Radio Slave

Matt Edwards, known as Radio Slave among several other names, is a fixture of the dance music world thanks to his hypnotic tracks and remixes, his adventurous DJ sets, and his well-respected label REKIDS. Originally a pop remix project at the start of the 2000s, Radio Slave began releasing original material in 2006, scoring club hits with lengthy, stripped-down tracks like “Bell Clap Dance” and “Grindhouse.” He issued several mix CDs, including 2009′s Fabric 48, while Works: Selected Remixes 2006-2010 compiled the best of his official reworks for other artists. Though he has always focused on club-tooled singles, he’s gradually expanded his sound from minimal and tech-house to more melodic, rave-influenced house, additionally leaning toward ambient and Detroit techno with the more abstract 2017 full-length Feel the Same and 2020′s Radio Silence Part One. Edwards’ work during the 2020s has included harder techno as part of the duo SRVD, collaborations with DJ Hell and Dustin Zahn, and the 2023 mix Actualize Part 1.
Originally from London, Edwards started to DJ in the early ’90s, initially at Milk Bar and the Aberystwyth football club, and he later became an early resident at Ministry of Sound. His earliest forays into production included several house records as Dogtrax during the mid-’90s. He started Radio Slave as a remix project in 2000, originally as a duo with producer/DJ Serge Santiágo, who left in 2002. The project gained notice for remixes of Kylie Minogue, Elton John, Fischerspooner, and others, as well as bootleg edits and remixes that appeared through Edwards’ label Rekid. He launched a separate label called REKIDS in 2006 and began releasing original material, starting with glitchy, buzzy tech-house tracks like “My Bleep” and “Secret Base.” His first mix CD, Creature of the Night, appeared on Eskimo Recordings the same year. Lengthier, more minimal tracks like “Bell Clap Dance” and “Grindhouse” (from one of many volumes of the No Sleep 12″ series) took off in clubs, and Radio Slave landed releases on Running Back, R&S, and OM Records. Quiet Village, Edwards’ Balearic-style downtempo disco project with Joel Martin, issued its highly acclaimed debut album, Silent Movie, in 2008. No Sleep at All, a Japan-only CD compilation of the No Sleep single series, was released in 2009, as well as Radio Slave’s Fabric 48 mix.
The double-CD Radio Slave Presents Strictly Rhythms, Vol. 5 appeared in 2010, including numerous classic tracks from throughout the Strictly Rhythm catalog. The 2011 triple-CD Works: Selected Remixes 2006-2010 compiled Radio Slave remixes for UNKLE, DJ Hell, Slam, and many others. Balance 023, Radio Slave’s 2013 mix, included a house set as well as a more experimental downtempo disc that incorporated jazz, modern classical, and hip-hop tracks. “Children of the E,” a Running Back-issued 2014 single, was a breakbeat-driven rave throwback, while further tracks like “The Clone Wars” and “I Need Music” were lengthy, back-to-basics club tools.
Feel the Same, Radio Slave’s debut album, appeared in 2017 and contained some of his most experimental, spacy material. Edwards began making harder techno with Patrick Mason as SRVD, launching the project with the 2018 EP Elevate. He continued to explore his more abstract, Detroit-influenced side with the 2019 single “Ground Control” and 2020 full-length Radio Silence Part One, additionally releasing fun, rave-inspired singles like “Stay Out All Night,” “Live My Life,” and “Acid Dip.” 2022 brought collaborations with DJ Hell, Dustin Zahn, and NEZ, as well as the house single “Don’t You Know,” and the mix Radio Slave Presents Actualize Part 1 arrived in 2023. ~ Paul Simpson