WeMe Belgium Vinyl & CDs

Review: First released in 2006, 'Ceerial Port' is the ultimate wildcard in the electro profligate Ceephax's towering discography. The seven-or-eight track album does things with the electro form that few of Mr. Jenkinson's contemporaries would dare ever indulge, were it not for this initial fatherly stamp of approval. lead reissue cut 'Acid Whorl' is the foremost case in point, hard-limiting and soft-clipping a cyclonic 'whorlwind' of pitch-whacked acid effluence. Further 8-bit playtimes come in the form of 'Acid Highway' and 'Acid Causeway', recalling the feeling of scouring the outer edges of an Atari Kart game and encountering nothing but rolling, pixelated skies; 'Tough Grugoy Acid' and 'Woodlice Acid' make up the longer wavelengths on the spectrum, stomping and echo-rimshotting to ever-weighty, yet jolly ends.

Review: Chromedealer's Sketches Of Silver EP is a collection of cuts that were originally recorded between 2021 and 2023 and now arrive on Belgium staple WeMe. They find the New York-based producer in scintillating form with opener ' Onyourmarks' fusing jungle and electro with masterful synth work to make for a thrillingly high-paced yet emotive rhythm from another world. 'Sable' is another track made from millions of seemingly small fragments of sound that all coalesce into a darker broken jungle soundscape then 'Jack' pairs lovely snappy snares and rolling amen breaks with celestial melodic sequences that drift up top. 'Cubed3' is more masterfully nimble drum programming and 'Silver City' brings a more melancholic mood to close.

Review: Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated reissue compilations of the year is this collection of Future Sound of London side projects. In 2007 this was a CD-only compilation of early 90s tracks as well as unreleased ones from the same age. As the lore of FSOL continues to grow over the past 30+ years, their side projects have gotten more and more attention from the people who love those early rave sounds. Now for the first time, a vinyl version of it with no less than a 3x12 to harness all this early 90s techno goodness. All the tracks are by Dougans and Cobain and the aliases are the same. This 2007 album however has a wealth of new material from the same time period as Earthbeat. It is amazing that one release like this by two producers can be such a prime example of the UK sound that changed dance music forever. If you want the 90s UK rave reissue of the year, here it is!

Review: The accompanying notes with this say "don't call it a comeback" for NOT_MDK (aka Martin Wood-Mitrovski), even though it is an album that finds him exploring an all-new style. It is a meeting of steady 70/140 bpm grime drums and beats with IDM synth details and evocative breaks that soundtrack an all new type of late night urban conurbation. It's menacing and fresh, perfect for both body and head and is a long way from the jungle this artist made in the late 90s, or the cid and breakbeats he made in the years after that. It's a brilliant reinvention.