Streaming from 31.01, with download exclusive available on Beatport until 14th Feb

“Retakes” EP is a curated celebration of highly respected underground producer, remixer, and DJ Hint. It is the pre-curser for the full ‘Hot Take Intake’ LP (out 24th February) and follows the ten-year anniversary of his ‘Daily Intake’ album. The releases features reworkings from the man himself under both his Hint and current Titeknots moniker. With previous supporters of Hint including Benji B, Tom Ravenscroft, Mary Anne Hobbs, and Huey Morgan (BBC 6Music), John Kennedy (XFM), Clash Magazine, DJ Mag, The Needledrop, Mr Scruff, Ben UFO and Rinse FM, this selection is unmissable for long-term fans and new cratediggers.

Focus track “Physical Stamina (Titeknots Remix)” heads up the release as the first of two previously unreleased tracks. The first move in connecting his older Hint material and the newer Titeknots output, the bass-heavy dancefloor spirit of the original remains as the track shifts to a more modern Broken Beat direction. Meanwhile “At The Dance (VIP Instrumental)” is a vocal-free version of one of the biggest Hint dancefloor tracks. After the original was released and promoted back in 2008, an instrumental was requested by a handful of DJs. It was never made available to the public beyond that until now as Hint offers up a fresh mixdown for 2023.

Hailing from Austin, TX, a teenage T-Fly provides vocals for Hint’s killer beat on “Aliens Enter”; “T-Fly really picked up on the more ‘far out’ elements of the beat. It’s off-key and peculiar. You feel that she gets really caught up in performing, and this is music as escapism, as something supernatural”, Hint adds. Enhancing the core boogie-style groove of the original, “Retakes” includes “Aliens Enter feat. T-Fly (Hint Remix)”.

Out 24th February, ‘Hot Take Intake’ highlights Hint’s versatility and ability to pair vocal talent from across the world with influences drawn from dancehall, hip hop, UK house and bass music. Jamaican vocalist Natalie Storm comes through with thought-provoking club banger “Crash and Burn”, which sees further reworkings from C.O.N.E. and Darq E Freaker. Oakland duo Josie Stingray and 1-O.A.K. infuse the feel-good “Give It Up” with West Coast energy. The track is taken to new heights on “Give It Up feat. Josie Stingray & 1-O.A.K. (Maddslinky Remix)” as Manchester-based producer, trailblazer, and UK dancefloor legend Maddslinky AKA Zed Bias takes the reins. “Retakes” EP features Hint reworks of both tracks.

Following on from the first single (“Where My Heart Is” – a mellow, mellifluous burner that featured Faithless’ Maxi Jazz on vocals) “No. 1 Sound” switches it up a gear or ten, showing off the livewire side to Boko’s persona – more in line with the relentless energy of his acclaimed ‘Can I Mix It?’ live DJ extravaganza. The bouncing reggae beat, and Roots Manuva-collaborator Rankin’s live, freestyled vocal, made the original album version of “No. 1 Sound” a standout carnival cut that Boko describes as “the ultimate festival tune – it never stops for a second”. Now, the remixes see label mates Hint and Beta Hector, plus Kidda (Skint), Boy Com and DJ Hadj – as well as Boko himself – put a fresh spin on this absolute summer stormer, welcoming the warm weather in party starting style.

Album opener Crash And Burn featuring Natalie Storm is the lead single, to be released as a limited edition upfront double A-side 10 (backed with Aliens Enter feat. T-Fly) in January. Hint’s take on current UK house mixed with Jamaican dancehall, Crash And Burn characterises the album’s sense of being both weighty and a lot of fun. Through serious and thought-provoking lyrics, Jamaican talent Storm proves that not every club banger has to be all about partying. Hint (Jonathan James to his Ma), says, “Natalie picked up on the mood of the track and used the energy to talk passionately about injustices in the World.” An early promo has been met with immense support, with confirmed radio play including Rob da Bank on BBC Radio 1.

Daily Intake features a handful of uniquely talented vocalists, with women heavily outnumbering men; while this bias was not intentional, it has a striking effect, and in Hint’s words, “I’m glad it’s worked out that way. So much of the UK underground scene can be too male-dominated, so I feel that bringing in some super talented female voices to the mix adds a new dimension.”

Prodigious teenager T-Fly is from Austin, TX, and is Hint’s most momentous discovery since a pre-Kicks Rizzle featured on his last album. Aliens Enter grew from a killer beat that Hint had made but could not pinpoint the right vocalist… that is, until Tru Thoughts A&R Robert Luis came back from SXSW 2011 raving about a young female MC he’d seen in a showcase for the Austin Hip Hop Cipher, a charitable community project that helps young performers explore and express their talents. The buzz was so intense as T-Fly performed that show, and Luis – knowing that Hint was looking for someone to perfect this track – was in the right place at the right time. Hint says, “T-Fly really picked up on the more ‘far out’ elements of the beat. It’s off-key and peculiar. You feel that she gets really caught up in performing, and this is music as escapism, as something supernatural”. Her other track, Peter And I, is even more imaginative and escapist; telling of a day spent with Spiderman, Peter Pan and others, T-Fly’s stylings flow gloriously atop Hint’s ‘80s boogie style beats.

Watch The Media featuring Profisee originally started life as a beat that Hint used for his remix of MJ Cole and Wiley’s From The Drop which caused a huge buzz, being played by Annie Mac (BBC R1) and Blackdown (Rinse FM/Pitchfork) among others. Amid constant DJ requests, Hint built the beat into a full tune. The track came together in the wake of the UK riots and News International scandal and, since Scotland’s Profisee (Paul White, Bullion, Hextatic) is the only UK based vocalist on the album, it seemed right to talk about these current affairs, and he handled it with real flair and passion. On the lighter side of things, girl-boy duo Josie Stingray and 1-O.A.K. – from the Honor Roll Crew out of Oakland in the US West Coast’s Bay area – infuse the feel-good hip hop tracks Give It Up and Find Yourself with that entertaining and fresh vibe that the West Coast seems to do so well.

Elsewhere on the album you’ll find a collection of electronic instrumental creations that see the eclectic, internationally influenced UK club music scene of today refracted through the quirky Hint lens. UK legend and label-mate Zed Bias hops on board, collaborating on the production of slightly darker, dancefloor-destroying bass track Lock The Door; grimey UK garage track Tape Packs evokes the big boxes of cassettes of recorded DJ sets from raves that soundtracked a lot of Hint’s late teenage years. Unusually, for a producer of ‘urban’ styles, Hint lives and has his studio in rural seclusion in Sussex, and this removal from the typical city treadmill results in a unique slant as his influences inevitably pass through a different set of filters.

Daily Intake is a new beginning for Hint that sees him consciously moving away from the more downtempo elements of his two previous long-players (*Ninja Tune*s Portakabin Fever and Tru Thoughts Driven From Distraction) to reconnect with his passion for party music, from jungle to dancehall to house and contemporary hip hop. Everything, right down to the album’s darkly striking artwork, represents this new vibe of freshness with an edge. Doing a number of acclaimed remixes in recent months for the likes of Lanu, Stac and Maddslinky – as well as his lauded rework of MJ Cole and Wiley – has also helped him to hone his style.

With building radio support across the BBC, RBMA, Rinse FM and elsewhere; international DJ bookings galore; plus an exciting new custom control-based Ableton Live set, in which he brings together live mixes with special guest PAs; the foundations are laid for Hint to break through in 2012.