Rekids One

They Say...

Review by Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Collecting a variety of previously released and exclusive cuts for the record label of Matt Edwards (aka Radio Slave), Rekids One is a sharp and often thrilling collection of early 21st century house and techno, with many examples of those styles getting a fine revitalization. One of the best is right off the bat with Rekid's "Next Stop Chicago," which in both title and sound tips its clear hat to the style's roots while mixing in mournful orchestrations and a jackboot beat like nobody's business -- it's almost like somebody finally figured out a way to do something truly fantastic with the formula Moby beat into the ground. Split into a disc of original cuts and a second of remixes (many of tracks from the first disc, but not all), Rekids One is well sequenced and top-flight all around, playable straight through without being formally mixed as such. Radio Slave's efforts under his own preferred moniker have an understandable pride of place, and songs like the shuddering grind of "My Bleep" and his remix of Matt O'Brien's "Serotone" readily show why. Other highlights include Spencer Parker's brisk "Beautiful Noise," with more than a few swirls and breaks recalling some of the most adventurous days of classic '80s house, and Luke Solomon's appropriately creeped-out (just enough) "Ghouls," also benefiting from a Claude VonStroke mix on the second disc. Discemi contributes the one fully exclusive song (as opposed to remix, which number several), "Von Wright Code," an attractively melancholy number, especially during some understated but quite evocative piano breaks.