TINO — Super Hot EP

Tino makes his debut on M.A.D Records with Super Hot EP, a four-track 12-inch that draws on the playful, physical side of house music while moving freely between proto-house, acid house, deep house, Balearic flavours and early-’90s breakbeat. Released as MAD019, the EP arrives in 2026 with three original productions and a remix from Josh Ludlow, capturing the distinctly old-school party spirit associated with the M.A.D Records catalogue. The vinyl edition is presented in a picture sleeve. Tino is the project of Leo Dimartino, the Nottingham-raised, Manchester-based producer previously associated with releases including the Set You Free EP on Global Swing and a rework of Pascal Moscheni’s “Pasion Latina” for M.A.D Records. With Super Hot EP, he moves fully into the label’s orbit, producing four tracks that favour character, groove and immediate dancefloor utility over polished contemporary house conventions. The title track, “Super Hot”, opens the record with a deliberately retro house sensibility. The production looks towards the formative period of house music and the proto-house vocabulary of the late ’80s and early ’90s, while retaining the punch and clarity expected from a modern club pressing. Its appeal is fundamentally rhythmic: the groove is direct, playful and built to create movement without becoming overly aggressive. Rather than treating nostalgia as a purely aesthetic exercise, Tino uses those early house references as functional material, giving the track the feel of a record designed to sit naturally inside a lively DJ set. “Super Hot” establishes the EP’s central idea immediately: house music as something physical, mischievous and communal. The production has the loose, uncomplicated energy associated with early club records, but the arrangement remains sufficiently focused for contemporary mixing. It is an effective opening statement for an EP that consistently favours rhythm and attitude over excessive studio decoration. “Pleasure Pole” takes the A-side deeper into acid territory. Built around squelching acid lines and a heavy, jacking groove, it brings a more unruly edge to the record. The acid programming becomes the defining musical element, giving the track its tension and forward momentum while keeping the underlying rhythm firmly rooted in house. It is a particularly strong example of Tino’s ability to take a familiar vintage vocabulary and make it feel immediate rather than archival. The track also fits closely with the character of M.A.D Records: raw, playful house music with a strong connection to the dancefloor and to the formative sounds of underground club culture. “Pleasure Pole” does not need a complicated arrangement to generate pressure; the interaction between the acid sequence and the groove provides the movement, making it a natural choice for the more energetic part of a house set. The B-side begins with “Rock Ya Body”, which shifts the palette again. Here Tino combines Italian deep-house colour with the rhythmic feel of early-’90s breakbeat house. Keyboard figures add a brighter melodic dimension, while sampled soulful and African vocal elements give the track a distinctive human presence. The combination is notably different from the tougher acid focus of “Pleasure Pole”, but it remains connected through the EP’s emphasis on groove and old-school club energy. “Rock Ya Body” is perhaps the clearest illustration of the EP’s broad historical reach. Rather than reproducing one particular style, Tino pulls together several strands of house music that developed alongside one another: Italian deep house, breakbeat-driven club music and the vocal-led experimentation of early dance records. The result is colourful without becoming overly busy, with the rhythmic foundation providing continuity while the keyboards and vocal material supply the personality. Josh Ludlow then reworks “Rock Ya Body” for the closing track. As one half of the Make A Dance team, Ludlow brings the track back towards the rawer side of late-’80s house, emphasising analogue warmth, squelching textures and a more hedonistic club feel. The remix retains the identity of the original while changing its balance, making the groove feel more stripped back and physically immediate. The inclusion of the Josh Ludlow remix is significant to the EP’s overall structure. Rather than simply adding an alternate version as a bonus, the remix creates a bridge between Tino’s contemporary interpretation of vintage house music and the aesthetic that runs through M.A.D Records itself. It gives DJs another way into the material while making the B-side feel like a coherent progression from “Rock Ya Body” rather than a collection of unrelated versions. Super Hot EP has already attracted support from selectors including Eris Drew, Dr Banana and Moxie, underlining the record’s connection with contemporary underground house DJ culture. The EP’s strength, however, lies in how naturally its references are integrated into the music. Proto-house, acid, Italian deep house and early breakbeat are not presented as historical quotations; they are treated as living club languages that can still generate energy on a modern dancefloor. As MAD019, Tino’s Super Hot EP is a compact four-track statement with a clear physical identity. “Super Hot” brings the proto-house charge, “Pleasure Pole” delivers the acid pressure, “Rock Ya Body” opens the palette towards Italian deep house and breakbeat, and Josh Ludlow’s remix closes the record with a tougher analogue interpretation. Pressed on 12-inch vinyl and housed in a picture sleeve, it is a release aimed squarely at DJs and collectors who value groove, character and the enduring energy of classic house music.