Back in stock: Deep House

Review: After spending the majority of his 20-plus-year career flitting between the Kompakt and Coneme labels, Matias Aguayo makes a rare outing on another label - a delayed debut for Matt 'Radio Slave' Edwards' REKIDS imprint. In its' original form (side A), 'El Internet' is a typically off-kilter affair in which his own poetic, spoken word vocals (in Chilean, of course) and fuzzy, elongated synth sounds ride a beefy but wonky bassline and the long-serving producer's usual South American-tinged, hand percussion-enhanced hybrid house/techno grooves. It comes accompanied by a vocal-free instrumental mix, where the full breadth and depth of Aguayo's production can be heard, and a useful acapella DJ tool.

Review: Radio Slave making a record in tribute to the late, great Terry Hall was not on our bingo card for 2024, but the resultant workout - based on the much-loved vocal hook from 1981 workout 'The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum' - is both undeniably dancefloor-ready and fittingly forthright (the original song was, of course, a scathing commentary on Thatcher-era Britain). The EP-opening 'Club Mix' places at the vocal refrain at the heart of the action, surrounding it with hazy vocalisations, thunderous bass, heavyweight tech-house drums and horn sounds that offer knowing nods to the classic 2 Tone sound. The accompanying 'A Clinic Full of Cynics Dub' leans into the ska sound of the original more, placing echoing horns and steel pan sounds atop a deep, dubby bassline and unfussy house beats.