Sitting here asking myself the question what is so good about Rekids, I find it difficult to come up with an answer, just another question: what is bad about Rekids? Another question I can’t answer, because just about everything about is so damn good. The look, the feel, the uncompromising nature, the people involved and dare I say it – the music. Not everybody loves Rekids. Its critics generally don’t like the uncompromising nature of the music, the deepness and the grooviness probably opting for a more floor friendly option.
Hot Beef is a track that sits well on Rekids even for the basic equation that it sits on the fence between dance floor friendliness and credibility. Matthew Styles and Ed Cartwright have teamed up for this grooved out disco romp that reminds me of something that would sit on Guy Gerber’s excellent Supplement Facts, maybe a David K track. The original is a funky, bass-led, percussive house track interspersed with fizzing effects, harpsichord and spoken vocal samples. I’m sure there’s much more going on in the mix than sounds at first listen. The overall feeling is psychedelic, almost tripped out like a journey back to the summer of love on a bullet train.
Leon Oakey and Rob Mello team up for what should really be the remix of the decade, and for sure their mutant disco take on the grooved out original is a pretty spectacular listening experience but may well be too heavy, too straight-faced for the dance floor. The changing melody and sexy French vocal of their No Ears Red Beard Rosbif Remix make me think this should be an album track and not a remix of a club record, but if any label would encourage such a musical outpouring it would be Rekids.
As if to make up for the dance floor shortcomings of the previous remix, Allez Allez take it straight to 10 on the club fodder dial, adding emotive pads, big swooshes and analogue madness whilst keeping that bassline intact to drive it all along nicely. On first listen this is the mix that hits the ear best, you can imagine it bouncing around the big room commanding attention but go back and listen again.
Run through all the mixes and the complexity of the original will draw you in time after time, and it is very useable too. I’m not quite sure this is the peak time fodder it’s billed to be, but true to form it is intriguing, beautifully produced, deep and maybe a little flower child. Great package. Too cool for school.