Mint Condition Vinyl & CDs

Review: Mint Condition is relentless in its mission to serve up carefully chosen reissues of house and tech classics from days gone by. It is now fast approaching a 60th EP as its strides into 2023 with UK tech house pioneers Terry Francis and Nathan Coles aka The Delinquents next up. This one came on their own Wiggle label back in 1998 and is perfectly indicative of their sound. 'Break & Enter' has warm liquid rubber bass, crispy snares and kinetic drum funk that makes you bump. 'TDA (To Dance Alot)' has chunky clicks and heavy drums that make you march and 'GBH (Groovy Bouncy House)' has a more far-sighted cosmic vibe.

Review: Terry Francis is a tech house OG. He's one of the earliest fabric residents and of course was half of Wiggle, a vital party and DJ pairing that helps shape tech house's earliest forms. He has a fine solo catalogue too and it is that which Mint Condition, the fine reissue label, digs into now to serve up his classic Dubtown. It opens up with the watery dub-tech and liquid grooves of 'Hannah's House' then gets a more melodic dub. 'As You Cry' is an irresistible groove with wobbly bass, sharp hi-hats and that kinetic sense of drive that a good tech house always has. Last up is another Rub N Tug classic, 'Reggae's House'.

Review: For those who either weren't around or not alive in the late 1990s, Housey Doingz was an all-star collective of British producers - including scene stalwarts Terry Francis and Nathan Coles - who helped codified the then emerging tech-house sound via a string of EPs and a superb debut album, "Doing It". This EP from reissue specialists Mint Condition mines that album, offering up four of the most sought-after and timeless tracks. Check first the electro-flavoured late-night intoxication of "Curly Wurly" - all rugged acid lines, twinkling lead lines and stabbing bass - before admiring the more breakbeat-flavoured classical tech-house purity of "The Poets". Elsewhere, shuffling, tech-tinged beats nestle beneath dreamy deep house chords on "Ambidextrous Left", while "Flying Saucer" is a creepy, all-action affair bestowed with a genuine sense of forward momentum.

Review: Mint Condition continues its run of strong reissues of house and techno music. Originally released on the cult label Robs records in 1995, Kilowatt's 'The Last EP' is finally getting the much deserved repress. Included is the wicked acid banger 'Loose End' which is a diamond of the mid-90s bleep house sound. 'The End' is another standout track on this release that gives us great memories of all the exciting IDM related going ons in the mid 90s - not least in the club of the same name - with echoes of 808 State from the late 80s too. Sometimes you aren't sure why a record's been reissued, but this one is definitely a worthy case. Expect these copies to go fast.

Review: Mint Condition, as you probably know if you are reading this, deals in reissuing classic tech house cuts. It has raced ahead in its mission and is now up to a 55th EP. This one brings back Presence's White Powder EP. 'Heart' opens up with dark but well swung drums overlaid with diva vocals while '$10' is a frazzled, slapping cut with bubbling basslines from the 90s. 'Power Chords' is a loved up dee house cut with echoing pads and cavernous grooves and 'Giving Love' is a jumbled of tribal hits and woodpecker bass.

Review: For their latest deep dive into house history, the dusty-fingered sonic archelogists behind the Mint Condition imprint have delved into the mid-90s catalogue of San Francisco producer turned sound designer Safar Bake. 'Tangerine Train' first appeared on the tiny Aqua Boogie Records imprint in 1996 and in recent years has become something of an in-demand collectible. This reissue boasts all four mixes from the original 12": the hypnotic, acid-flecked deep house/early deep house fusion of the 'Absolute Runaway Train Mix', the densely layered, pots-and-pans percussion of the 'Runaway Train Beats' version (an insanely good mixing tool), the smooth, organ-based powered deepness of the 'Lost In a Tunnel of Dub Mix', and the pleasingly wild, roughneck, mind-mangling hedonism of the brilliant 'Last Acid Train To Euphoria Mix'.