'Valentine's Groove' by KiNK alone justifies this second batch of selected works from Royal Oak, the house channel of Clone — the shop, distributor and label network Serge set in motion in Rotterdam back in 1993. The Bulgarian released the cut in 2016 as number 032 in the catalogue, paired at the time with 'Strings', and here it once again acts as the record's beating heart: 7:45 at 125 BPM in A minor, house with drive and swing that never loosens its grip.
The other heavyweight arrives three slots later. 'Once Again' by Reggie Dokes, served as a Morning Factory Edit, had already passed through Royal Oak; its author belongs to that lineage of Detroit producers whose early work is tied to Transmat and Derrick May, and he runs his own label, Psychostasia. The revision runs 7:10 and shares exact tempo and key with the KiNK cut — 125 BPM, A minor — so the two trace an almost mirrored block at the record's core.
The third magnet is 'Luv Me (I Need Ur Luv)' by NY STOMP: at 9:04 it is the longest of the thirteen cuts, with room to spare to build and dismantle the groove unhurried at 124 BPM in C minor. This is the one with a tool's mindset: where other tracks here resolve in under six minutes, this one takes all the time it needs.
And the closer is no afterthought: 'Swept Illusions' by Headless Ghost arrives in Dorisburg's 808 Dance Mix and steers the record, once more, into A minor at 124 BPM. That three of the decisive cuts orbit the same key hardly feels like coincidence — more like a statement. Label regulars such as Frits Wentink circulate around them, but this second part doesn't play like a compilation of thirteen names; it plays like a conversation between a few very well-chosen voices.
Sources: XLR8R · Clone · Beatport · Bandcamp