DIDAKTISCHE EINHEIT “Dosis 6” C46 (ZZK Tapes)


Well this was certainly unexpected. What looked to be some handmade noise nonsense that I’d dismiss out of hand (OK, I wouldn’t dismiss ANYTHING out of hand) turned out to be a German post-punk delight. Drawing equally from no wave and the Birthday Party and Wire, Didaktische Einheit (didactic unit) rip through the meat of “Dosis 6” with bared incisors, drawing blood and ugliness from their inspirations. It’s like they sink those teeth into the tough shank of modern society and attempt to use their wickedness and transgressiveness to reflect everything they hate about it. Also, “Mutterlieb” (mother love) feature the female member of the band thrashing through an orgasm.

I refuse to be flippant about “Dosis 6”: it’s both a lot of fun and a well-executed run through some of the most formative sounds you can latch onto as a pissed-off teenage punk. The guitars are jabbed more than played, and the vocals sound like repeated manifestos more than performed lyrics. Everything’s executed as if there’s no emergency brake or off switch, like Didaktische Einheit is going to see this thing through to the end no matter what. And that’s what makes it as entertaining as it is.



--Ryan