Filter
Rekids
Browse the latest digital releases on Rekids
Denney feat Charlotte Riby
Catch The HeatPREORDER
Catch The Heat - (7:00)
Catch The Heat (Nic Fanciulli remix) - (6:17)
Catch The Heat (Frankey & Sandrino remix) - (6:40)
Strobe Queen (Remixes)PREORDER
Played by: Juno Recommends Deep House
Played by: FINGERMAN, Matt Masters (Freerange), Pete Herbert, Juno Recommends Deep House, Juno Recommends Funky House, BRENDON P
Review: Oliver Dollar, a Berlin-based artist who first appeared on Rekids as a remixer in 2012, has returned to Radio Slave's label with his 'Strings for Life' EP. The EP's title track begins with rich and stirring strings that add soul to the track. The song is warm, euphoric, and built on a rocksteady disco groove, making it both familiar and classic. 'School Daze' is a loopy track with funky bass, jazzy chords, and timeless house drums topped off with a retro vocal sample. The EP's final track, 'Sophisticated Funk,' features an epic, emotive beatdown, and Dollar doubles down on the disco. Oliver Dollar brings a very different sound to Rekids with this EP, which is full of joyous and lush tunes.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Dave Angel is one of the UK's true techno originators. Combining Detroit's depth and his own background in jazz with frenetic rhythms, he has articulated this on an impressive catalogue of Eps, DJ mixes and artist albums. While Dave's output has been less frequent in recent years, this release for Rekids demonstrates that he remains a creative force to be reckoned with. The title track revolves around a sleek rhythm and steely percussion, which provide the basis for spine-tingling, filtered builds. "Peekaboo" has a tougher feel; looped chords are set to a driving groove, but Angel's soulful aesthetic is never too far away, and is expressed here through repetitive vocal samples.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Back in 2020, Stefano Miele (better known for his productions as Riva Starr) joined forces with UK techno veteran Mark Broom as Star B, serving up a celebratory chunk of string-laden disco-techno on Snatch (the excitable and energetic 'Gotta Have You'. They explore similar funk-fuelled, disco-tech territory on this belated sequel for Radio Slave's Rekids imprint. Full to bursting with scintillating stabs crafted from disco samples, thumping beats, sampled party atmos, hazy spoken word snippets and restless walking bass, 'Love Will Remain' sounds like a retro-futurist peak-time anthem in the making. They flip the script on 'I've Got Joy', peppering a sweat-soaked, bottom-heavy groove with effects-laden female vocal samples and nagging organ stabs.
Review: This fine slab of house hedonism is a rare example of a successful cross-generational collaboration. It's a collaboration between all-round UK house legend Terry Farley (he of Faith and Junior Boy's Own fame), XOYO resident Wade Teo and New York-based spoken word artist Kameelah Waheed. Farley and Teo's original version is a pleasingly nostalgic and forthright affair that sits somewhere between acid-flecked DJ Pierre productions of the mid-90s (his Wild Ptch phase, basically), piano-sporting early '90s piano anthems, hip-house and the chunkier end of Junior Vasquez's Sound Factory-era reworks. Over on the flip, Farley and Teo deliver the more tactile, warming, Frankie Knuckles style 'Lonely Dancer Remix', before enlisting DOP's Kevin Swain for the darker and crunchier 'Angels Take Control Remix'.
Played by: Juno Recommends Funky House
Review: On the mighty Rekids label this week we've got XL Traxx, which is the new collaborative project between Serbian artist Lag (Mord) and fellow countryman (now based in Brooklyn) X-Coast of Rivera Records. It features the pounding, early '90s styled Belgian techno of "M-Bomb", jumping forward a decade later on the funky tribal techno loops of "E-Dancer" while "D-Edge" is more reminiscent of classic technosoul in the vein of Dave Angel or G-Flame & Mr G.
Review: Frankey & Sandrino have put out music on seminal labels like Innervisions, Kompakt and Diynamic, so releasing on Rekids feels like a natural progression for the pair. The title track is not as fast as some of the Berlin-based label's output, but it's just as impactful: based on a robust, pulsating groove and peppered with ominous sirens, its slow-building, acid-soaked groove is unforgettable, especially as it features a moody vocal. On a different tip is "Condesa"; inspired by the more esoteric end of 90s hardcore, its subtle break beats support a churning bass and dubbed out chord progressions that sweep dramatically over the arrangement.
Played by: Kraak & Smaak, Vincent Inc, Juno Recommends Deep House, Juno Recommends Techno, Manuel Tur, Mr. V, Manqo
Review: We're not sure about the specific inspirations behind Ian Pooley's Studio A series on Radio Slave's Rekids imprint, but it feels like an exercise in getting the most from different bits of kit that have long been resident in his recording space. Regardless, this third EP in the series boasts some genuinely cracking cuts. Perhaps the headline attraction is 'SP12 Electric Mistress', an analogue-rich exercise in skewed, post acid-house jack with added Yorkshire bleeps that comes accompanied by a raw, discordant and mind-mangling, acid-flecked '303 Mix'. Elsewhere, 'PSS 480' is a thumping, driving, bass-heavy old school jack-track, while 'Viola' offers a tantalising mix of bustling techno drums, sci-fi synth-strings and creepy riffs.
Review: After delivering a breakthrough remix of DJ Seinfeld's 'Tell Me One More Time' earlier in the year, rising star Mona Yim (real name Simona Melzer) has been given a chance to release her debut single proper on Radio Slave's Rekids imprint. She's offered up two original productions: 'Gotta Do This, Gurl', a wonderfully tactile and dreamy chunk of tech-tinged house featuring her own (effects laden) vocals, and the more percussive, spaced out and sub-heavy outsider house jam 'Dots Obsession'. Radio Slave provides remixes of both, first laying down a crunchy, breakbeat-driven take on 'Gotta Do This, Gurl', before giving 'Dots Obsession' a darker, driving and more druggy-sounding techno spin.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: In the early 00s, Roman Flugel put out four minimal techno records under the Tracks On Delivery banner. Now, twenty years on, he revives the series with this storming four-tracker. "Yes People" gets the release off to a firing start, with skipping drums supporting noisy percussion and a lone, insistent bleep. It achieves Flugel's goal of being 'reduced to the max', but equally, it doesn't deter from the quirky sensibility that defines the series. "Play Simple" is also based on these principles, as a stuttering vocal sample is combined with atonal sounds over a jittery rhythm. Flugel was not the first European producer to flirt with minimalism, but as the driving "Jam" demonstrates, his Tracks On Delivery series shows that he continues to stamp his mark on the form.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: German techno titan Dustin Zahn and British veteran Radio Slave (real name Matt Edwards) are undoubtedly musical brothers-in-rhythm, with both famed for the wonkiness of their productions and DJ sets. Because of this, it's not that surprising that they've finally joined forces in the studio. 'Twilo', the lead cut from the pair's collaborative EP, brilliantly pays tribute to the dark, druggy, driving, late-'90s house sound that made the New York venue of the same name one of the most celebrated clubs in the world. They present it in two different forms, with the original mix - which boasts soulful, effects-laden vocal snippets - arguably the more alluring of the pair. Those who like ridiculously heavy techno beats, ten-ton bass and warehouse-ready riffs will also love bonus cut 'Power Muzik'.
Played by: Owain Kimber (Owain K), MAN2.0, FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, Juno Recommends Experimental
Review: A Sagittariun has made it his mission to release distinctive dance music, and he continues that journey with Strange Brew. Opening track "The Mind Blanks At The Glare" is a wonderfully woozy break beat track, smothered in warbling acid and featuring evocative keys. "Don't Look In The Freezer" sees the UK producer venturing once again down an unexplored path - rave samples and dubbed out chords are combined with trippy 303s to create a mesmerising track. Rounding off this release is the aptly named "Cosmic Trigger": more dance floor-focused than the other tracks, its tingling melodies and growling bass mark it out as another idiosyncratic A Sagittariun jam.
Review: To mark the two hundredth release on Rekids, Radio Slave has teamed up with the legendary DJ Hell for a new project, Radio Hell. Given both artists' history and experience, it's no surprise that the release is distinctive. The title track is a jacking affair that takes influence from Steve Poindexter's gritty rhythms but then adds droning textures and a robotic vocal sample to the equation. On "Lost Souls", the pair's deep knowledge is to the fore again, with a bubbling groove underpinning blissed out Detroit synths and murky vocal samples. Delivered with artwork from Alan 'DJ T 1000' Oldham, this release is unmissable.
Played by: Juno Recommends Minimal Tech
Review: Matt Edwards aka Radio Slave is back, and his latest release on REKIDS is a new project with Berlin by way of New York City electroclash icon Larry Tee as The Royal Academy Of Fierce, who serve up the driving and hypnotic ballroom energy of "Fashion Queen" with vocals by Justin Vivian Bond (Kiki And Herb, PantyChrist, and more vogue referencing motifs are featured on the steely stomp reduction of "Black Pussy's Revenge" where the veteran producers team up with with Tee's longtime collaborator Tobell Von Cartier.
Review: Mark Broom is on a roll with his Rekids releases, and this EP provides a taster for the incoming follow-up album to 2021's Funfzig. "100% Juice" (Sampler mix)" is a peak-time affair, with Broom fusing dramatic organs and intense thunderclaps over a driving rhythm for maximum impact. "Contigo" is deeper but still club focused thanks to the combination of rasping percussion with warm, Detroit-style synths, while "Nod To The D" explores this sound in closer detail as Broom deploys a bubbling bass and soaring melodies for a truly uplifting piece of Motor City-inspired techno. He returns to more stripped back dance floor territory for "Spiked", a raw analogue workout led by tough drums and frazzled synths.
Review: Stay Out All Night is Radio Slave's 2020 musical paean to the pleasures of raving back in the day, so who better to rework it than Carl Cox. In a rare remix outing, the dance music veteran stays close to the original, but adds in hypnotic horn stabs, repetitive vocal samples and rolling break beats. Interspersed with vinyl spin-backs, Cox's version is sure to have cross-generational appeal, including the ravers who grew up with his DJ sets, right through to those who have just been introduced to him thanks to this remix. There's also a fine, rolling drum'n'bass reshape included from Metalheadz legend Commix.
Review: Ian Pooley has consistently brought a techno element to his music, going back to mid-90s records like Twin Gods and Chord Memory - so it's no surprise to hear him wield this influence on Studio A Pt 2. The follow up to his debut for Rekids last year, it sees Pooley deliver a tracky release. "Jv Organ & Matrix" resounds to a hail of insistent synth lines and brooding vocals, while on the second version Pooley puts a focus on dense chords and steely percussion. Meanwhile, "Back Up" is a gritty, tweaked jacking track in the Relief mode, while Pooley reverts to a somewhat deeper sound on the acid bleeds and frazzled synths of "101202".
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: As its title suggests, Josh Wink's first solo release on Rekids takes inspiration from Detroit, the birthplace of techno. Featuring solid kicks and firing percussion as the basis for the title track, the Ovum boss lays down layer upon layer of melodic chords; textured and dreamy, their majestic flow recalling the work of deep techno pioneers like Carl Craig and Aril Brikha. In stark contrast is "May Minimal"; the track's pitch-bending percussion and relentless rhythm provide the backdrop for Wink to drop a series of frequency shifting tones and bleeps that sound like a modern-day take on Motor City techno minimalism.
Review: Following on from Eps for Unknown to the Unknown and Spandau20, Niklas 'NIKK' Liepe debuts on Rekids. Paradize is a heady affair; the title track is powered by hammering tribal kicks but also features sun-kissed synth melodies that call to mind the halcyon days of rave and the euphoric rush from that period. "Mylove" is led by a throbbing bass and high-pitched vocal samples, while on "Flakes" Liepe's penchant for drawing on old school influences is audible again, with the German producer fusing hardcore stabs with evocative vocal samples. In keeping with this approach, closing track "Give A Funk" also uses vocal snippets from the 90s; combined with a relentless organ riff and raw kicks, it makes for another wide-eyed track.
Played by: Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Juno Recommends Deep House, Juno Recommends Techno, Agent Orange DJ, Matthias Heilbronn
Review: This is Confidential Recipe's third release on Rekids, and it sees him draw on classic house, techno and rave influences. "Dance" is redolent of Bobby Konders' vision for house, as a dark organ is combined with insistent stabs and a looped vocal sample. It's the kind of track that is tailor made for small, sweaty basements. On "Come (dub)", the Colombian producer ups the tempo; layering chiming chords over a driving steely rhythm, while he teams up with Manao for the original version of the track. Led by crashing break beats and featuring hoover stabs, it's a celebratory if somewhat nostalgic affair.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Dustin Zahn follows his recent Feed the Fire release on Rekids with his second artist album. As befits a producer who has been making techno for close to two decades, this is a diverse, expertly weighted work. Both "Tell Me About Paradise" and "Lucid Dreams" are insistent, firing grooves that resound to steely percussion, and blasts of Midwest synths. Meanwhile "Tangie Groove" is a looped house track and "Smoking In Silence" sees Zahn go farther down this route, as vocal samples are melded with insistent stabs. "Days Like These" draws on Detroit techno influences with Zahn deploying spaced out pads over rickety drums, while in sharp contrast, "Shark Rodeo" is a slamming peak-time affair, led by wave upon wave of filters.
KUSP feat Pablo:Rita
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Dustin Zahn is releasing an artist album on Rekids, and ahead of that event, he drops this incendiary EP. The title track is a driving slice of analogue techno whose roots lie in the 90s Midwest sound. While "Heresy" also centres on a raw rhythm, on this occasion the style is less intense, with Zahn dropping a series of hypnotic bleeps over rough kicks. The US producer returns to a more intense approach for "Profane Purposes"; there, insistent acid blips and repetitive vocal snatches unfold over a jarring backing track. In contrast, "Golden Hour" is deeper and more mysterious, with a tapestry of eerie synths bringing the release to an esoteric finale.
Played by: DJ Mau Mau, Juno Recommends Techno, Marco Giannini (Sticky Heat), Disruptive Pattern Material
Review: Matt Edwards dives deep into the early 90s on the title track of his latest release. The doubled-up claps and jacking rhythm of "Acid Dip" teem with Sound Factory-style squeals and laser beam rave riffs, with Edwards providing muscular, grungy bass to support the combination. Meanwhile, on "Armani", the Rekids boss pushes in a different direction: centred on a frazzled, pulsating bass, the arrangement sees him blend steely percussion with dense, textured layers, muffled vocals and acid blips. It may not be as intense as the work of the Chicago producer referenced in the title, but "Armani" will still have a devastating dance floor impact.
Review: Following on from a series of releases on Prah, Raven Bush delivers a distinctive release for Rekids. The producer's multi-instrumentalist approach comes to the fore throughout this release. On "Nobody", this manifests itself through a combination of a driving rhythm, dubbed out drums and plaintive vocals. Meanwhile, "Cold Sweat" sees Raven opt for a darker approach, with siren riffs cutting through a pulsating, acid-soaked groove and a series of detached vocal samples. Changing direction, the Comedown version of "Cold Sweat" deploys rolling break beats and brings acid pulses to the fore, while the Sudden Urges remix of "Nobody" also uses robust breaks as the basis to turn Raven's original into an ethereal version.
Review: Despite being active since the early '90s and chalking up a sizable discography that includes singles on all manner of acclaimed labels (think Force Tracks, NRK, V2 and Ovum Recordings), Ian Pooley has never before released music on Radio Slave's Rekids imprint. Predictably he's brought the goods on Studio A Pt. 1. He begins with the chunky weightiness of 'Basic Juno', where echoing synth sounds and tight electronic riffs ride a dubby bassline and hypnotic late-night drums, before opting for a more expansive and dreamy sound on the equally impactful, acid-flecked 'Close Your Eyes'. Fittingly, Pooley finishes with a flourish via '303 (2 Bars)', a fine fusion of melancholic, early morning deep house and jacking, off-kilter Chicagoan acid.
Review: As expected, Rekids has assembled a crack team of remixers to put their stamp on Jerome Sydenham, Fatima Njai and Mario Punchard's brilliant Afro-house-goes-electro cover of Kraftwerk's 'Trance Europe Express'. Gerd Jansen steps up first, delivering vocal and instrumental takes that brilliantly re-imagine the track as a Moroder-influenced, retro-futurist disco-house treat (think sequenced bass, Chic-style guitar licks, punchy drums and sweeping synth-strings). Naturally, Ricardo Villalobos takes a totally different approach, crafting a wonky-but-bouncy new rhythm out of Punchard's percussion and his own medical-grade kick-drums, before adding all manner of mind-mangling noises. It's one of his funkier reworks of recent times, but still formidably out-there and unusual. That's a great thing, by the way - it's a hugely impressive rework.
Review: Following on from his recent Fast Funfzig EP on Rekids, Mark Broom now unveils a superb album for the label. Drawing on a range of styles and sounds, it sees the veteran producer deliver house music in the form of the organ-led "Mover" and disco-sampling, good time vibes of "We Gonna Dance" which features Ella Fleur's uplifting vocals. However, this isn't a case of Broom mellowing out with age/. The album is peppered with straight up bangers like the dynamic, filtered "Let's Roll" and the epic builds of "Memories" that sit alongside crisp, minimal grooves such as "EFX" and more experimental jams like the stepping "Stark" and the evocative shanty of "Dub Me Good".
Review: As its title suggests, Robert Hood wrote the blueprint for minimal techno, and this pioneering approach is evident throughout his latest EP. "Chroma Light" is vintage Hood, with the Detroit innovator fusing a looped organ riff with a sleek, linear rhythm. "The Majestic (Deeper Edit)" leans more towards Hood's Floorplan style, as incessant percussion powers a dynamic rhythm track. Meanwhile, on the original version of "The Majestic", he deploys dramatic chord sequences with razor-sharp hi hats and vocal snippets to create a more menacing sound. Rounding off this fine, harder-edged release is "Ultrasonic Room", which teems with jittery percussion and ominous, swirling synths.
Review: Mark Broom draws on his own rich back catalogue for the opening tracks on Fast Funfzig: with their rumbling bass tones, swirling synths and hypnotic tribal drums, both "Fingers" and "Slow" draw on the raw techno soul that pervaded his 1996 debut album, Angie Is A Shoplifter. Meanwhile, "Wild Style" sees him embark on a different route; led by a spiky electro rhythm and an ominous bass, the veteran techno producer weaves vocal snippets into the woozy arrangement. On the final track "Facteur" Broom goes deeper, with hollowed out drums providing the backdrop for a tapestry of dreamy melodies that flow and ebb elegantly.
Played by: Girls Of The Internet, Rocco Universal, Vincent Inc, Superbreak, Juno Recommends Deep House, Fred P
Review: Like many of his contemporaries, Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell quickly became bored during NYC's first Covid-19 lockdown last year, so used the time to craft Raw Tones, his first solo album for nigh on 13 years. The set is built around weighty analogue basslines and vintage-sounding drum machine rhythm tracks, with Claussell frequently adding melancholic piano solos, his own spoken word and improvised vocals, and flashes of the African and Latin-inspired percussion sounds that he's long been known for. It's. ahugely successful formula, with highlights including the similarly sleazy 'Break Free' and 'You Mutha Fucka', the sunrise deep house beauty of 'Way Back Then', the sweaty and cymbal-heavy 'If It's All In Your Kind Let It Out' and the slo-mo sweetness of 'Hallucination Ejection'.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: After releases on Permanent Vacation, Classic and Crosstown Rebels, Berlin-based American Alinka (Fantasy Life) is up next on Radio Slave's esteemed Rekids imprint with the Universal Motion EP. The tripped-out Italo style chug of the title track leads into the hypnotic tribal house journey of "Emotion To Emotion" and ending with the neon-lit night drive of "Reality Love". The Universal Motion EP shows the ex-Chicago DJ at the top of her game, and certainly one of the best names in the world of house, disco and techno at present.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: The title of Hybrasil's latest release is named after the mythological race that were said to inhabit Ireland in pre-Celtic times - and there are references throughout this EP to the supernatural. The title track is a grinding, peak-time affair that features dissected vocal samples amid its pounding rhythm, while on "Hill of Tara", Hybrasil teams up with singer Sarah McQuillan to deliver a lean club track that features her ghostly, spellbinding wails. "Portal Dolmen" and "Megalith" meanwhile see the Irish producer focus on the physical rather than the ethereal, with churning chords unfolding over driving rhythms, while "Bealtaine", the Irish for May, is a deeper, dubbed out techno track.
Review: On paper, Kraftwerk's 'Trans-Europe Express' is one of those foundational records that you really shouldn't miss with. Yet legendary NYC Afro-tech/Afro-house producer Jerome Sydenham, frequent collaborator Fatima Njai and percussionist Mario Punchard have decided to do just that, adding the famously spacey synthesizer melody and foreboding male vocal snippets atop a richly percussive Afro-house groove that's as infectious as the latest COVID variant and three times more potent. It comes in two relatively similar forms: the instrumental mix (track two), and the superior 'Vocal Dub Version'. Both takes are heavy, high quality and will sound dope in the mix.
Review: It's quite a coup for any producer to release their first record on Rekids: the fact that Necessary also features remixes from Detroit legends Scan 7, Terrence Parker and DJ Bone makes this release all the more impressive. In its original format, "Necessary" is a deep, swirling groove, featuring plaintive vocals and a bumping low end. Bone's version retains the vocal but beefs up the rhythm, while Terrence Parker's take sees him deliver a organ-led house groove with a truly celebratory feeling. Rounding off this exemplary release is Scan 7's remix: led by a snaking bass and clanking, metallic percussion, it progresses to reveal mesmerising synths.
