Evil Nine - Stay Up

  • Share
  • Breaks that have stood the test of time are rare, but many who remember Evil Nine's 2004 album You Can Be Special Too would agree that tracks like "For Lovers, Not Fighters" are just as killer now as they were then. Part of the duo's success, along with the tightness and impact of their drums, can be attributed to the way they throw a range of influences and a healthy dose of fun into the breakbeat template. The humour element, for better or worse, has grown more prominent through their zombie-themed 2008 album They Live! to the launch earlier this year of their For Lovers label, with the self-proclaimed clichéd stylings of both the first release Ultimo with its jacked-up "Nightcrawlers" vibe, and "Stay Up." It's a solid, big room, hands-in-the-air party track. The drums, vocal chops and punchy early '90s rave piano play off each other to produce a syncopated funk. But the thing I really liked about the Evil Nine of the past was their innovation. So why are they being so overt about ditching it? Granted, they've got their tongues firmly in cheek, which makes it feel unfair to place the tune in the "derivative" bracket, but I was frankly hoping to be floored once again by something dark and individualistic. Mason does a good job of making the track more pushy, driving and heads-down, without changing it too much otherwise. It's a higher-energy version of the original. Again, effective, again, functional.
  • Tracklist
      A Stay Up B Stay Up (Mason Remix)
RA