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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.

Review: Matt 'Radio Slave' Smith's Rekids label is always good value when it comes to useful and contemporary club cuts. Katerina provides more great evidence of that with this fresh 12", One. The title cut managed to be both dynamic and driving yet also nice and heady with well-crafted ambient synths floating round up top. Aleksi Perala remixes with a more trippy sense of melody and faster drums, then 'Papu' ups the ante as B-side jams tend to do. Last of all is the majestic 'Look Into My Eyes' with its wispy celestial chords and stripped-back minimal rhythms.

Review: Mark Broom is one of the mainstays of the global underground. The UK titan has a recognisable take on house and techno genre that is underpinned by slamming kick and that comes to bare once more now as he lands on fellow legend Radio Slave's Rekids label. These four cuts bring a more house feel to start with as 'Klashjamz' layers up disco strings and vocals into something joyous. 'Showtime' has a garage slip to the loopy, silky drum rotations and 'HighNRG' throws it back with big stabs, percussive drums and chopped up vocal shards. 'Jazz Ting' is an aptly named closer with plenty of steamy sax notes of raw, loopy grooves.

Review: Radio Slave's Rekids remains right at the forefront after decades in the game. That is no doubt in part down to great recruitment of new talent who keep updating its signature sounds. This time out Hilit Kole makes a debut with 'Hot Mess,' a raw and jacking house cut with rugged drum loops and a sleazy vocal that turns into an epic wail. An Even Hotter mix brings more libidinous vocal overtones and then the one and only Mike Dunn remixes. Firstly he keeps it smooth and seductive, then pairs back the vocal to allow his lithe synths to shine. A nice varied package from all.

Review: Audion's 'Mouth to Mouth' was one of the biggest minimal techno anthems of its era. The vaping chords and unrelenting drum funk worked countless dancefloors all over the world into a real frenzy a decade or so ago. It now gets revisited by Rekids label head Radio Slave who has updated it with some extra effects nd naughtiness for modern dance floors. The original is included with its freaky vocal loops and rising synth tension and then we're also treated to a 'mouth beats' version, acappella, and two tracks that isolate the iconic original synth line.

Review: Radio Slave's most recent single, the trippy, string-laden and subtly disco-influenced deep house after-party workout 'Wake Up', gets the remix treatment, with two artists renowned for delivering delightfully wayward dancefloor epics at the helm. Kompakt favourites Superpitcher steps up first, placing the original's oddball (sampled) spoken word vocal atop a hypnotic, subtly changing bed of acid motifs, warming chords, hypnotic house drums and delay-laden Rhodes chords. Over on side B, the Idjut Boys retire to their shed, potter about a bit, and return with a typically mind-mangling, dubbed-out take that's most likely amongst the darkest and most psychedelic things they've ever released - and that's saying something.

Review: Some breathless, energy-packed, party-starting brilliance here, as rave-loving Londoner HUD makes his Rekids label debut. In its' original mix form, 'Sugar' is a dirty, atmospheric, breakbeat-driven peak-time house bomb packed with jangling paino riffs, filthy bass and punchy beats, all topped off with a fantastically weary and emotive female lead vocal. Predictably, the accompanying remixes are pretty darn tidy too. Mark Broom delivers a storming and pumping techno version - all thunderous kick drums, breakbeat blasts, lilting lead lines and bouncy pianos - while DJ Deep gives the track a slight hip-house feel via funky breaks, cut-up, Todd Edwards style vocal cut-ups and chunky bass.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight tear in top of sleeve and a few creases on sleeve, otherwise product is in excellent condition***


** REPRESS ALERT ** Russian DJ/producer Nina Kraviz recorded 'Mr Jones' back in 2013 which receives a reissue on REKIDS here on clear double vinyl. A fine collection of sturdy DJ tools, it features the sensual deep house cut 'Desire' featuring her own vocals, the sonar transmissions of 'Remember' which ventures into techno territory in collaboration with Detroit dub techno engineer Luke Hess, as well as the dreamy hypnotic beats of 'Black White' and closing it out with the minimal basement jam 'Sheer'.