Leon De Winter - Apollo Jazz [Mint Condition]

Mint Condition: A record label focused on digging up the outer limits of classic House and Techno. Unreleased mixes, classics, overlooked gems, and never-before-heard material, pulled from the last 30+ years of contemporary dance music, are the order of the day. From Chicago, Detroit, and New York to London and beyond. Mint Condition has their digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those even rarer oddities that have been on your wants list for years. Get stuck in!

Tobias Menguser AKA Leon De Winter was a very influential figure in the 90s Frankfurt techno scene, releasing around 100 records under various aliases, including collaborations with Ricardo Villalobos, but it was his Leon De Winter alias that really caught the eye of the legendary London record label, Eukahouse, who originally released this 12-inch back in 1997. A one-off, it’s not only unique in its sound design but also genre-challenging, spanning deep house, tech-house, techno, electro, and breaks. The A-side, ‘Apollo Jazz’, is indeed just that, sounding as if it was composed from a free jam session on a trip to the moon. Beginning with emotive chords, the track lifts off and builds, melodies twisting and turning effortlessly, superbly bringing together a variety of well-crafted synths, bass, and percussion, keeping the energy to the forefront. Moving to the B-side, ‘Metamat’, is bold and more playful in its execution, sonic cunning abounds as the initial riffs and breakbeat percussion give way to a solid 4/4. The bass is as memorable as it is quirky, but again it is the strength in the way all the elements build and combine that creates some truly mind-bending musical moments without ever losing its appeal on the dancefloor.