Radio Slave's 'Venti' is released on Rekids on May 17th and is a twelve-track celebration of Matt Edward's most prominent alias' history. Starting life as a series of singles that began in 2023, 'Venti' sees Edwards explore lower tempos, House, Disco, and the Pop reinterpretations that birthed the moniker back in 2001.

From Venti’s opening track onwards, a glistening piece of piano-led house that's become an anthem at Sean Johnston and the late Andrew Weatherall's lauded ALFOS parties, it is clear that Edwards is keen to celebrate the past but through the lens of now. A Radio Slave favourite, 'Wait A Minute', is updated to include a powerful vocal from Nez. Kylie's 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' - a track that kicked Radio Slave into the modern dance music consciousness is reinvented as an Italo-inspired cover featuring Michael Love Michael delivering glorious vocals. 'Wild Life' and 'Wake Up', another two tracks that, as singles, dominated house and disco sets of the great and good in 2023, feel simultaneously fresh while paying homage to the origins of House - message-heavy vocals and all. A cover of Audion's 'Mouth to Mouth' and Edwards' tribute to Terry Hall, the Fun Boy Three reimagining 'The Lunatics' are keen displays of Radio Slave's knack for taking on beloved tracks and making them his own. The lasers-set-to-stun cut-and-paste nu-disco of Radio Slave’s 'Jaws' is a muscular and timely reminder that the punch of a track lies in its feel rather than tempo, while Edward's command of dub aesthetics and unmatched ability to stretch grooves into a tension-filled journey shines through on 'New Balance' and the epic closer, 'Thirty-Six'. Never one to entirely give into the throes of the 4:4, the cinematic electro of 'Stranger In The Night' and Balearic Cagedbaby collab 'Amnesia' round out 'Venti' as the whole Radio Slave experience - as intense as it is subtle.

One of the most prolific and critically lauded electronic music artists of the past two and half decades, Matt Edwards was born in Catford, London, in the early 1970s. When acid house hit the city, Edwards was deep in the scene, and he's remained there since. Residencies at the groundbreaking Ministry of Sound and an 'unofficial' residency that has seen him become one of Panorama Bar's most booked DJs during his 15-year stint living in Berlin have provided the grounding for an enviable tour diary that continues today.

His Rekids imprint, a label that has platformed some of dance music's biggest names, has been regarded as a high benchmark for two decades with Matt as sole A&R. Collaborations with legendary artists such as DJ Hell and Robert Hood, releases for Running Back, R&S, Innervisions, Figure and more, and a remixography that simply couldn't be repeated in modern music show just how important Radio Slave is. More

Repress!

Radio Slave drops ‘Strobe Queen’ this June, complete with Eric Kupper and Kirk Degiorgio Remixes. following a string of massive singles over the course of 2022 and 2023, in tandem with the continued success of his acclaimed Rekids and RSPX imprints, Radio Slave prepares his latest single ‘Strobe Queen’, a 12-minute, slow-burning house epic landing this March. Eric Kupper and Kirk Degiorgio remix Radio Slave’s ‘Strobe Queen’ this June. Heard in clubs courtesy of Honey Dijon, Laurent Garnier, and Sean Johnston, amongst others, and on the airwaves via the likes of BBC Radio 1, Radio Slave now recruits two legendary remixers for thw remixes of ‘Strobe Queen’. Requiring little introduction, Eric Kupper and Kirk Degiorgio both turn in exceptional versions of the original, while Radio Slave contributes a stunning reprise of his own, continuing to explore his love of slower tempos and long arrangements of golden era NYC, as seen in subsequent singles ‘Wild Life’ and ‘Wake Up’. Radio Slave aka Matt Edwards is one of dance music’s undisputed heavyweights. Having made his name as a DJ in the 90s, he went on to become the king of edits, twisting pop, R&B and indie cuts into essential versions that consistently set clubs alight. Since the mid-2000s, Edwards’ originals have helped define modern dance music, tackling techno, house, breakbeat, minimal and disco whilst exploring dub, balearic sounds and ambient across the myriad of other aliases and projects. More

Radio Slave pays homage to Fun Boy Three with ‘The Lunatics (A Tribute to Terry Hall)’.
Fun Boy Three’s ground-breaking 1981 anthem ‘The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum’ reflected a socio-political uncertainty and fear of the time, mirroring today’s calamitous society.

Radio Slave’s tribute to the late vocalist of The Specials and Fun Boy Three, Terry Hall, ‘The Lunatics (A Tribute To Terry Hall)’ centres itself on the unmistakable haunting vocal chant of its source material. Welded to the sort of unbreakable groove that Radio Slave has spent two decades refining, the vocal swells, repeating chorus, and jolting alarm sounds make for yet another anthem from one of dance music’s most bankable names.

Rounding out the release, Radio Slave strips the single of its iconic vocal for the ‘A Clinic Full Of Cynics’ dub. In this version, he lets its infectious guitar strum bass roar and added jazz-inflected musical elements shine in a pure and true tribute to Ska music told by the Rekids founder. More

Superpitcher and Idjut Boys remix Radio Slave’s ‘Wake Up’. Radio Slave’s spoken word slow-burner ‘Wake Up’ dropped on Rekids March ‘23, winning support from the likes of Roman Fluegel, Louise Chen and Red Axes and continuing a run of singles that explores the house and disco roots of the iconic British UK/Producer. Now, he invites Kompakt a?liate and Hippie Dance co-founder Superpitcher alongside UK duo Idjut Boys to reimagine ‘Wake Up’ on a fresh 12”. The original ‘Wake Up’ saw Matt Edwards, aka Radio Slave, utilise low-slung grooves and an iconic speech-like vocal. Superpitcher remixes the track ?rst, turning it into an acid-infused trip with its vocal samples echoing through cavernous, dubbed-out soundscapes. On the ?ip, we see Idjut Boys turn up the ?ange in their hypnotic version while maintaining the original’s bassline and stripping back the vocal to eerie whispers. More

Roy Davis Jr. & Byron The Aquarius and Jamie 3:26 & Danou P remix Radio Slave’s Wildlife. ‘Wildlife’, released a few months back, found Radio Slave tapping into his house and disco roots. It proved a dance?oor smash that got support from a wide array of artists, from DJ Bone and Tim Sweeney to Roman Flugel and Axel Boman. As such, the artists chosen to remix come from similar backgrounds and bring all new perspectives to this irresistible gem. First up are Chicago house legend Roy Davis Jr. and keys playing maestro Byron The Aquarius. Both make the sort of dusty, feel-good deep house that will never grow old and have done so on the scene's best labels. Their sizzling seven-minute rework of 'Wildlife' has jazzy, life-a?rming keys and smeared synths that bring the warmth. The drums are rubbery and inviting, and the whole thing brings real musicality to the ?oor. The second remix is from original Chicago innovator, deep digger and edit king Jamie 3:26 and a young Dutch artist he has long since mentored, Danou P. Between them, they have cooked up gems like 'What It Is' together on Shake Records and remixed for Defected, all with a healthy respect for disco, funk and soul from the 80s onwards. Their take on 'Wildlife' is a piano-laced and upbeat party starter. Noodling bass ri?s,zippy synth details and lavish chords make for a sophisticated sound that will swell the heart. More

Following the recently dropped ‘Strobe Queen’, which picked up support from Honey Dijon, Sean Johnston, Laurent Garnier, BBC Radio 1’s Pete Tong and Danny Howard amongst many more, Radio Slave returns with another standout House cut ‘Wild Life’, turning in two exceptional Disco and Dub mixes. “I’ve always adored the “Wildpitch” era of DJ Pierre, Roy Davis Jnr, DJ Duke and labels like Power Music It’s definitely influenced my work as Radio Slave and “Wild Life” started out as a nod to that early nighties sound. Conceived during the pandemic, I had the track mapped out and then with help of a good friend I decided to add live bass, loads of analogue keyboards and record the whole thing live and it became this super funky disco jam.” - Radio Slave More

Radio Slave returns to his Rekids imprint this October with the perfectly balanced ‘Acid Dip’ single. The titular track on ‘Acid Dip’ sees Matt ‘Radio Slave’ Edwards in particularly strident form. Riding a broken, stuttered-kick rhythm, ‘Acid Dip’ is a jabbing, insistent slice of UK techno shot through with hardcore and, whilst not skimping on raw power, still maintains the hypnotic nature that inhabits much of Edwards’ work. On the flip, ‘Armani’ takes off down a dubbed-out, futuristic Italo-infused house workout that, throughout its eleven minutes 28-second span, shows a more dense, layered side to Radio Slave production. Another triumph of a single from one of modern electronic music’s most consistent talents, Radio Slave’s ‘Acid Dip’, is released 15th October via Rekids. More

Radio Slave returns to his Rekids imprint for his first release of 2021, ‘Variations’. Marking the first release of 2021, Matt Edwards aka Radio Slave turns in two thundering tracks loosely based around a common theme: his signature maximal minimalism mixed with classic dub techno aesthetics. While his recent anthemic single ‘Live My Life’ displays Edwards’ knack for twisting vocal hooks into main room artillery, ‘Variations’ sees the Berlin-based producer head for room 2, showcasing Edwards ability for crafting devastatingly effective heads-y techno. After releasing Robert Hood’s incendiary ‘Mirror Man’ LP towards the end of 2020, Rekids is showing no signs of slowing down for 2021. With this release highlighting an artist at the top of his game, ‘Variations’ adds yet another powerful and striking 12” to both the discography of one of electronic music’s most essential labels and one of its most lauded artists.

More

Radio Slave returns to his Rekids label with ‘Live My Life’, including a remix from Saved Records’ boss Nic Fanciulli. Responsible for some of the most recognisable vocal tracks in techno for the past 15 years, Radio Slave’s latest sees him turn in yet another tough, infectious cut that uses soulful vocal refrains as hooks. Airtight, rolling grooves have been a prominent feature in much of Radio Slave’s work, and ‘Live My Life’ is no different, paired with occasionally overlapping vocals it’s a masterclass in tension and release. On the flip, Grammy-nominated and globally renowned DJ and producer Nic Fanciulli cleverly reinterprets Edwards’ original, in a version that sees a pulsing, offbeat bassline and ever-evolving drums drive the track towards vocal crescendos throughout. Stirring, memorable, and yet another outstanding release from one of dance music’s finest. TRACK LISTING: A. Live My Life, B. Live My Life (Nic Fanciulli Remix)
More

Rekids label boss Radio Slave ventures further into unknown territory in a three-part sophomore album entitled ‘Radio Silence’ with the first instalment dropping in June.

Stretching nearly two decades, Matt Edwards’s discography is staggering with releases on labels like Running Back, R&S, Ostgut Ton, Nonplus and Figure, not to mention his illustrious imprint Rekids which has been instrumental in supporting the music and careers of incendiary artists over the years, including Nina Kraviz, Mr. G, DJ Deep, Nic Fanciulli, Peggy Gou, Laurent Garnier, Spencer Parker and many more.

Although he’s released multiple albums under different guises it was only until 2017 that the debut Radio Slave album, ‘Feel The Same’, was released. Now, the renowned UK artist delivers his latest body of work in the form of his ‘Radio Silence’ album, which will be dropping in not one, but three parts.

The first chapter features perhaps the most leftfield tracks we’ve ever heard Radio Slave product, even hitting 150BPM on closing track ‘SYD’. There’s a rawness to the album, which is in part due to the fact each track was recorded live and without edits using hardware and Ableton as the main sequencer.

Across the seven tracks, Radio Slave hone’s in on a sound that’s haunting and hypnotic. Opening track ‘Ghost’ is punctuated by lingering synths, while ‘Cell’ introduces pummelling kicks that will do damage on a big system. ‘Contact’ bleeps and glitches before making way for blaring horn-like synths, and ‘ZQU’ is a masterclass in mind-bending techno. Elsewhere, closing track ‘SYD’ delivers on every level, thanks to uncompromising 150BPM realness.
More

Rekids boss Matt Edwards debuts on Rekids Special Projects under his prolific Radio Slave moniker with ‘Command Z’, marking the twentieth release on the offshoot series. Undeniably one of house and techno’s most sought after and beloved producers and remixers, Matt Edwards kickstarted Special Projects as a techno focused series in 2017. Since then it has gone on to host incredible artists like FBK, Shinedoe, P.Leone, Hemka and Dustin Zahn, not to mention SRVD - Edwards’s collaborative project alongside club kid Patrick Mason. Three years later, the Berlin-based Brit finally graces the label under his most revered pseudonym. ‘Command Z’ opens with roaming synth patterns, slick kicks, delicately placed plucks and a haunting soundfloor which gives a sense of allure alongside it’s thundering rhythm. On the flip, ‘Command X’ situates itself perfectly for cavernous warehouse spaces or intimate club environments with its rattling snares, arpeggiated keys, lively saturated claps, rawly reversed pads and rippling cymbals. A. Command Z, B. Command X
More

Matt Edwards launches Stranger in The Night with his first solo material since 2017. The Rekids offshoot will release regular music by four artists, namely Radio Slave, King Britt, Anthony Rother and Fred P, who will each drop three EPs over the next year. "With Rekids being 100% focused on releasing music for dance floors I felt the need to create a new platform to explore a wider musical vision and invite some of my all-time electronic musical heroes to be a part of the series," says Matt Edwards. Both numbers near the 12-minute mark but each track portrays a different aesthetic. Opening with precision drums and crystalline notes, 'Ground Control' makes a nod towards the hi-tech soul sound of Detroit and drives forward using a sultry bassline, erratic chords and the occasional icy stab as an array of contrasting sounds operate in unison. On the flip, a syncopated rhythm lays the foundation for 'Last Communication' whilst a tantalising melody joins poignant synths, constructing a profound and hypnotising journey.

More