Mint Condition レコード& CD

Review: Back in the late 90s, first time tech house was still booming, and Nathan Coles and Terry Francis were right at the heart father sound's best material. Some of it came as The Delinquents, who now get proper and worthy reissue treatment thanks to the always vital Mint Condition label. Their Room on Top EP from 1998 showcased the best of their sound - there's the dark and driving "Room On Top", then the more tripped put and late night "Fares Please". "All Change" gets back to bouncing, punchy drum led business and "Hold Tight" offers a perfectly gooey and woozy downtempo track to get things started or end them in stylish fashion.

Review: Mint Condition has so far proved adept at licensing and reissuing high-grade fare from the 1990s that many people may have missed out on first time around. This single from Dylan Beale, one of two he released as Eze-Ozo back in 1991, is undoubtedly essential: a two-track bleep & breaks excursion that strikes a perfect balance between the alien, sci-fi sounding weight of purist bleep and the rolling energy of early breakbeat hardcore. 'How To Stay Alive' is shuffling, crunchy and sub-heavy, with nods to trippy US deep house as well as early Warp releases, while 'Kick The Break In' comes from the same sonic space as the contemporaneous Original Clique and Ubik releases.

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.