19 Mar 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

The Upbeats - EP Review: No Sleep 'Til... New Zealand

17 Jan 2020 // A review by JamieDenton

Wellington-based drum and bass duo, The Upbeats, have been steadily carving out a place for themselves in the dance music scene both in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas. Perhaps because of the increased international gigs coming their way, The Upbeats, in what I assume is a generous and potentially cheeky nod to the Beastie Boys, launched their No Sleep ‘Til… E.P. series with their No Sleep ‘Til… Japan and Iceland EP in 2018. That EP involved collaborations with artists Noisia, Goth-Trad, DJ Kentaro, Emperor and Culture Shock.

Now, in 2020, it’s our own little slice of heaven getting its own No Sleep ‘Til… entry with No Sleep ‘Til… New Zealand. Featuring scene legends Shapeshifter on three of the four tracks, and the always impressive Tiki Taane paired with fresh-talent Workforce on the fourth, this EP aims to capture the sensation, sounds, and inspirations found at home. And this will feel close to many kiwi’s hearts and speak to their own lived experiences within Aotearoa.

Dripping with the sensations of the kiwi summer, resplendent with sweaty, music festivals and chilled out outdoor shows, No Sleep ‘Til… New Zealand is a fascinating combination of the best of all of these artists. Breakneck beats, emotive synths, massive bass, and stunning vocals dominate this collection of four bangers, which effortlessly commands the listeners attention. This is not background music, instead this fights itself to the foreground where it demands to be turned up loud and actively listened to. I can testify that, in my experience, the louder it’s played, the better!

My personal favourite track, the instrumental Nautilus, is a beautiful display of The Upbeats’ mastery of building tension with little release. Its careful combination of elements makes for a deep, immersive soundscape experience. Brief pauses are employed throughout to incredible effect, reigniting the energy in the track frequently. Nautilus plays with listener expectations wonderfully, maintaining intrigue throughout.

Collaborations can often feel strange, like one collaborator’s voice was louder or style was stronger and literally just pulled the other party along with them. However, this is not the case here. No Sleep ‘Til… New Zealand is cohesive, pulling the best from all collaborators in what feels like the true creation of something new, something that couldn’t exist without everyone involved. Very cool!

Rating: ( 5 / 5 )
 

About The Upbeats

In today’s heady climate of bass-fuelled dance music it could easily be argued that producer-DJs are the new rock stars. Climbing into that mould with a pair of schoolboy grins on their faces, The Upbeats have already been playing that role for years. Their anything-goes live performances are renowned for mosh pits, topless dancers (sometimes women) and crowd surfing, while their approach to writing hard-hitting, unique-sounding drum & bass is lauded across the globe.

Nicknamed Terror Snake and Downie Wolf respectively, Jeremy and Dylan are not your average, boring producers. Meeting at school through mutual interests in surfing, skating and ‘being gangly teenagers’ Jeremy had to work hard to pull Dylan into the world of drum & bass. But, armed with a stack of Mickey Finn & Aphrodite mixtapes and an unrelenting attitude, the snake soon overcame the wolf’s natural propensity for rock music and, fortunately for us all, a love of fast breakbeats and low-slung basslines soon followed.

This love soon grew into a passion for creating their own music and by 2001 the pair were balls deep writing their own D&B. Fuelled by New Zealand’s isolation from the rest of the world and its staggering natural beauty, The Upbeats’ unique take on 170bpm+ bass music has seen the duo work alongside scene stalwarts such as Ed Rush & Optical, Bad Company, Hive, Gridlock, Bulletproof, TREi, State of Mind and Noisia while releasing tracks across a plethora of the D&B scene’s most respected record labels.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for The Upbeats

Releases

No Sleep 'Til New Zealand
Year: 2020
Type: EP
No Sleep 'Til Japan & Iceland
Year: 2018
Type: Album
SSXUB
Year: 2014
Type: EP
Primitive Technique
Year: 2013
Type: Album
Big Skeleton
Year: 2009
Type: Album
Buy Online @ Mightyape
Nobody's Out There
Year: 2007
Type: Album
Buy Online @ Mightyape
The Upbeats
Year: 2004
Type: Album
Buy Online @ Mightyape

Other Reviews By JamieDenton

EP Review: SD-2100 vs The World
05 Sep 2023 // by JamieDenton
Hailing from Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), the multi-talented artist Sam Densem has showcased his versatility across a spectrum of musical genres and styles. Sam's approach to his craft involves crafting distinct packages of music, each with its own unique flavour and character.
Read More...
Lester - EP Review: Lost and Found
28 Aug 2023 // by JamieDenton
Tamaki Makaurau / Auckland-based MC Lester (ex-Round Buddha) is not a new name within Aotearoa New Zealand’s independent music scene. Indeed, Lester has carved a distinct presence for himself since his early releases in 2017.
Read More...
Sonic Space Lab - Album Review: Cycles
20 Jul 2022 // by JamieDenton
Sonic Space Lab is the musical pseudonym of Dunedin-based, Venezuelan composer and sound engineer Luis Rodriguez, who some may know from his guitar work in Dunedin’s Tomahawk Radio. Having spent more than 20 years writing music for television, film, and advertising and collaborating with countless musicians in both musician and producer roles, Luiz Rodriguez turned his hand to Sonic Space Lab (also the name of his studio) in the mid-late 2010’s.
Read More...
Arrays - Single Review: Glass Traps
06 Jun 2022 // by JamieDenton
Auckland-based rock/metal act Arrays is the brainchild and ‘creative sandbox’ of musician/producer JP Carroll (ex-Armed in Advance, and currently also with Swerve City). Having known JP for a number of years, and having followed his career through Stitches, which became Armed in Advance, and then into Arrays and later Swerve City, he has consistently remained a strong creative force, a passionate and prolific producer and performer of music, and possibly kiwi-music’s most genuine, nicest, and most down to earth personalities (albeit one that is loaded with a plethora of terrible puns that he will unleash at any and all opportune moments).
Read More...
Speech Act Theory - Single/Video Review: Old Versus New
25 Feb 2022 // by JamieDenton
Initially conceived of as purely a studio project to fuse electronica with live drums and other instruments, Auckland-based alternative/electronica Speech Act Theory is the brainchild of producer/musician Pete Hickman alongside drummer Ben Bradford. With the project kicking off in the latter end of 2019 — which is probably not the greatest timing, with all the upcoming turmoil and disruption to live music etc.
Read More...
Steven Hue - EP Review: Assembly
15 Feb 2022 // by JamieDenton
At the start of December, I had the opportunity to review the double single Brainstare / Manatorquim by Tasmanian-based ex-pat Kiwi, Steven Hue. At that time, I noted that another three songs would be following shortly, and that, based on the strength of these original two, I was eagerly anticipating what this next batch would have in store.
Read More...
Floor Five - EP Review: The Garden
28 Jan 2022 // by JamieDenton
Indie-pop/rock band Floor Five are relative new-comers on the Kiwi music scene. Following up a couple of previous singles (2020’s Overthinking and 2021’s Strawberry Wine), the Wellington based four-piece’s partially crowd-funded EP The Garden was released just as the country returned to the red light setting of the Covid protection framework.
Read More...
Steven Hue - Double Single Review: Brainstare / Mantorquim
06 Dec 2021 // by JamieDenton
Ex-pat Kiwi now based in Tasmania, Steven Hue may be familiar to many through his previous work as former vocalist and co-writer for popular experimental band Full Code, his stint studying at the Nelson School of Music, or his commission work which has seen him produce work for art installations, short files, and video games. Turning his hand to solo electronic music, Steven has just released a double single of two new tracks: Brainstare and Manatorquim.
Read More...
View All Articles By JamieDenton

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
    Ariana Grande
  • BEAUTIFUL THINGS
    Benson Boone
  • END OF BEGINNING
    Djo
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • TEXAS HOLD 'EM
    Beyonce
  • PRAISE JAH IN THE MOONLIGHT
    YG Marley
  • STICK SEASON
    Noah Kahan
  • CARNIVAL
    Kanye West And Ty Dolla $ign
  • SATURN
    SZA
  • LOVIN ON ME
    Jack Harlow
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem