Aliens On Wax US Vinyl & CDs

Review: First released on Cajual in 1995 as part of the 'Beautification Of House' EP, DJ Sneak's 'The Jacker' is comparatively less known or revered than his earliest outings on the label, or those of his released on the contemporary and now much-coveted Strictly Rhythm. But its choppy lead razz and boisterous vocal cutups make it no less of a quintessential case of early 90s "jackin" house, which heard Chicago producers such as Carlos Sosa privilege only the barest of sonic bones. As it was in 1995, no track on this 12" stoops to the nadir of overwrought "depth", and both the Jacker 3000 remix and Gettoblaster's remix here are as readily deployable as they are functional, with ample dead space left in the gaps between drum hits.

Review: New imprint Aliens on Wax will be a label to watch this year, with the Chicago-based stable promising releases from the likes of Kevin Saunderson, Roland Clark and Bad Boy Bill. Fittingly, it's a long-serving hometown hero - the one and only DJ Sneak - who inaugurates the imprint via a typically club-focused four-tracker. He begins with 'Gettin' Ghetto', a rolling and hypnotic house loop jam in his familiar style, before opting for stomping drums, raw electronic motifs, sweat-soaked percussion fills and effects aplenty on the breathless and trippy 'I Beat That Ghetto'. Over on the reverse we're treated to two takes on 'Spirit Taker': a deliciously tracky, psychedelic and warehouse-ready 'Dub' (track 3) and the marginally more action-packed original version (track 4).