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Variable Unit
Biography
Many musicians were "thinking outside the box" long before some marketing mastermind decided to introduce this phrase, supposedly emblematic of free thought and expression, into the cultural lexicon. The Bay Area's urban fusion collective known as Variable Unit sponsored a brand of music that transcended any such two-dimensional world classification receptacle. Hip-hop, jazz (both traditional and of the acid variety), funk, ambient, worldbeat, spoken word, and gritty electronica are all woven tastefully and tactfully into VU's unique strand of music. The VU experience is truly a free-form exploration, as compositions invariably change tempo and even genre from one measure to the next. The vanguard group is composed of six distinct musical practitioners of varying degrees of tenure and world-renown. Drummer Ron E. Beck served as the group's backbone (both sonically and spiritually) and is a seasoned veteran of the music business. Early in his career, Beck was a widely sought-after first-call sessionist and jammed regularly with highly regarded musicians such as John Lee Hooker, Carlos Santana, and Clifford Coulter. Beck later was taken on as the drummer for the nouveau jazz/funketeering outfit, Tower of Power.
Selected Discography
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