4 out of 5

Label: Under the Radar

Produced by: Ed Upton

Ed Upton – aka Ed DMX, aka DMX Krew – is an endless source of club beats. Flipping between bouncy electro and more intense BPM, winding through the IDM and groove and whatever else, the man is a do-it-all powerhouse, and my go-to reference for how electronic music doesn’t need to be showy to make an impression, nor does club music have to be boring.

On the new Under the Radar imprint, Ed gives us 4 cuts on a 33 RPM 12″, leaning into his club persona. While the one hitch I find with Ed operating in this style crops up on the A-side – songs go on for just a bit too long, giving us maybe one or two extra loops of the rhythms, even these tracks are near-perfect examples of the artist’s ability to know just how much to add or take away to keep a basic beat exciting. The B-side adds a darker mood to things and a layer of complexity, with Orange Cat Milk as quirky as that title suggests, then concluding with the Aphex-winking Didgeridon’t, which has the same sound / pace as RDJ’s Didgeridoo classic, but gives it a much more late-night, sinister vibe.