3 out of 5

Label: WéMè Records

Produced by: Rehab333 (recorded by)

Initially appearing on Binary Digit’s Postal Code Records and stripped of two tracks for a 12″ EP release on WeMe, Rehab333 drops some engaging but fairly standard – at least amongst WeMe peers – acid, befitting an “intimate” descriptor via Postal Code, but ultimately not much more than a head-bobber.

Smarter ears than mine may be able to detect that this is an analog release; the recording is very warm – perhaps to its discredit at points – with even the harsher club beats on the B-side pretty soft on the ears. This is a better fit for the more IDM-y skewed openers, which use their synth lines to build urgency over paddling percussion, pairing with Binary Digit’s work well. But track 3 (DR0000_0217) starts to drop in some usual suspect samples / sounds and goes in a more linear direction, which still sounds good, but admittedly doesn’t excite as much.

After hitting the squelch button on track 4, DR0000 0174, Rehab333 combines some of that initial slipperiness – a willingness to step away from the beat; massage it a bit – on track 5 (DR0000 0175), but it’s still not necessarily enough to differentiate the release from various others.

Pleasant enough acid, appreciably appropriated by WeMe. There’s certainly enough here to support a casual listen, and to look out for future Rehab333 releases, though the artist faces stiff competition from similar and more definitive artists.