Back catalogue: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Repeat Records are currently embarking on a multi-part series of longtime DJ Eddie Richards' earliest tracks, and this second journey - that's right - follows up the first waxen time capsule to appear so far. Richards' behind-the-booth adventurousness is often credited as one of the instrumental factors in the spread of house music in the UK, and doesn't 'Time Travel' show it. Lesser known as a producer but still much respected in said niche, several choice slab-grooves from Richards' early noughts numbers are selected here: track two from 2002's 'The Dark' EP, 'Underskopje' from that same year's Kubrickian tech house hurler 'Open The Pod Door' EP, and a legitly deep cut from the AA2 side of Richards' Othersound debut 'Dope'. One for early tech house heads, when the genre was still innocent and real experts reigned supreme.

Review: A genuine UK acid house, techno and tech-house pioneer, 'Evil' Eddie Richards boasts a catalogue rich in rare, hard-to-find and overlooked gems. The ever on-point Repeat Records, who previously offered collections of rarities by Terry Farley, Jay Tripwire and others, have spotted this - hence this first instalment of what they promise will be a series of Richards retrospectives. There's much to enjoy within the eight tracks stretched across two slabs of wax, from the rolling, deep house influenced early tech-house excellence of 'Joetwo' and the bouncy brilliance of 'Open The Red Door', to the spacey smoothness of 'Old Klang Road', the immersive early morning hypnotism of 'Heat' and the head-nodding downtempo excellence of closing cut 'Madness'.

Review: The Soco Audio label was a vital one for tech house lovers at the turn of the millennium and that is when genre pioneer Eddie Richards stepped up with this EP. It's one we have found while digging around in our warehouse and it features four superbly crisp and still-contemporary sounding cuts. 'd.comm' pairs snappy metallic hits and tightly programmed kicks with an expressive vocal stab then 'Xtrk gets more deep with wispy pads and a smoky late-night feel. 'Someday' is a more physical and jacked up groove but still one with a sleazy vocal element and last of all is a remix of 'Sinful Sadie' that is more weighty and dubby.

Review: "The Soul" is a techy track with ambient, deep sounds plus tough techy basslines and rolling Eddie Richards fabulous grooves. "The Soul" has been played by various DJ around the globe on promo and has been asked to be licensed to 3 compilation mix CD's this summer. This track has hit many dancefloors and has been name checked in various top charts & internet sites. "Keep it Simple" is one of the famous electro tracks that Eddie has released since he started to produce techy electro tracks, with female vocal and electro bassline with rolling electro elements & grooves. Steve Bug "B-side is flying!". Danny Tenaglia "Great tracks from Eddie". Terry Francis "Classic tracks, love them". Anthony Pappa "Another bomb from Eddie". Gideon Jackson "Love both sides". Nathan Coles "Another hit from Eddie". Lee Burridge "No doubt, both tracks". James Zabiela "Terrific both sides". Jay Tripwire " A-Side I'm playing a lot". Colin Dale "Both sides on fire at the moment". Richard Grey "My favourite EP for this summer". Chris Carrier "B side is my favourite for the moment". DJ Wild "Both versions are fat". Hipp-E "Superb release from Eddie".

Review: Eddie Richards is one of the original pioneers behind the first wave of proper tech house, the came out of South London in the 90s at parties like Wiggle and clubs like fabric. As well as being a fierce DJ who could lock you into cutting-edge grooves for days, he is also a top producer with a vast back catalogue. Testament to that is the fact that Repeat has put out three volumes of his work under the title After All. I Crucial stuff for anyone across the house and techno spectrum who needs that top-quality fire to make a floor take notice.

Review: One of the "Godfathers of UK tech house" (there are many contenders for this unofficial crown), Eddie Richards began the Time Travel series to reposition this snappy sound in its most modern form. Ironically, this means travelling back in time, then revisiting the present with older, better tools. Tech house was born in London, and yet in terms of popularity and influence, it has transmigrated to the furthest-flung regions of Europe and Asia in quicktime. How can we possibly reintegrate its original sound, let alone refind it? A veteran of the unstoppable waterwheel that was Camden Palace, Richards makes as honest an attempt as you can hope for. He doesn't bother with track-titular profundity, instead embracing names like 'Dream2', 'Moody' and 'Eightone8', suggesting tech house, despite the "tech", should be an off-the-cuff sound, one not chiselled and burnished to perfection. 'Danger' and 'Tease' are proper blemished tech house mother-genes, while for the 'Love Is (Dub)' crosses into u-chambered dubtech territory, with a bespoke, rebarred hi-hat to boot.