EP Review: No Sleep ‘Til Japan & Iceland

No Sleep ‘Til Japan & Iceland is an EP that has been seven months in the making from kiwi Drum and Bass duo The Upbeats. Completed partly in thanks to a crowdfunding effort raising nearly £9,000 for international collaborations to occur. In what was meant to be a 4-track EP, has evolved into a 9-track near full-length album. More experimental and stripped back, this collection of collaborations displays a wide variety of stylings and emotive experiences as influences from international producers such as Noisia, Goth-Trad, DJ Kentaro, and Emperor, show the depth of the drum and bass genre.

The opening track Shibuya Pet Store (in collaboration with Noisia) was released earlier as a single and it the most eclectic track on the EP. Named after the major Japanese commercial business centre that contains two of the busiest railway stations in the world, that mixing of cultures and busy-ness comes through strongly with a rather idiosyncratic sample. While not quite as high pace as what is usually to be expected, unusual and unique, the underlying beat drives the track forward.

Two of the tracks off the EP result from collaborations with Goth-Trad, Long Shadows (which also credits Noisia and DJ Kentaro) and Out Of Sync, both in the slower side of the spectrum, combining symphonic soundscapes with a more industrial edge. More cinematic in approach, they are darker, grittier, and grungier, with a murky vibe that elicits imagery of both futuristic dystopias and ‘Saw’-like thriller scenarios.

An prelude halfway through the EP is the only track that is compiled by The Upbeats independently and uses some slow building piano play to build towards Erosion, which features Culture Shock; a high-volume, high-intensity track with a surprisingly big sound created from minimal audio layers.

While variety is evident between producers that collaborated, there are even displays of difference between a single artists influences, especially in that of Emperor. With two tracks back to back, Hideaway is tranquil, emotive piece. Eerie, yet relaxed, the vibe comes off like roaming through the empty streets of an unknown city at night. This contrasts with the following track DUMDUM, which uses fast-paced stabbing synths and a surging bassline to merge a murky industrial foundation, with an organic flare.

No Sleep ‘Til Japan & Iceland is an intriguing mix that is bound to hold a mass appeal. Both experimental and enlightening, boundaries in the drum and bass genre are pushed, and create a dynamic combination of impassioned musical pieces.