Okada vinyl

There's always one record that arrives in early December and puts the kibosh on all those finely planned end of year lists, and this year it's a third transmission from the Hotline Recordings crew. Last seen straddling the line between spiralling techno and Theo Parrish-style house on an Idle Hands plate, the mysterious Rachael demonstrates "late nights and full ashtrays" do you the world of good here. Dominated by a broken rhythm and string lead, "Okada" hints at a grime influence, but offers something with a little bit more crafty funk. Hotline's choice of remixer proved inspired, with Sex Tags Mania co-founder DJ Sotofett drafted in to provide one of his now legendary jungle reworks. He's done a few of these - his effort for SW on Sued this year is another highlight, but his version of "Okada" is even more off the wall, throwing the original's thick bassline into the mix with synth trills, spinbacks and euphoric pads for the most genuine piece of jungle revivalism this year!