4 out of 5

Label: 030303

Produced by: Splitradix (?)

I was puzzling over the name of this release a bit, until I got to this line on the wiki entry for diethylamine: Diethylamine is also sometimes used in the illicit production of LSD. …And philatelic is the study of stamps. So, y’know, acid, right?

And indeed, this is a straight shot of that, although Split’s take is a rather bouncy and pleasant one, maintaining the acid edge but presented with a welcoming smile. In addition to this, the artist has a supreme grasp on how to apply simplicity to electro without boring the listener – an Ed DMX quality; Philatelic Diethylamide sounds like a modern take on some old school DMX Krew jam.

Laplace Formal kicks off with an immediately head-bobbing low-end; this easily morphs into The Dry Canal’s slightly more muted and mysterious take, but its beat is pure acid, and the keys build up to a dancefloor frenzy along the way. Empty Sea 3000 repeats this conceptually: it’s another layer removed, initially, a bit quieter and slower to the punch, using echoes and some awesome percussion touches to add the layers back. Closer Lucan 303 Distribution Service circles back to the joyous bounce of the opener, reminding of the one hitch of this EP: that the core synth sound is carried across all the tracks, and from afar, that can make the whole thing kinda sound the same. (Though it’s incredibly catchy, whether or not you’re discerning the details.)

We have a Laplace mix at the tails end by Navs, which is also a thing of wonder, wholly changing the track into something very epic feeling, growing from moody ambience to something that’s fitting for the moment the other type of acid hits: hands up, celebratory, and a body-moving dropped beat.