Fluid Recordings UK

I've encountered a distressing problem that seems to only be affecting my Fluid vinyls. They now play with noticeable white noise/ consistent low level crackle that wasn't there before. It's not all of them, but it is most of them, and has developed sometime in the last 5 years.

If you're familiar with the process of out-gassing from PVC sleeves (which I ditched from my collection altogether many years ago) it's kind of similar to that, but also distinctly not that. I can't see anything when I inspect the vinyl, there is no visible indicator like the misting you get with out-gassing, but playback now has this noticeable and consistent background noise.

The only thing I can think is that it has something to do with the sleeves? They do have a high-gloss finish, maybe it has something to do with that. I've put them all in plain paper sleeves for now to at least preserve the ones unaffected and stop the ones already damaged from getting any worse.

This is such a kick in the guts.

Has anyone else had this happen?

Pound for pound, probably the finest progressive label of them all. Hopefully one day they will digitise their back catalogue, although they'd be at risk of UN sanctions for stockpiling so many bombs under one roof.