4 out of 5

Label: Altered Circuits

Produced by: Ed DMX

I was listening to a co-release DMX Krew produced with DVDE and wondering: can I identify the “Ed” sound in this collab? Do I know what makes DMX Krew sound like DMX Krew? In general, I found myself wondering if I enjoy Ed’s stuff over others’ out of habit; like New Artist Y could put out a track that sounds exactly like something DMX Krew has done and I’d pish-posh it for some reason.

It’s easy to cure these doubts and clarify my questions, though, just by… listening to DMX Krew, and particularly releases like Space Is Inside.

While my wallet is offended by how much stuff Ed puts out, I can’t deny that the many EPs that he drops are often great outlets for his pokes and prods around his cachet of subgenres; previously on Altered Circuits, Ed had made an appearance early on the imprint’s output, and the label – and the release – felt kind of generic. A couple years in, though, and AC has accrued a solid roster of electro-ers, as well as a nice design shtick. While the imprint maybe doesn’t feel as identifiable as CPU, Analogical Force, or others, in a way, that also feels like part of the shtick, with its 90s sci-fi B-movie font and 80s computer-chic look, conjuring up a kind of general nostalgia for something that is, in turn, more a vague vibe than something specific. This may all sound kind of insulting, but it’s a space in which an artist like Ed truly thrives – iterating on those vague vibes with a natural ear for pace, and rhythm, and nuance, making for truly memorable ear worms – and the time between the former release and now means Ed can see a bigger picture of Altered Circuits’ map, and really groove with it.

So: all that stuff that makes for classic DMX Krew electro is here, with analog-sounding beats enhanced with funky bumps and smooth synths, tickling 90s acid house but kept relatively short and sweet and precise in a way that instantly modernizes the music – getting right to business while knowing where to let the tracks breathe.

The EP is positively weighted by its opening two and closing tracks, providing the album with a lot of confident swagger to start, and some slightly harder edges to finish on. The middle tracks fall more into generics; they’re good, warm beats but kind of static in comparison to the other tunes. That said, this is sequencing that works, as it sets up the EP for multiple spins.