Concord Dawn - The Race to Zero EP Review
The Race to Zero EP is only the second release since Concord Dawn’s two became one in 2008. But within the first few seconds of the opening track 1925, it’s pretty apparent that The Enemy Within was no fluke. Matt Harvey is undoubtedly strong enough of a producer to carry the Concord Dawn legacy proudly on his shoulders for as long as he damn well pleases.
1925 is satisfyingly upbeat and by a happy coincidence, that’s exactly how I like my Concord Dawn. You get the strong sense that the track was produced with a huge smile on Harvey’s face, and that excited glee is contagious. With what sounds like tweaked Mario Brothers beeps and boops sampled throughout, the beat bestows the listener with the audio equivalent of jumping up and down on a magic mushroom until money falls out.
With such an exciting opening track, the EP then makes a heart-altering turn for the ethereal. The second track, Hindsight featuring the vocal talent of Nina McSweeney, is arguably the highlight of the EP. The combination of McSweeney’s seductive voice and the perfect rollercoaster of bass and breaks travelling alongside her give the track a multi-faceted quality; the perfect song to lax or max to.
Samba Impossibleoffers that varying edge that can often be overlooked when it comes to drum and bass. It’s inconsistent and jarring but in the very best way, and although there are some sounds in there which I distinctly recognise (see: Mission Impossible) the song still manages to maintain an electrifying freshness.
Although the EP is only five tracks longs, each song is so rich and so perfectly placed, that the album feels distinctly complete. The Race to Zero is a journey in all aspects of the genre, from drum to bass and everything in between, and Harvey has proven once again why he is one of New Zealand’s most celebrated producers.
About Concord Dawn
After touring the album throughout New Zealand they released their second album Disturbance in April 2001 and received Best Electronic Album and Best Independent Release at the 2001 bNet Music Awards. Both Concord Dawn and Disturbance sold far better than expected and the boys received strong reviews in all forms of media not only for their releases but also for their energetic live performances. For the next year they went into hiatus to refine the Concord Dawn sound further with Evan heading to London for 5 months to immerse himself in the culture of the Drum and Bass homeland. Upon his return to New Zealand work was started on their 3rd album Uprising with tracks like Morning Light and Don't Tell Me finding international acclaim well before the album's release. Uprising was released in New Zealand in September 2003 and reached gold sales status in an amazing 3 months.
With Concord Dawn now well established internationally and their catalogue now being distributed worldwide Evan and Matt embarked on a seemingly never ending world tour, travelling all over the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. At the 2003 bNet music awards Morning Light won Best Song and Most Radio Play and at the 2004 bNet music awards Uprising received Best Album and Best Electronic Release. Concord Dawn were also nominated for Best Electronic Act at the 2004 New Zealand music awards but narrowly missed out to Salmonella Dub.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Concord Dawn
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