Venti LP by Radio Slave

Radio Slave's "Venti" is released on Rekids on May 17th and is a twelve-track celebration of Matt Edward's most prominent alias in 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.

Like everyone else, my life slowed down during the pandemic, and then I decided to move from Berlin with my family after being in the city for 15 years. This all led to a new perspective, and 'Venti' is a direct result of that - a new perspective on my career, history, future, and the current state of dance music.
Radio Slave

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 favorite, "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. At the same time, 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 couldn't be repeated in modern music show just how important Radio Slave is. 

Radio Slave - Venti LP
Release Date 17th May 2024
Label Rekids

Tracklist
01. Radio Slave - Strobe Queen
02. Radio Slave feat. Nez - Wait A Minute
03. Radio Slave feat. Michael Love Michael - Can't Get You
04. Radio Slave - Wild Life
05. Radio Slave - Wake Up
06. Radio Slave - Jaws
07. Radio Slave - New Balance
08. Radio Slave - Stranger In The Night
09. Radio Slave vs Audion - Mouth To Mouth
10. Radio Slave - The Lunatics (A Clinic Full Of Cynics Dub)
11. Radio Slave feat. Cagedbaby - Amnesia
12. Radio Slave - Thirty Six