Krunk Presents: Hotbox 13 ft Radio Slave (UK) | Bangalore

Matt Edwards is a bonafide powerhouse of underground dance music. Over the course of more than fifteen years, the Berlin based artist has established himself as a leading A&R, influential producer and esteemed DJ, all with his own unique and immediately recognisable style. In that time, Radio Slave has emerged as his most celebrated alias. It has seen him evolve from remixing pop tunes into someone with a distinctive musical identity that focusses on high pressure, slow release sounds that cannot fail to lock you in.

That famously loopy and hypnotic brand of house and techno is built on a solid bed of kicks and often interlaced with hypnotic vocals. It has taken him to high profile DJ sets everywhere from Fabric to Womb to Cocoon, as well as being a regular at Berghain and Panorama Bar where he has hosted his own Rekids label parties since 2007.

Ten years later came a first ever Radio Slave album, Feel The Same. It was a stylistically broad affair that made the most of the album format to show off all the different facets of Edwards’ musical personality. Across thirteen productions it touched on grinding and strobe-lit rave cuts, deeper, stripped-back headfucks, slick electro jams, mid-tempo jungle breaks and tripped-out house efforts. All of these sounds and more feature in one of his DJ sets, which are absorbing, heavily layered things that pull you in over and over again.

In 2017, Edwards’ Rekids label hit its 100th release with a special EP from Matt that featured two typically monstrous and club-slaying tracks in ‘Another Club’/‘Feel The Same.’ These follow on from modern classics like ‘Grindhouse,’ ‘Don’t Stop No Sleep’ and ‘Bell Clap Dance’, which were ubiquitous club hits that solidified Radio Slave’s long form and absorbing production style. But of course, the label has not only been the outlet for Edwards’ own work: it is also a place that he has proven his rare knack for A&R time and time again thanks to signing now internationally celebrated talents like Nina Kraviz and Mr G.
Alongside all this, Edwards—who is still a hapless musical fanboy at heart—has established plenty of other projects, most notably Quiet Village with Joel Martin. Focussed on downtempo sounds infused with elements of ambient, dub and synth music, it recently spawned a much- loved remix of Agnes Obell and promises a new album in 2018. It is sure to reflect yet another side of Edwards’ expansive sound world that also takes in major label remix work for the likes of Kylie, Paul McCartney and Elton John, as well as underground favourites like Dinky, Scuba and Aphrohead.
Whether making, playing or A&Ring music, Edwards always disregards the zeitgeist. For that reason he remains a timeless talent who sets his own essential agenda.