4 out of 5

Label: Curtis Electronix

Produced by: ?

Punk rock electro; a buzz zipping by at rapid fire. One of Ed Upton’s styles to emerge in the late 2010s / 2020s cops some chiptune vibes, syncing with the artist’s appreciation for 80s electronics, but molds that to his understanding of club music and flow. The Warp Zone EP is like the absolute tightest representation of this, sounding incredibly modern and grinding, but maintaining a kind of bop that’s reminiscent of old school games, and makes the music as fun as it is intense. This thing says 45 RPM but it seems like an impossibility – that it’s too fast; the layers are so synced up, though, and Ed makes sure to pair a speedy main synth line with some sneakier, more soothing elements / beats, that you soon find pace with the record, even if the main tracks on the A and B-sides shock with how quickly and intensely they peel out of the gate – like Konami Kukeiha Club, brought up on 90s IDM.

The lead tracks on both sides are full-fledged affairs, doing a few loops to let us get the vibe without exhausting. The latter two tracks on both sides are a bit shorter, and the A-side it’s almost to the extent of being scratch tracks – demos of beats. Good tunes, but disappointingly slim in comparison. One could suppose this is maybe purposeful – a counter to the impact of the lead-ins – but then the B-side’s backups are shorter but probably the most dense and fun things on the record, delivering conclusive, celebratory experiences in a couple short minutes. On the plus side, one can appreciate Curtis Electronix / DMX giving us plenty of runtime for this excellent EP.