HUMANOID Vinyl & CDs

Review: Harking back to the very dawn of acid house in the UK, Humanoid will forever be an emblem for a revolutionary moment when this new music and its attendant culture befuddled the establishment and entranced the youth. A chart classic like no other, 'Stakker Humanoid' blew the rave scene apart and now it's getting a fresh airing thanks to the ever-excellent De:tuned label. That means the remix line-up comes in heavy, leading in with Luke Vibert bringing a fierce strain of acidic breakbeat with his own cheeky flair bedded in. Meanwhile, Autechre deliver the 'A664' version, which predictably rearranges the track to their own geometric design, but not at the expense of the electro-funk clout, and then UK acid veteran Mike Dred delivers a wonderfully dirty 303 throbbing take to send the package home in style.

Review: Last year, Belgian imprint De:Tuned decided to commission a wealth of remixes of 'St8818r', Future Sound of London's 2019 re-make of their 1988 UK acid/techno fusion classic as Humanoid, 'Stakker Humanoid'. Kicking off with the peerless, breakbeat-driven, TB-303-riddled '88 original, this CD contains all nine commissioned reworks, plus a wealth of bonus material. There's plenty to excite those who love the intersection of acid, electro, techno, IDM and Rephlex-style 'braindance', with highlights including a murky and mind-bending Autechre rub, a storming, Phuture-inspired acid-jack interpretation from Mikey Dred, an impressively uncompromising breakbeat take from Plaid and a gorgeous, piano-sporting twist from Roel Funcken. Bonus cut 'Blue Beans', a psychedelic ambient acid excursion, is also superb.