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RW006
Recycling Wax returns to the roots!

Hey there, we’re already at the 6th newsletter! It’s amazing how fast this project is growing and evolving. And as part of that growth, we’re bringing in one of the most important historians and eyewitnesses of the scene from the 1980s onwards in North Rhine-Westphalia: Kai-Uwe Müller.
Not only has he been an active DJ since the early ’90s, but he was also an editor at the legendary Raveline magazine starting in 1993. I also vividly remember KUM’s dance moves and all the beers we shared. His curiosity about me had already been sparked through stories from mutual friends, but I truly won him over during my gig at UG2 in Mönchengladbach when I played CJ Bolland – Camargue.
A truly lovely guy, constantly evolving, always in tune with the times, and not one of those “everything was better back in the day” types. Even today, he’s excited about new things and doesn’t judge the younger generation, even if the old sound still resonates most deeply with him.
So happy to have you on board for this issue, Kai-Uwe!
Recent Cuts - Fresh vinyl and digital releases worth checking out.
Essential Oldschool - Records from the 90s and early 2000s that still matter today.
On the Horizon - Upcoming releases to keep an eye on.
The Perfect Match - Two tracks that blend seamlessly in a set.
Top 5 by Kai-Uwe Müller - A handpicked selection, carefully curated each week by DJ’s.
Community Pick of the Week by Andrea - One favorite from the community.
1. Recent Cuts - Fresh vinyl and digital releases worth checking out.
![]() © deejay.de | ![]() © decks.de |
#1 Vil & Cravo - Self Reflektion 20: Let’s jump right into the Self Reflektion label by my buddy Mitchel aka Stranger. For its 20th release, he brought back the Portuguese duo Vil & Cravo. I got to hear the release during our B2B set in September 2024, and I was blown away. No gimmicks, just straight-up, driving techno with the perfect touch of old-school flavor. It’s funky, too, and there’s even a 303 in there that pushes everything even further. I’m seriously impressed. Mitchel just has a knack for keeping a consistent thread throughout his label’s catalog, always picking tracks that create a truly special vibe on the dancefloor. Big tip! | #2 Dave Clarke - Devils Advocate: “Can you feel the rhythm? The music in your soul. I am the music. You are the spirit.” |
![]() © bandcamp.com | ![]() © decks.de |
#3 Human Safari - Culture Shock: This weekend I ran into Marco aka SHDW at a party in Münster, where we both played on the same floor. He played the closing set outdoors on the backyard floor and tore it up. Within half an hour, the whole area was packed thanks to his set and track selection. I was right in the crowd when he played Mouse On Keys. I didn’t know the track, but I could’ve sworn it was an old gem from the early 2000s. Turns out it’s a brand new production on his label. Human Safari is now dropping a dreamy, hypnotic, and timeless EP on Mutual Rytm that completely won me over. Bravo! | #4 Altinbas - Eclipse: Altinbas is a guaranteed provider of quality, timeless, and forward-thinking techno. The Fuse resident keeps delivering solid releases, one after another. Relentless, linear, but still playful and never dull. This time it's on Observer Station. Congrats on this stellar EP – there’s nothing more to say. Wonderful. Big tip! |
![]() © decks.de | #5 Traxman - WESTSIDE BOOGIE TRAX VOL. 1: Hell yes! A reissue from Dance Mania. Oh my god. You know me – the ultimate Chicago house label in my opinion is back and re-releasing Traxman. DM189 is the original from 1996. No filler, only killer. Please, keep them coming, I want them all!!! Hot hot hot – massive recommendation! |
2. Essential Oldschool - Records from the 90s and early 2000s that still matter today.
![]() © discogs.com | ![]() © discogs.com |
#1 Various - In Dani’s Memory: The only record ever released on City Archives. A label I didn’t even know existed until recently, when I stumbled across it at my trusted record store, Black Plastic in Dortmund. That’s where V_Ride - Gray Zone immediately caught my eye. Relentless, raw, noisy, distorted. V_Ride has only released two records, and it’s completely unknown who’s behind the project. But let me tell you this: the track is a true masterpiece, especially during the break. The pad soars skyward, and right at the first kick, it vanishes, flipping from dreamy to punishing in a heartbeat. I think I’m going to play this one to death. Just saying! | #2 Space DJz - Harmonic Distortion: Re-Load Records is a real Belgian gem. Space DJz, the duo of Ben Long and Jamie Bissmire, completely blew both me and Dennis away during a listening session at Sound Metaphors in Berlin. We laughed for a whole minute after Dennis said, “Dude, what the hell is this banger?” And he was right. Trippy, deep, bleepy, and out of this world. A MUST-HAVE. |
![]() © discogs.com | ![]() © discogs.com |
#3 Viper XXL - Monkeylooker E.P.: Manuel Orf from Mainz, better known as Viper XXL, has been in the game for a long time. Mostly known for his pounding Schranz. But on DJ Rush’s Kne' Deep label, Manuel shows a slightly more “relaxed” side, though even here, Techno and Schranz go hand in hand. Especially Stars And Stripes is an absolute beast. Maximum clang, maximum punch. I can’t wait to drop these tracks in the club late at night. | #4 Switchblade - Switched To Blades E.P.: Just as hard-hitting but equally driving is Leo Järveläinen’s 2001 production under the name Switchblade. 4 x 4 Recordings is known for using identical track titles, but also for their love of timeless classics. Even though the tracks feel very straightforward, they somehow never get boring. Probably never leaving my record bag. Unless I’m playing a warm-up set. |
![]() © discogs.com | #5 Russian Roulette - Believe E.P.: And finally, a 2000 release from DJ Rush. Discogs labels the record as House and Techno, I’d firmly say it’s Techno. DJ Rush has always mastered the art of hard kicks, stomping basslines, and brilliant arrangements. Yet thanks to his voice, it all sounds a bit funky, almost funny, and always puts a smile on your face. Believe me, this record needs to be in your record case! |
3. On the Horizon - Upcoming releases to keep an eye on.
![]() © deejay.de | ![]() © deejay.de |
#1 Dexter - Intruder: I just have a weakness for Electro. It's an incredible genre: dark, yet so brilliantly driving. And Dexter nailed exactly that feeling back in the day. No two tracks sound alike, but the machines practically scream at me with squeaky intensity. Remastered, just so we can hear it all again in even better quality. An all-around fantastic release, expected to drop on September 8th, 2025. | #2 Beverly Hills 808303: Beverly Hills 808303 is the hidden gem when it comes to analog, gritty Techno, Electro, and Acid. Minimalistic, just as it should be, but never, ever boring. The acid line screeches, morphs from a bassline into a high-pitched synth, and blows the roof off. An absolute weapon for the dancefloor when things need to go hard. Release date: August 25th, 2025. |
![]() © deejay.de | #3 Prunk - The Game: Holy shit, what a banging House release from Prunk! The Game gives me instant goosebumps. That’s exactly how I imagine proper House. I want to play it, right now, in the sunshine, at the beach, by the sea. Dortmund won’t get enough of this tune when I bring that record along. Amsterdam is ALIVE! Huge release! Release date: August 18th, 2025. |
4. The Perfect Match - Two tracks that blend seamlessly in a set.
This week, I’m showcasing a symbiosis of two productions that may be 11 years apart, but couldn’t fit together more perfectly as electro tracks. Both songs feature low-pitched vocals, both have a similarly rolling bassline, and overall, they sound incredibly harmonious.
With his remix, Delta Funktionen from the Netherlands breathes new life into an old track by Random XS, originally released in 1992 on DJAX-UP-BEATS. And what a transformation it is. The original, a rather mellow track I used to play mostly in warm-up sets, now truly comes to life in electro form and proves that it works in a peak-time setting too!
That’s where The Advent comes in. As many know, Kombination Research is famous for its B-sides and the electro gems often found there. “Nitefone” is one of those tracks. It makes me think of the future and feels quite ahead of its time back in 2008. Still, it pushes me into another dimension every time I hear it. And honestly, I wasn’t at all surprised by the price it currently fetches on Discogs.
![]() © discogs.com | ![]() © discogs.com |
Random XS - Give Your Body (Delta Funktionen 3AM Mix) [dsr-x15] | The Advent - Nitefone [KR025] |
5. Top 5 by Kai-Uwe Müller - A handpicked selection, carefully curated each week.
![]() © discogs.com | ![]() © discogs.com |
#1 Jonzun Crew - Pack Jam (Look Out For The OVC): The music show Formel Eins, aired on the regional ARD channels in the early '80s, was a must-watch for all teenagers. If you hadn’t seen it, you couldn’t join in the conversation at school the next day. During the presentation of the Top Ten from Germany, the UK, and the USA, this wild track with the robot voice played in the background. Everyone thought it was amazing, but nobody knew its title. Music from space, music from the future. The Formel Eins editorial office was flooded with letters, so they invited the Jonzun Crew to the show, and the track entered the charts. “Pack Jam” opened the door for me to abstract, danceable electronic music and accompanied the first wave of breakdance euphoria in Germany starting in 1983. | #2 Steve “Silk” Hurley - Jack Your Body: Summer 1987, the scene: Lloret de Mar, Discotheque Moef Gaga. When I hear “Jack Your Body” today, I instantly recall that typical smell of fog machines blasting mist in our faces in the clubs back then. Hard to imagine today just how new, how different, how futuristic this track sounded at the time. New, fresh, exciting. It marked the beginning of something entirely new: no vocals, no chorus, just pure rhythm and bass, bass, bass. Right after returning from Spain, I scoured record stores for anything with “Jack” and “House” in the title. Just as important was “House Nation” by Housemaster Boyz, which the DJ at Moef Gaga mixed with “Jack Your Body.” This was the moment I felt the desire to become a DJ. |
![]() © discogs.com | ![]() © discogs.com |
#3 The Atmosphere introducing Mae B - Atm-Oz-Fear: 1990 was the time of vogueing. Everyone dancing to house music was “into vogueing.” “Atm-Oz-Fear” was an anthem. In Tarm Center, the club would go dark when the intro played, people rushed to the stage and showed off their latest moves, inspired by the fashion world’s catwalks. The combination of drums, pianos, and Mae B’s irresistible voice created a trademark sound that defined the entire year and later peaked again with “Anthem” by N-Joi at the end of 1990. The euphoria of “Atm-Oz-Fear” is still tangible today. | #4 Basic Channel - Phylyps Trak: It was already nine hours into the night when Sven Väth put “Phylyps Trak” on the turntable at Cologne’s Warehouse in summer 1993. The last notes of the previous track had just faded when this one rolled in. Those basslines, those layered sounds, brutal yet delicate, filled the entire space and swept everyone along. This was techno, but entirely new. No one had heard techno like this before. This sound once again changed everything that had been produced up to that point. A milestone and a must-have. |
![]() © discogs.com | #5 Deneuve - Never Give Up: In the mid-’90s, I spent a lot of time in record stores. I especially lost hours at Formic Records in Cologne, where one day I discovered the Telepathic section. “Never Give Up” is one of those tracks that gets better with every listen. Over 20 minutes, it evolves into a true trance monster. Its hypnotic organ line still puts me in a very special, magical mood to this day. Sublime and out of this world. For me, it’s a track that can play for hours without ever becoming mundane for a single second. |
6. Community Pick of the Week by Andrea - One favorite from the community.

© discogs.com
#community #techno #peaktime
Section One - Eating Pattern: Andrea is back with a Community Pick of the Week. This time with a techno banger by Section One, real name Mikael Nykvist. I’m pretty sure I hear the vocalist say “This one stomping & pumping like a maniac”, which fits the track perfectly.
I just went down a Discogs rabbit hole looking up Mikael and even discovered a Primevil release. He wasn’t on my radar before. It’s 10:26 PM on a Wednesday, and I should be heading to bed… but thanks to you, Andrea, I think I’m about to dig through his entire discography.
Thank you once again, Andrea, for being part of the Community Pick of the Week and for your great contribution to the series!
And just like that, we've reached the end once again. I hope you enjoyed this edition!
I'd like to leave you with a question: Is old techno better? Or are you open to new sounds? Feel free to send me an email with your thoughts. We'll be diving into this topic next week!
Also, don’t hesitate to keep sending me your favorite EPs or tracks so we can continue to bring the Community Pick of the Week to life.
Simply reply to this email or comment here with a link to your favorite E.P.
Keep it spinning,
Robin Tasi @ Recycling Wax
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