, 2020}} On November 24, 2020, album title Deviator and cover were revealed. The cover art was created by Dave McKean.{{cite news |last=mindphaser |first=jon |title=New Noise Unit |url=http://www.mindphaser.com/new-noise-unit |work=mindphaser.com |access-date=December 5, 2020}} In May 2021, Artoffact scheduled the release date for September 17 the same year and made the second album track "Body Aktiv" available to the public via Bandcamp.{{cite web |url=https://regenmag.com/news/artoffact-records-announces-first-new-noise-unit-album-in-over-15-years/ |title=Artoffact Records announces first new Noise Unit album in over 15 years |last=Yücel |first=Ilker |date=May 7, 2021 |website=ReGen Magazine |location=Beltsville, Maryland |access-date=May 11, 2021}} The album contained ten tracks and featured Raymond Watts on the track "Atrocity Obsession". In July 2021, Artoffact released a lyric video for this track on their YouTube channel.{{cite web |url=https://regenmag.com/news/artoffact-records-releases-lyric-video-for-latest-single-from-noise-unit-featuring-raymond-watts-of-pig/ |title=Artoffact Records releases lyric video for latest single from Noise Unit, featuring Raymond Watts of PIG |last=Yücel |first=Ilker |date=July 7, 2021 |website=ReGen Magazine |location=Beltsville, Maryland |access-date=July 10, 2021}}
=''Cheeba City Blues''=
In July 2022, Artoffact announced the release of a new Noise Unit album titled Cheeba City Blues for October 21, 2022. The announcement coincided with the release of the single Alone Again, co-written by former member Jeremy Inkel before his death in January 2018.{{cite web |url=https://regenmag.com/news/bill-leeb-honors-bandmate-jeremy-inkel-with-latest-noise-unit-album-revealing-first-single/ |title=Bill Leeb honors bandmate Jeremy Inkel with latest Noise Unit album, revealing first single |last=Yücel |first=Ilker |date=July 22, 2022 |website=ReGen Magazine |location=Beltsville, Maryland |access-date=July 25, 2022}} One month later the band followed up with the release of the second single Dub It Up.{{cite web |url=https://www.side-line.com/industrial-act-noise-unit-lands-brand-new-single-dub-it-up/ |title=Industrial act Noise Unit lands brand new single 'Dub it up' |last=Van Isacker |first=Bernard |date=August 16, 2022 |website=Side-Line |access-date=August 21, 2022}}
Discography
=Albums=
- Grinding Into Emptiness (1989, Wax Trax!, Antler-Subway)
- Response Frequency (1990, Antler-Subway)
- Strategy of Violence (1992, Dossier, Cleopatra)
- Decoder (1995, Dossier, Cleopatra)
- Drill (1996, Off Beat, Metropolis)
- Voyeur (2005, Metropolis)
- Deviator (2021, Artoffact)
- Cheeba City Blues (2022, Artoffact)
=Singles=
- "Deceit" / "Struktur" (1989, Wax Trax!, Antler-Subway)
- "Agitate" / "In Vain" (1990, Antler-Subway)
References
{{reflist}}
{{Front Line Assembly}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Canadian industrial music groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1989
Category:Musical groups from Vancouver
Category:Wax Trax! Records artists
Category:Metropolis Records artists