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Qazi’s Disposable 2021 – highlights from the year

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Where to begin? Once again it feels like entertainment has played an essential role in making life more manageable this year – with our homes being as much a place to work and be productive as they are to unwind, it’s been important to make time for the things we enjoy. The modems and routers in homes haven’t just been helping remote workers stay connected during the working week, but they’ve played host to an abundance of streaming and gaming – enough to provide a welcome escape from the four walls that we’re becoming so familiar with. I was already contemplating some of the highlights of the past twelve months before I began drafting notes for the inaugural “Qazi’s Disposable 2021” round-up… and if you’ve followed the published articles on this website then you might have an idea of what to expect. Let’s begin.

Qazi’s Disposable 2021: Watching

Qazi's Disposable 2021

I’ve been in the mood for a lot of light and mindless entertainment this year – it’s just that it’s ended up being some extremely well-produced light and mindless entertainment. On the one side of this spectrum, I’ve made time to check out some old comedies that I missed back in the day, such as the Adam Sandler power-fantasy “Click” and Zachary Levi in “Shazam!” (I also watched “Space Jam: A New Legacy” recently, which was a welcome escape into surreal cartoon nonsense.) On the other side, I’ve been watching out-and-out action flicks – the spectacular “Godzilla vs. Kong”, the magnificent “Nobody” and the “I feel obliged to watch this after the Dark Knight Trilogy” viewing of “Suicide Squad (2016).” I think that “Nobody” was easily the highlight: a one-man revenge story that at first had me expecting John Wick, but Odenkirk’s character brings an entirely different flavour to the format. Looking back, I felt that Keanu’s films started to lose their vibe with the sequels, whilst Nobody feels as fresh as Wick 1.

Qazi’s Disposable 2021: Listening

It’s been a bit of a low-key year for my usual musical favourites – I’ve been listening to more EPs than anything else, and one of the few big albums was “Not Forever” by The Upbeats – something I already covered in August. At the same time, those EPs have contained a lot of new favourite songs; in particular, I enjoyed the “Clairvoyant” EP by QZB, Machinedrum’s “Psyconia” and “Compassion” from Special Request.  There have been a few sour points during 2021, as I’ve seen some of my favourite artists move away from music and into NFT production (a move that necessitated some tidying of my custom Twitter feeds so that my interests in music news are better catered for), but the majority of the people I follow have continued to produce excellent music. I was kind of let down by technology during this year – my phone either lost tracks I’d added to my library (due to syncing issues) or drained its battery alarmingly quickly – but I feel like I’ve still been able to keep up with the music I care about.

Qazi’s Disposable 2021: Playing

It was always going to be hard for 2021 to match the previous year’s output – a year that gave me three excellent JRPGs in FFVII Remake, Persona 5 Royal and Yakuza: Like A Dragon – even so, there have been a few highlights worth talking about. I managed to get into the beta for Elden Ring before its release next year, and even though the beta testers were trapped within the confines of its invisible walls, the beta worked well as an early pitch for the full game – teasing explorable catacombs, the “spectral steed” that can be summoned and the possibility of simply pointing your character in a different direction if you find a particular location too challenging. Whether or not I’ll be able to endure a full game of this remains to be seen, but I look forward to finding out. Elsewhere, Neo: The World Ends With You finally provided more of the unique RPG gameplay offered by the 2007 DS game, but with streamlined gameplay that accommodates a single screen.  Whilst it suffers from some pacing issues at times, the enjoyable battles easily outweigh the frustrating ones, and the overall aesthetic makes every battle a unique spectacle. I also have a few honourable mentions that weren’t really covered on this site: in particular, the adorable and hilarious Deltarune Chapter 2, the stark but compelling R-Type Final 2 and the “Connected” update to Tetris Effect. Oh, and my completion of Chrono Trigger was also a satisfying milestone – one more game on my JRPG bucket list that’s been conquered.

Where next?

To be honest, I was expecting this year to be a bit of a stopgap before some big hits threatened to arrive in 2022 – however, I’ve ended up with a lot of things that have made this year another great one. Next year I’m hoping for most of my evenings to be consumed by Elden Ring, I’ll be continuing to catch up on various old movies, and I may have some more personal streaming sessions planned. We’ll see. Until then, thanks for continuing to read and support our content – don’t forget to take a look at Dan’s round-up of the year – and we hope you have a great 2022.

The Upbeats: Not Forever review

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Usually when I’ve covered new releases by The Upbeats in the past, I’ve talked about their various EPs – Gamma Ray, Punks, the De-Evolution series and Re-Evolution… not to mention Dead Limit, the collaboration with Noisia. At thirteen tracks long, Not Forever is the first album by The Upbeats that I’ve reviewed since the re-launch of Disposable Media. And until now, I never quite knew how beneficial the EP format could be for the previous releases, because I never had a full album to compare them against. Not Forever feels less like a concentrated burst of electronic energy and more like something that’s been given room to breathe and redefine what we think of when we approach new releases by The Upbeats. When I think about the tracks that I remember most fondly in the EPs, I think of fast-paced instrumental intensity –but Not Forever shows that there’s room for much more when you have the luxury of a full album where you’re able to experiment and explore.

Not Forever – accessible but surprising

Not Forever takes the listener to various destinations – a slow number with haunting vocals (“All We’ve Got”), a bumping urban journey with quirky effects that bounce around in the background (“Beams”), a curious instrumental sequence of squelches and twangs (“Bosscorp”) and more besides. As the listener moves from  the punchy bars of Armanni Reign in one track to the indulgent ambience and reverb found in the next, it’s clear that the album is willing to diversify its range beyond the sharp focus found in the EPs. As I listened to these more chilled diversions, I caught myself wondering if this was a move to perhaps appeal to a broad range of listeners, or to become more accessible. After all, even some of their other recent “albums” listed on Spotify have consisted of remixes and collections of EPs (“Re-Evolution” and the “De-Evolution” trilogy) rather than a from-the-ground-up album.

Cover art for Not Forever by The Upbeats

If this is beginning to sound like Not Forever is a bit of a letdown to someone who mainly experienced and enjoyed the EPs, you might want to think again, because the album still shows sparks of that same energy when you least expect it. “Infinity” eases the listener in with lazy beats and autotune vocals, but quickly shifts the tempo up and adds some neat hooks into the blend, and even the aforementioned “All We’ve Got” has a disturbing edge despite the easy-going rhythm. By far my favourite track on the album is “Realm” – this was premiered as a single on Visio Radio back in April, but it still hasn’t lost any of its appeal several months on. A track that establishes itself with some hurried rhythms in the beginning, it only continues to get better after each build-up and drop; as it ends, it vanishes in an echo as swiftly as it arrived.

An ambitious direction

I would have happily enjoyed a full album of songs like “Realm”, but I think that The Upbeats have bigger ambitions than me. The variety on offer across the album suggests that they want all kinds of listeners to come away with their own favourites – there’s a much greater emphasis on vocal contribution, and on providing a range that extends beyond the goals that the EPs had set their sights on in previous years. And I’m sure that many of the more unusual tracks will grow on me and become new favourites of mine. There have been a lot of strong releases from individuals and groups this year, and it’s comforting to know that The Upbeats still have what it takes to make a lapsed fan sit up and take notice.

Not Forever is available now to purchase on Vision Recordings or play on your streaming service of choice.

Qazi’s Disposable 2018 – highlights from the year

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I’ll be honest: I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from the past twelve months in terms of new entertainment releases. Let’s not forget that 2017 delivered the sequel to my favourite JRPG with Persona 5, gave me a new Nier game, brought me new material from The Upbeats, Major Lazer and Shobaleader One… heck, we even got a decent Sonic game in Mania. With all of this in mind I kind of expected the shortlist titled “Qazi’s Disposable 2018” to provide evidence of a “filler” year – one with plenty of content to enjoy but nothing on the same scale as 2017’s output. This is why I was so pleasantly surprised with the things that I’ve been enjoying in 2018.

Qazi’s Disposable 2018 – music

Qazi's Disposable 2018
If the Qazi’s Disposable 2018 shortlist was in physical form it would be full of hasty scribbles and Tipp-Ex as new things regularly edged into old lists, and nowhere was this more apparent than when I was checking out new music. There are a few albums I simply couldn’t cover on this site because I was spending too much time listening to things and not enough time talking about them, but notables outside of the website include The Pack EP by the Upbeats/Truth, Deep News by Halogenix, Collapse EP by Aphex Twin and where’s the drop? by deadmau5. Whether you like layered melodies, big beats or atmospheric wobbles, there was a lot to enjoy – however, I think the best thing I ended up reviewing was No Tourists. It marked a maturing of The Prodigy and showed that they were willing to embrace their older electronic roots when Fat of the Land came so close to discarding them. Elsewhere, The Pack EP was probably the best thing that missed a review: four compact but punchy experiences that all have their own identity and are all worth listening to.

Qazi’s Disposable 2018 – gaming

Qazi's Disposable 2018
As mentioned in my intro, I didn’t think there would be a whole lot of noteworthy titles in the gaming segment when shortlisting names for Qazi’s Disposable 2018. I couldn’t be more wrong. Dragonball FighterZ started the year with a bang, boasting some of the prettiest visuals of any game I played this year and maintaining an enjoyable balance of accessibility and depth. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition finally finished the game’s transformation from a rushed-out mess to a fully-formed fighter. PSVR continued to remind people that the right combination of game and hardware can create an experience as intoxicating as Tetris Effect or the Wipeout Omega Collection update. Oh, and Celeste propelled itself from “that thing I bought with spare PSN change” to the top of my game of the year list because the difficulty is pitched so well and it’s wrapped up in some great presentation. (In hindsight, however, I think it runs the risk of beating you over the head with its theming… and although the writing gets praised for acknowledging a minority, there are a lot of smaller narrative elements that speak to other audiences. I’d argue that the broader themes of crushing self-doubt and glimmers of self-belief – things that everyone can relate to – are every bit as valid as the examination of anxiety and the exploration of mental health.)

Qazi’s Disposable 2018 – miscellany

Qazi's Disposable 2018
As for other stuff? I ended up catching up with a slowly building backlog of Blu-Rays, returned to some old favourites via Amazon Prime and the like… and I sadly had no time to watch Die Hard on Christmas Eve (however, during the holiday I somehow ended up randomly discovering old episodes of Batman: The Animated Series on Amazon Prime, which was as entertaining as it sounds.) A special mention to Rampage – the Dwayne Johnson film based on the Midway arcade game – I ended up renting this digitally before it came out on Blu-Ray, and it’s the perfect celebration of Hollywood excess and dumb videogame setups.

Tips for 2019

Qazi's Disposable 2018
So what have we got to look forward to? The third season of The Grand Tour will be released, so hopefully that will maintain the stronger format of the second series… In music, Major Lazer will release the Essentials collection in physical form (and – despite there being no indication of it – I’ll personally be crossing my fingers for The Prodigy to announce “No Tourists: The Remixes” or something similar…) With regards to gaming, Sekiro will be released and everyone will pigeonhole it into pigeonholes instead of praising the game for its own ideas, we’ll finally find out what Babylon’s Fall is about (because they’ll reveal more information and it won’t just vanish into obscurity, right? Right?) Oh and maybe I’ll follow up my Persona 1 rambling with a look at P2: Innocent Sin. Don’t hold me to that though.

Thanks to anyone who’s taken the time to read our content during 2018 – leave a comment if you’d like to let us know what your highlights of 2018 were, or if there’s anything you’re looking forward to next year.

An early look at The Upbeats’ Gamma Ray EP

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As regular visitors to Disposable Media will know, I enjoy a lot of the newer music released by The Upbeats – the De-Evolution trilogy had plenty of standouts, and Punks also featured some catchy tunes – so when I found that another new EP was on the way, I couldn’t have clicked the stream links any faster. The new Gamma Ray EP from The Upbeats isn’t being released for purchase until later this week, but the three new tracks have been made available to stream on various services. I’ve been tracking news of the EP for a little while, as the three tracks were drip-fed on places like UKF Drum and Bass’ Youtube channel (“Gamma Ray”), Insomniac Events’ SoundCloud (“Necking”) and Critical Music’s own SoundCloud (“Trauma”.) Of course, this is a smaller selection of tracks than we’ve seen on earlier EPs, but each one is definitely worth listening to and helps to make up a satisfying whole.

The squishy FX found in the Gamma Ray EP

The title track “Gamma Ray” is a collaboration between The Upbeats and Rockwell, and it begins with catchy beats, squishy FX, excellent build-ups and simple but effective bass noise. It’s not the most extreme track but it definitely has a catchy beat, and the weird “Gamma Ray” vocal sample segments the track well. As you’d imagine, there’s an excellent descent into near-silence towards the middle of the track, lingering just long enough before the build-up brings you back into the rhythm. Generally it’s a pretty safe and inoffensive track that nevertheless provides great BGM when you’re drafting WordPress articles.

Gamma Ray EP

Effective bass noise in the Gamma Ray EP

The Gamma Ray EP follows up from this opener with “Necking” – a track with similar pacing and structure to Gamma Ray but less intense FX. Opening with a creepy intro that distorts a vocal sample asking “Why are you like this?”, it’s not long before the beat is slipped into the mix and the synthy effects build up to the main event. The “melody” of the bassy noise is less aggressive and gritty than that found in the EP’s opening track, but it’s equally as effective when it comes to establishing a potent combination with the beats, complex fills and escalations. That vocal sample never really makes much of a reappearance after its introduction at the beginning of the track – not necessarily a bad thing when you think about repetitive sampling in drum and bass – but by the time Necking finds its groove you won’t even mind.

Gamma Ray EP

The Gamma Ray EP – subdued, but effective

In fact, Necking goes really well with the final track “Trauma” – both tunes providing tight beats, trippy sounds and enough variety to keep the tracks interesting. Admittedly, none of the bassy hooks on the Gamma Ray EP are anywhere near as catchy or in-your-face as something like “Elevator” (from the De-Evolution part I EP) or “De-Evolution” (from De-Evolution part III), so if you’re looking for a track that leaves a similar impression you may come away from the EP feeling a little disappointed. However, the Gamma Ray EP shows how The Upbeats continue to experiment and refine the way they structure and layer their tunes, and how they deliver rhythms that are effective without being a mess of noise and confusion. I don’t know how many of the EP’s tracks will make it into my phone’s music library once Gamma Ray is released – again, I prefer the tracks that are keener to make a strong first impression – but they would fit well into the kind of enormous drum and bass mix you’d listen to in order to survive those long train journeys, or the mixes you use as a means to worm new tunes into the subconscious of your colleagues.

The Gamma Ray EP will be released on Friday 3rd August. See Critical Music’s page for more information.

My Disposable 2017 – highlights from the year

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When I published my 2016 retrospective in late December of last year, I decided to cherry-pick a few key highs and lows of the year rather than listing out hundreds of different things. It’s a format that I was quite happy with, and considering how picky I have been this year there’s no harm in doing the same here. What follows, then, is my Disposable 2017 – a quick rundown of everything that I enjoyed this year. A lot of the highlights will be familiar if you’ve checked out previous reviews on this site, but it’s worth remembering what made the year so special. For me, at least…

RPG sequels in my Disposable 2017

my Disposable 2017

Let’s start with the games. 2016 could have been the most exciting year in gaming for me; a repeat of 2009 that saw a new mainline Street Fighter title and a new mainline Persona game released in the same twelve-month period. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be, but Persona 5 was still worth the wait even if it didn’t surpass the standards set by its predecessor. Yes, some one-off dungeon gimmicks outstay their welcome; yes, people might prefer 4’s intimate mystery to 5’s sprawling epic; yes, there are repeated character archetypes… (Not to mention the unshakeable feeling that P4 had more main characters that were instantly likeable.) However, it still plugs a nice 90-100hr slot for anyone with time on their hands. And on a more positive note: the presentation is better than ever, the sprawl of Shibuya is the liveliest location yet with lots of discoveries and distractions, and the battle system tweaks are welcome. I never really got to talk a lot about my admiration for the Persona series during Disposable Media’s break and subsequent relaunch, but I was simultaneously nervous and excited about the release of 5 – yes, it’s got to live up to one of my all-time favourite RPGs… but if it ends up improving on the formula it would be a phenomenal experience. In the end it fell short of my expectations, but I’ll still hold out for a bunch of spin-off announcements and maybe even get around to importing The Day Breakers.

Thinking about it, the most fun I had with a game in my Disposable 2017 was probably with Nier Automata. The original Nier was a niche action RPG that had an engrossing, twisting storyline, wonderfully memorable settlements, unique bullet-hell magic combat, a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, superb camera tricks and an unfortunate amount of rough edges and jank. With Platinum Games at the helm of Nier Automata, fans were hopeful that the gameplay could be tightened and – provided that the RPG roots were respected – this could be a surprise classic. In the end, Platinum followed the format of the original more faithfully than I ever expected. Seamless shifts from 2D to 3D are everywhere, sidequests, levelling and customisation are all present and correct and multiple playthroughs are surprising and rewarding. At a time where Scalebound was getting cancelled and TMNT looked ropey, I can’t pretend that I didn’t have my doubts for a moment, but Automata more than makes up for those moments of uncertainty. And yes, I know that some Platinum fans were new to Nier and got burned when they realised that it wasn’t a pure character action game, but I don’t think it’s fair to criticise the game because of this. If that were the case, we may as well start criticising Dropmix for not demanding beat-perfect button presses, or slam Dissidia for its lack of turn-based combat. Developers are allowed to do different things, and you can’t criticise a game because you didn’t know its genre.

Top tracks of my Disposable 2017

my Disposable 2017

Whilst away from the joypad I’ve enjoyed a lot of great music during my Disposable 2017 – The Upbeats released two superb new EPs with De-Evolution Part III in March and Punks in November, not to mention the remix collection Re-Evolution. All of these have numerous tracks worth recommending, and have provided me with a bunch of new favourites. Playlists were made and re-made, tracks were added and removed all of the time, standouts were picked and re-picked, but in general The Upbeats’ output this year has been remarkable. Elsewhere, Major Lazer’s Know No Better EP had an annoyingly catchy opening track with some fun extra tunes (including one of the most misleading build-ups in Jump) and a few notables on the remix collection that was released later in the year – meanwhile, Shobaleader One returned with a set of covers that are much more immediately likeable than d’Demonstrator’s offering, ditching the vocoder in favour of revitalised classic instrumental jams. (Going from work to the high street to pick up Electrak and Nier Automata was a particularly fun Friday afternoon.)

Even though a variety of artists released a lot of good material over the course of the year, my most played tunes of my Disposable 2017 probably come from The Upbeats; despite the fact that there are a few tracks on De-Evolution Part III and Punks that aren’t all that memorable, I’m still not bored of the standouts. The Upbeats have proven that they can handle slow tunes, fast beats, aggressive tones and more restrained vibes, and it’s this diversity that keeps me coming back. The title track of Punks is quick and catchy, but Oddity has slow beats and fun wobbly sounds; meanwhile, Veiled is a haunting and moody piece from De-Evolution III which is contrasted by the relentless title track.

My Disposable 2017 – a solid year

I can’t say that any of these highlights are my New Favourite Thing Ever – Nier Automata has its flaws, P5 isn’t as good as P4, older Upbeats and Major Lazer releases probably have more standout tracks than the latest ones – but they represent a small part of what has been a fine year. As for the future? The Prodigy have already announced a new album for “early next year”, we should finally see the releases of Dissidia and Dragonball FighterZ and there will surely be some surprises along the way. As always, let us know what you’ve enjoyed this year and what you look forward to in the next twelve months.

The Upbeats: Punks EP Review

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With the Punks EP, The Upbeats have released the first new music of theirs I’ve been looking forward to since the De-Evolution series (and Re-Evolution mix collection.) The three EPs that made up De-Evolution had some mixed quality, but the best tracks instantly became regular fixtures on my playlists, so I was always going to be looking forward to whatever they would release in the future. I first heard about the Punks EP around the start of November, and through the various Twitter announcements I was able to catch a few previews from the EP on the Critical Music Soundcloud page. Of course, I had also pre-ordered the digital release of the EP, and after a bit of initial confusion (weird broken downloads and release date uncertainty – iTunes had the release date down as the 27th, Critical Music maintained that it would be released on the 24th), I’ve been able to see how the Punks EP compares to the other releases by The Upbeats…

Punks EP – Hold Down

Punks EP

The opening track of the Punks EP is Hold Down – a track that begins with eerie effects and a menacing build up with rolling drum hits and escalating tones… this then culminates in a slick catchy snare rhythm that’s layered on to the melody as more fills come and go and the track gains a greater sense of urgency. It tends to stick to the main themes that it establishes at the start of the track, and whilst that may not be great news if you weren’t that enthralled by the tone that was set, it’s not a bad way to open the EP. Just over halfway through the track there’s a nice breakdown which builds the beat back up, and whilst the playful rhythms persist throughout, the track never runs the risk of dragging on.

Punks EP – Oddity and Punks

Punks EP

What follows this opener is Oddity, a track that has one of the slower openings of the Punks EP. A fantastic steady beat is joined by meandering wobbly synths, giving a track a lack of urgency and a groovy vibe that keeps the head nodding. Despite the fact that I generally go for tracks with faster tempos (at least when it comes to my favourite tracks by The Upbeats), this combination of slow beats and understated wobbles is a great fit, and the keys that come in later complement the atmosphere of the track extremely well. The title track Punks then follows, and whilst I kind of spoiled this for myself by catching a preview that was tweeted out, it’s lost none of its appeal. It’s a faster track than Oddity but the fast beat and meaty melody sound excellent, especially during the build-ups and the moments where the main hook is altered and played with at times. The only downside I might point out is that it could probably lose a few repeated bars and still be as good.

Punks EP – Ethers

Punks EP

At four tracks long, the Punks EP is somewhat shorter than the De-Evolution releases, and so Ethers is the closing tune; it begins with lingering synths and a low-key bass noise to create a catchy sound, before breaking down and building back up to some rapid beats that contrast the slower effects that fade in and out. It generates a mood unlike the other tracks on the EP, and even plays with a new house-style rhythm a little bit in the middle… before there’s another build-up and it reverts to the original vibe that it had established earlier. In general, the Punks EP doesn’t have as many instantly catchy tracks as the De-Evolution releases, but each track has something memorable about it. If you enjoy the other Upbeats EPs, this is worth listening to.

The Punks EP is out now and can be purchased digitally on iTunes or on Critical Music. You can also stream the album on Spotify.

The Upbeats: Re-Evolution review

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After listening to the three EPs that make up The Upbeats’ De-Evolution series, I found that each one had some average or good tracks and the occasional New Favourite Thing. Whether it was Elevator from the first, Mediums and Babylon from the second, or Veiled from the third, there was always something that I’d enjoy a lot. So when it was revealed that a new remix album – Re-Evolution – was coming in September, I was simultaneously excited and nervous. Seeing a new spin on an old favourite, or an outsider improved by remixing, is always nice… on the other hand, there’s always the risk that those old favourites can be ruined by someone else’s meddling.

Re-Evolution – familiar, but sometimes busy

Re-Evolution

The Malux remix of Dungeon doesn’t fall into this trap. It’s a little less subdued and a little more chaotic, but it still feels familiar enough to make you believe that the original spirit of the song is intact. The intro is slightly more menacing and it seems as though it gets into the action more quickly, but despite being busier and more effects-laden, the majority of the track still sounds as good as the original. Following on from this, Babylon’s Rockwell remix takes one of my favourites from the trilogy – an aggressive, fast, sweary number – and goes for a slightly more low-key approach with bloopy bass after the drop and lingering tones echoing through the intro. The new layers really add to what was already a great framework, and I’d have a hard time deciding whether or not I prefer it over the original.

The next track – Annix’s remix of Dr. Kink – is one that I caught a preview of when browsing Twitter feeds from Vision and The Upbeats. When I first heard the original track I thought that it did enough to hook the listener but lacked variety later on. This has a brand new stuttery rhythm replacing the slower, bigger hits, but still never really does enough with what it has to hold the interest for too long. After this we have Agressor Bunx’s take on Joyrider, which uses the same hooks but with more tuneful components delivering the melody. The beat is also a little busier than before, and much better for it.

Re-Evolution – DOOM is still good

Re-Evolution

The latter half of Re-Evolution opens with DOOM (Black Sun Empire Remix); I praised the original tune’s variety when covering De-Evolution Part 1, and again it seems to be an early favourite of mine when listening to Re-Evolution. The rhythmic high-pitched beeping in the intro is a curious substitute for the more incremental build-up that went before, but it’s not long before everything fades down to fizzling effects and a distant, deep drum about halfway through – and then the familiar tones creep back in and it’s every bit as powerful as before. Along with Babylon it’s one of my favourite remixes, and again it’s hard to say whether I like the remix or the original more.

Wrapping up Re-Evolution is a Memtrix remix of Say Go with a melodic bassy hook that seems to be more toned down from what went before – low rumbling tones replacing the haunting sounds of the original. The album then closes with Prism (Emperor remix), which deserves credit for getting through the intro a little faster and having a more interesting rhythm and hook than the “slow but steady” arrangement I mentioned in my coverage of the original track.

In any case, Re-Evolution does a lot with only seven tracks; the best original tunes have variations that are equally as good, and that alone almost makes up for things like the Dr. Kink remix. If you enjoyed the De-Evolution series, this is worth getting hold of.

Re-Evolution is out now and can be purchased digitally on iTunes or Vision Recordings. You can stream the album on Spotify here.

The Upbeats: De-Evolution Part 3 EP Review

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Back in September of 2015 I covered the collaborative album from Noisia and The Upbeats named Dead Limit – I had enjoyed a lot of Noisia tracks in the past but wasn’t so familiar with The Upbeats, but following the review I started keeping a closer eye on the electronic group from Kiwi. Through news on twitter lists I discovered The Upbeats’ De-Evolution series; I covered parts 1 and 2 here and here, finding that there were a few tracks that didn’t go anywhere but also some killer standout tracks that I still listen to if I’m out and library shuffles just aren’t doing it for me. It’s those standouts that have kept me interested in De-Evolution Part 3, said to be the final part of the series. My digital download became available on Friday afternoon (sadly the Vision Recordings store has no option to buy the trilogy on CD; the only options are digital and vinyl) and my early impressions are that it’s eager to impress but is a fitting close to the trilogy.

De-Evolution Part 3 – Cauldron and Prism


The opening track, Cauldron, is full of big bass, slick beats and great drops. The main bassy hook gets under your skin fairly easily whilst the tempo shifts from slow build-ups to quick snare rolls and steady but unrelenting beats. It’s definitely the kind of thing that you’d be able to annoy next-door neighbours with, and the as the lingering bass buzz makes way for warbly keys about two minutes in, the track transitions into another build up and drop before bringing everything back for the latter half. It might not be hugely inventive, but it’s a lot of fun, and a good start for the EP. The next track on De-Evolution Part 3, Prism, has gentle yet eerie effects easing you into the intro, as well as a distorted vocal that later gets lost in amplified synth effects just before a steady but catchy beat and bouncy melody come in. It’s definitely one of the slower tracks I’ve heard in the De-Evolution series, but it gets the head nodding, even if it’s not quite as exciting as those standouts I mentioned in the opening paragraph. It does slightly pick up the pace later on with a quicker and more playful drum track layered on to the rest of it, and it could be a great track to lose yourself in after a hectic day. Or something.

De-Evolution Part 3 – Veiled and De-Evolution

One track that certainly got the foot tapping was Veiled, an early contender for the highlight of De-Evolution Part 3 (in my personal opinion), sharing glory with Elevator from part 1 and Mediums from part 2. The echoes and wobbles at the start may not be that exciting, and it takes its time building up the track with pounding kicks and retro sounding synths but when it all comes together it’s haunting, catchy and amazing. Oh, and it finishes at a logical place too, rather than going around the build-ups and drops again or overstaying its welcome. I already got a chance to listen to the title track, as “De-Evolution” was revealed on the Bassrush website in late February – it’s a nice serving of multi-layered dirty bass amongst great beat loops and fills, transforming towards the end into something more low-key but still bursting with energy.

De-Evolution Part 3 – the end

The penultimate track, A Place For You, has a gorgeous vocal from Sylvee and a slower beat, but even though it’s not drum and bass mayhem it’s still nice to listen to – layering on plenty of echoed vocals, soft synth-y sounds and intentionally muffled beeps – and fits really well with the rest of De-Evolution Part 3. Things are brought to a close with Streetlight, which has very little bass noise but a busy rhythm and plenty of keys and melodies layered on to create a satisfying whole. In general, if you liked previous releases in the De-Evolution series you should definitely pick this up. And if you’re new to the series, each release has something on there to recommend, so look them up on Spotify today.

The Upbeats: De-Evolution Part 2 EP Review

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De-Evolution Part 2 is a new EP released by The Upbeats on August 5th. If you recall, Disposable Media covered De-Evolution Part 1 last April and concluded that even though some of the tracks were quite “safe”, it made for a generally satisfying whole and people will find at least one favourite track on there (Disposable Media still hasn’t got tired of listening to Elevator.) I wasn’t certain about when part 2 would be coming, but around the end of July I found news about the release. Lasting around 23 minutes, this five-track EP still has plenty to enjoy and moves at a frenetic pace; if you were a fan of part 1, this collection of tracks is pretty easy to recommend.

De-Evolution Part 2 – Mediums and Joyrider

De-Evolution Part 2

The opening track of De-Evolution Part 2 is Mediums, and it was one of the first tracks I heard after The Upbeats shared it on their soundcloud page so that fans could stream it. Mediums kind of picks up where the final track from De-Evolution Part 1 (Elevator) left off – in both tracks the pace is nice and fast, the rhythms are great, and there’s enough variety in the tracks that they never feels too repetitive. Mediums even has a quiet interlude some three minutes in that helps to break things up, and the track is over before you start to think it’s at risk of outstaying its welcome.

The next track – Joyrider – continues the theme of big beats and fat bass noise, but not before it eases the listener in with a rapid succession of gentle beeps, some distant orchestral hit-style sounds and then some intro noise before the first big build-up works its way up to the drop. It’s an impressive escalation, and the payoff comes in the form of hard and fast drums that are set to a rather unique rhythm that is nevertheless easy to get behind. Having said that, the track doesn’t go through as much change and variation as some might like – there’s a brief moment of respite where the drums are taken out, but afterwards it returns to the themes that had already been established before.

De-Evolution Part 2 – Say Go

De-Evolution Part 2

Say Go begins with distant chants, rich ambience and moody vocals from Mara Tk that continue to permeate the track after the beat drops. It makes for a pretty good sound, and the instruments do a good job of keeping things interesting as the main rhythm is taken out and brought back. That being said, it’s a track that shows everything it has to offer fairly quickly, and some might thing that it’s a little plain. I’m undecided myself, but there’s a chance that it’s the kind of thing that would improve with repeat listens.

De-Evolution Part 2 – Babylon and No Surprises

Just like Elevator turned out to be my favourite track from De-Evolution Part 1, I can’t help but feel that some of the best material in De-Evolution Part 2 can be found towards the end of the EP. Babylon has quite an unassuming intro that’s given some flavour thanks to the involvement of Orifice Vulgatron, but once the first vocal is over the track winds down a little before building up to one of the best beats on the EP. The fast rhythm and varied effects do enough to get heads nodding and as the track continues it never loses its momentum or gets too samey. There’s also a great shift in rhythm during the final minute or so of the track which is easy to appreciate.

De-Evolution Part 2

The final track of the album – No Surprises – may be the shortest track of the five, but it’s still pretty good. It begins with melodic beeps and a deep, steady rhythm that soon makes way for faster beats that settle into a good rhythm whilst the melodies and effects create a great atmosphere and bring the RP to a satisfying close. As I mentioned, this EP is well worth listening to if you enjoyed part 1, and at the time of writing it’s available on Spotify if you want to check a stream first.

The Upbeats: De-Evolution Part 1 EP Review

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De-Evolution Part 1 is a new EP released by The Upbeats last Friday on Vision Recordings. You might remember Disposable Media featuring The Upbeats’ collaboration with Noisia – titled “Dead Limit” – in September of last year, and when I heard about De-Evolution Part 1 on Noisia’s Twitter feed I headed over to the nearest Spotify stream. Generally I’m more familiar with Noisia’s music than that of The Upbeats, but the quality of the material featured on Dead Limit piqued my interest enough to listen to De-Evolution Part 1 anyway. Happily, the five-track EP is 25 minutes of varied and energetic drum and bass, and you never get the feeling that any of the tracks really outstay their welcome.

De-Evolution Part 1 – Dr. Kink and Pharoah

De-Evolution Part 1

De-Evolution Part 1 opens with Dr. Kink and an almighty 45-second intro that is successful in building anticipation for the initial beat drop. Fast hi-hats, steady snares and escalating tones are then introduced and lead up to some vicious synths and big beats. The track isn’t insanely speedy or busy but it gets its hooks in fairly successfully and throws in more buildups and “epic intro” reuse later in the song. I admit that Dr. Kink doesn’t really have a huge amount of variety but it’s still catchy enough to serve as background music for whatever you happen to be doing.

The second track “Pharaoh” is a collaboration with electronic trio Ivy Lab and is definitely one of the less aggressive tracks on De-Evolution Part 1 – soothing sounds at the beginning of the song set the mood moments before the beat comes in, but it still doesn’t transition into madness, instead just offering steady build-ups and an almost hypnotic melodic hook that is transformed and tweaked in various ways throughout the song. It’s not the most creative track around but it’s still pretty inoffensive and provides a nice moment of calm before the noise that follows.

De-Evolution Part 1 – DOOM

DeEvolution2

De-Evolution Part 1 is quick to bring back the aggressive tones and big beats in “DOOM”, starting with weird effects amongst silence before bringing in an onslaught of drum and bass excellence – powerful kicks and snares set to a curious rhythm, plenty of distorted noise and layers of “cleaner” tones in places… it all creates a pretty satisfying whole, and there’s enough variety in the structure of the song that it never feels samey and is generally pretty interesting. Again, there’s another build up to a second drop about halfway through the song but it works well, and whilst it’s not my favourite track from De-Evolution Part 1 there’s lots to recommend here.

De-Evolution Part 1 – Dungeon and Elevator

The following track “Dungeon” wastes little time in setting the mood – curious reverb plinks, steady three-note melodies and chords fool you into thinking that there might not be much to this track but eventually everything gives way to another build-up sequence leading to big beats and dirty bass. Again, it’s not really paced at an insane tempo but there are some great fills and interludes that help to keep things interesting. By now I was starting to think that De-Evolution Part 1 had moments of greatness amongst a billion huge build-ups, but the final track “Elevator” turned out to be a surprise favourite.

DeEvolution1

Whilst it’s structurally fairly similar to the other tracks, the general tone and mood of the track is somewhat more – no pun intended – upbeat than everything else, and it stands out amongst other tracks that have more darkness, or strangeness, or aggression to them. I think De-Evolution Part 1 is varied enough that most fans of this type of music are likely to come away with at least one favourite, and if you have 25 minutes to spare it’s worth heading over to Spotify or checking the Soundcloud embed below so that you can make your own mind up.

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