5 out of 5

Label: Operation Madness Records

Produced by: Ed DMX

A perfect slice of Ed getting funky and getting heavy. Time Holes mixes a sci-fi vibe with kitsch beats, then skews it across eras: the A-side is your 80s retro computer commercial; the B-side takes us into space, letting the darkness creep in.

I’m nonstop marveled by Ed Upton’s ability to stuff complexity into simplicity – a lesson to countless artists who either let beats ride for too long, or doll up a concept too much – and the head-bobbing grooves that open Times Holes all underline this, pretty much sticking to basic beats, but knowing precisely how to touch them with a popping bassline, and dashes to the synths to keep it interesting. The atomic artwork rather perfectly tells the tale: imagine Man… or Astro-Man?’s old school vibes, but filtered through Ed’s dancefloor sensibilities.

But then the backhalf of the EP flips the concept around, going more acid or a bit grime with the sound, while retaining its same elements: this is the skeptical view of A-side’s hopeful PC bop; changing out the 80s vibe for 90s Lawnmower Man effects. The divide here provides perfect guardrails for keeping the EP quite focused, and also allowing Ed to indulge his club-ready sensibilities with an impressively subtle touch of storytelling.