The New Zealand-L.A.-Boston Connection: Upbeats & Armanni Reign @ Elements, 2.9.12
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 1:19AM 
Image source: http://www.incision-recordings.com/
We take a lot of things for granted in electronic music nowadays, but it wasn’t long ago when the majority of the music garnering props in niche genres like drum and bass came from only one location - the UK. Following the precipice of drum and bass’s widespread recognition in 2001 came social networking sites and message boards. The Internet essentially allowed producers outside England to network with the top dogs, tearing down what some cited as a boys club and expanding the genre to one of worldwide magnitude. Again, we take all this for granted a decade later, but the Internet has allowed producers from places as far away as New Zealand, to have a bite at the cherry. Enter the Upbeats.
Dylan Jones and Jeremy Glenn, the duo who comprise the Upbeats, have been at this drum and bass thing for the better part of a decade. Getting their break from Bad Company alumni Maldini and Vegas around 2003, these guys essentially picked up right where the well-respected Bad Company collective left off following their hiatus the previous year. With the support of highly-esteemed labels such as Bad Taste, Habit, and Dieselboy’s US-based Human during their fledgling years, it took little time for the Upbeats to build a fanbase.
One of the first cuts I heard (and owned on vinyl) from these guys was “Vodka Bender”, which emphasized a very basic monophonic synth riff you couldn’t get out of your head even after 4 bars of listening. I might hate vodka (don’t ask, too many college hangovers from that noise), but the skipping drums in the song give me all the buzz I need without the pesky headaches. Whiskey and beer taste better anyhow ;)
Since Vodka Bender they continued crafting heavy hitting rollers with gnarly basslines and pounding percussion. Ed Rush & Optical, Klute, TeeBee, Hive, Gridlok, and New Zealand mates Concord Dawn all signed the Upbeats to their respective labels, making the last half of the ‘oughties quite the successful one for them. Remixing gems like “Flame Thrower” by Gridlok and “Screw Up” by Ewun didn’t hurt either. And while the vast majority of their output comes from the vein of the darker, yet-still-funky techstep micrososm, they also threw down the occasional liquidfunk chiller, like the vocal “More Than One”, probably my favorite Upbeats jam.
So the Upbeats are making a stop in Boston tomorrow night at Elements (Phoenix Landing, 512 Mass Ave). Elements founder Lenore has certified both Jeremy and Dylan’s capabilities behind a set of not two, but THREE turntables, so prepare to be lonely if you decide to go outside for a cigarette when they’re on! MC Armanni will be on vocal duty, ensuring crowd interaction at all times…this guy has worked with a ton of different producer and DJ combos around the world, so he’s got the talent to back this duo up.
Get there before 11, avoid the line, and pay only $10! Facebook event flyer here for more info.
