Ceephax Acid Crew’s latest album is a whirlwind concoction of thumping technicolour sound layered with synthetic arpeggios that thunder through it like a Bull at Pamplona. If Street Fighter II had come with great music, instead of that ridiculously annoying, noisome theme that plagued the ears of everyone waiting for their playing partner to pick a character (Ryu! Ken! It’s easy enough! Oh, Zangief, well done!), it would have sounded something like the wonderfully named Ceephax Acid Crew. Heavily influenced by 8-bit technology, Andy Jenkinson (yes, brother of that Jenkinson) plasters his flighty United Acid Emirates with uplifting techno squall, pastes with experimental digital quirk and papers with complete danceability.Drawing listeners in with the body-popping electro of ‘Cedric’s Sonnet’, Jenkinson skips genres and drives directly on to the techno rumble ‘Castilian’ where he puts his beloved Roland SH-101 to great use, building the track with looping psychedelic 303 licks for that heady Acid feeling. Where earlier Ceephax tapes were plagued by excessive 303 workouts, United Acid Emirates -- though appearing initially dumb -- is clearly the result of great labour and dedication and spans eclectic electronic eras from the ’70s to ’90s. Released on the revered Planet Mu label, this is an album that manages to sound simultaneously historic, current and futuristic.With a selection of dissonant and harmonious ambient pieces strategically placed to break up the album, and despite all other indications arguing to the contrary, Jenkinson manages to convincingly play the grown-up, matching the early effervescent output of brother Squarepusher and his contemporary, Aphex Twin. Though not as technically or breakbeat-fixated as either Warp signing, Jenkinson is content to wear a love of early rave on his sleeve (particularly on ‘Life Funk’ which comes complete with ‘Woo! Yeah!’ sample, staccato ascending piano chords and airhorns.)There is little fat on the album and whereas some critics will undoubtedly take great pleasure in excoriating its seemingly meretricious nature, those who have ever held a glow stick in their hand, a whistle in their mouth and day-glo construction jackets on their backs will revel in its palpable affection. It’s music for a musically analogue generation bred on a digital visual stimulus: brilliant.

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