Mint Condition 黑胶唱片和CD

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.

Review: For their latest deep dive into house history, the dusty-fingered sonic archelogists behind the Mint Condition imprint have delved into the mid-90s catalogue of San Francisco producer turned sound designer Safar Bake. 'Tangerine Train' first appeared on the tiny Aqua Boogie Records imprint in 1996 and in recent years has become something of an in-demand collectible. This reissue boasts all four mixes from the original 12": the hypnotic, acid-flecked deep house/early deep house fusion of the 'Absolute Runaway Train Mix', the densely layered, pots-and-pans percussion of the 'Runaway Train Beats' version (an insanely good mixing tool), the smooth, organ-based powered deepness of the 'Lost In a Tunnel of Dub Mix', and the pleasingly wild, roughneck, mind-mangling hedonism of the brilliant 'Last Acid Train To Euphoria Mix'.