Lot49 are really raising the bar in 2009 with some outstanding releases from their impeccable stable of artists. Hot on the heels of Lee Coombs, Meat Katie and Dylan Rhymes comes DJ/producer Rory Natkiel AKA Kid Blue with the latest instalment in the tech funk chronicles. Natkiel has recorded for labels including Passenger, Fat and of course Lot49, he is a much respected DJ and has been successfully promoting club night for over a decade, from the much lauded Technique nights in Leeds to the current string of off the hook Lot49 parties. The ‘Speak Freak EP’ is a collection of rock solid house/techno hybrid cuts that perfectly reflect where Natkiel is coming from as an artist. Lead cut ‘Speak Freak’ takes the sentiments of big bass driven fidget house and gives it a rough techno edge, a perfect track to test any soundsystems limits and one that is bound to find favour across the board this summer. ‘Speak Freak’ is closely followed by the quality sounds of ‘Pentatonik’, a slice of superbly crafted tech house that hits all the right buttons. Finally we have ‘Soul Inside’ a track described by Natkiel himself as “an electro-techno roller with the kind of blippy melodies that I love to play in my sets”. This is a real corker of a cut with an intense vibe that makes for a real hypnotic listening experience, an electro-techno roller indeed! This Ep makes a clear statement about the future sound of Kid Blue and is perfectly paired with a label evolving into a powerhouse of the techno/electro scene. Sterling stuff!