Radio Slave

by Ricardo Rainho
Even during the era when the Internet came of age and began enabling bedroom bedlams to be heard beyond the strict confines of their immediate neighborhoods, Radio Slave has charted a somewhat confusing path. Radio Slave began in 2000 as a duo comprised of Matt Edwards and Serge Santiago, and they gained early recognition for their quickly churned-out bootleg electro-house remixes of a variety of artists, including Nancy Sinatra, Kylie Minogue, Busta Rhymes, and Limp Bizkit. With the quirks of the Internet already in full motion by then, it was no wonder that such works would be quickly disseminated, earning the duo its first notices among bloggers and webzines. After about 30 remixes, Santiago left in 2002 to pursue his own path, leaving Edwards in sole control of the Radio Slave name. It wasn't until 2006 that the Radio Slave moniker would start being used on releases of totally original work, mostly through Edwards' own REKIDS label. In the next few years, with their mishmashes of old-school house and minimal techno stylings, tracks like "My Bleep," "Modena," "Screaming Hands," and "Bell Clap Dance" would become underground dancefloor staples and gain mostly positive critical notices, turning Edwards into one of the most respected electronic dance music producers of the second half of the 2000s.