Mint Condition Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Mint Condition has so far proved adept at licensing and reissuing high-grade fare from the 1990s that many people may have missed out on first time around. This single from Dylan Beale, one of two he released as Eze-Ozo back in 1991, is undoubtedly essential: a two-track bleep & breaks excursion that strikes a perfect balance between the alien, sci-fi sounding weight of purist bleep and the rolling energy of early breakbeat hardcore. 'How To Stay Alive' is shuffling, crunchy and sub-heavy, with nods to trippy US deep house as well as early Warp releases, while 'Kick The Break In' comes from the same sonic space as the contemporaneous Original Clique and Ubik releases.

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'.