Ceza Evi was the first sonic fruit from the early 1980’s industrial project We.Be.Echo. Originally released as a C60 in the year 1983, the album highlighted an often wonkily inventive sound that shifted between off-kilter to woozy beat scapes, more brooding to unease atmospherics, and even the occasional darts into gloomy ‘n’ slurred new wave. Here from Cold Spring is a double CD definitive edition of the album- bringing a bumper crop of thirty-two tracks over its two discs.

The release is presented in a six-panel mini gatefold-this feature a black, red and grey colour scheme. The two discs are each presented at either end of the gatefold, with the track listing for each disc. And on the inner panel a write-up about the concept of the release, and on the back panel comments about the release from those it had an impact on.

We.Be.Echo was formed in 1981 by Kevin Thorne- a Dartford-born musician and graphic designer, who resettled in Canada at one point in the ’80s.  During its first run between 83 and 86 the project released three albums- two C60S, and a C90. With the project resurfacing in the 2000’s, for a few collections & a smattering of new material.

The first CD features eighteen tracks in all, and the tone nicely shifts- in both type of track, and mood. We go from “Sexuality” with its dense ‘n’ manic mix of beats, choppy electro pulses, and weirdly cut-up vocal chatter.  Onto the eerier “Dawn” which blends swelling & hovering ambient unease, faint ‘n’ creepy percussive hits, and unease bird chatter. We have the unsettling tribal-fuelled electronics and baying bone horn work of “Inside Life's Wire” which features Genesis P-Orridge and Iham.

Moving onto the second half of the disc we have the tight smarting beats, sweary dialogue ‘n’ scream sample, brooding bass pump and electro tone swells of “This Hours Mine”. We have the skittering manic-ness of “Breakdown” with it’s set horn bay, skuttling ‘n’ choppy beats, and tight ‘n’ simple bass line. There’s the building tension of  “House Of Punishment” with its bass throb reverb, galloping beats, and speeding up breathing samples. Or the stark chopping ‘n’ hacking beats meets baying industrial guitar slug of “The Shout” which features Iham on vocals.

The second disc takes in fourteen tracks.  These move from the jaunting bass, choppy drums, and chirpy American newsreader banter of “Death Row”. Onto the tick-tock quirky percussion meets jiving organ sustains,  distant screams, and electronica texturing outbursts of “It Was You”. Through to the churning, murky lose early industrial guitar, mumbled  ‘n’ hazed vocals “Knechtschaft” 

On the second half of the disc, we find the blunt bound beats, sleazed electro purr ‘n’ whizz, and mumble marching vocal samples of “Manson”. Or the snaping low-grade drums, goth new wave synths, and wondering ‘n’ wavering male vocals of "Loathing".

Before this release, I’m ashamed to say I had no idea of either We.Be.Echo. or Mr Thorne's work, and I must say this is a very consistent introduction to this project's sound. One for those who of course enjoy old-school industrial music, but equally for those who dig dark-tinged-at-times quirky-edged electronica from the 1980s. I do hope we see reissues of the project's other 80’s release, as it would be great to see them get a similar release to this.