Rush Hour Holland レコード& CD

Review: Niels Nieuborg has long been a player on Holland's live music scene, largely working with ex-pat musicians from Carpe Verde and Surinam. This superb three-track EP marks his first recorded output and includes collaborations with vocalists Americo Brito and Orlando Julius. The latter stars on two up-tempo chunks of boogie-era Afrobeat that sit somewhere between the Moog-driven brilliance of William Onyeabor and the up-tempo urgency of vintage Afro-disco. It's arguably A-side "Nos Magia", featuring Brito's distinctive vocals, that really stands out, though. Spacey and incessantly funky with fizzing electronics, urgent Clavinet lines and crispy Afro-funk guitars, it's not only a killer club cut but also a thing of rare beauty.

Review: Detroit techno originator Terrence Dixon serves up another of his stunning albums on Rush Hour after making us all wait seven years since the last one. That one, Theatre of a Confused Mind, was as Population One, this one is under his own name, and it is another exploration of afro-futurist techno that could only come from the Motor City. The drums hit hard, but there is always soul in the synths. 'Reporting From Detroit' brings street-level angst and tension where 'Star Garden' explores the cosmos above, while moments of deep self-reflection are encouraged, nay mandatory, during tracks like 'Growth & Development.'

Review: During a record digging trip to South Africa a year or two back, Rush Hour co-founder Antal stumbled on an obscure local cover of Klein & MBO's Ron Hardy and Larry Levan favourite, "The MBO Theme". The Warrior version, which was recorded at some point in the early '80s, is a little slower and breezier than Klein and MBO's original, with even finer fretless bass flavours and the track's famous melodies re-played on some particularly spacey synthesizers. Helpfully, the Klein & MBO version is on the A-side, so you can easily compare the two: Warriors' little known cover is definitely our pick of the pair.

Review: Terrence Dixon's announcement of plans to retire from techno with immediate effect earlier this year have typically gone without any further explanation, though it's been heartening to see his final round of projects surface over the course of 2014. Having already committed a killer Population One 12" to Metroplex, Dixon delivers another fitting parting shot in this LP for Rush Hour, who took their name from his classic Pop One production "Rush Hour". Theater Of A Confused Mind is a powerful statement from Dixon, expanding on the sci-fi themes of previous Population One material and posing several cryptic questions. Dixon's own voice introduces the album on "Out Of Control" and as matters progress those trademark queasy lines of melody begin to take control - "Inner City Circus" being a stand out of this set.

Review: Cult Japanese video game soundtrack designer and happy house hero Soichi Terada's last album Asakusa Light on Rush Hour gets picked apart from some top remixes here. First to go is a former hip-hop beatsmith turned deep house don Byron The Aquarius. He smooths out the grooves of 'Bamboo Fighter' and layers in dusty chords and diffuse melodies that are heartwarming and hypnotic. 'Takusambient' then gets a fine treatment from Alex Attias who brings bubbly chords and bass to a lively deep house cut that is full of subtle party vibes.

Review: Leon Vynehall's stunningly picturesque "Midnight On Rainbow Road" was one of the undoubted highlights of Gerd Jansen's second Musik For Autobahns compilation, which was released in the autumn of 2015 by Rush Hour. Here, it gets a deserved single release, with the original - a hypnotic, driving-inspired blend of fluid electronic melodies, a wispy percussion and Jonny Nash style glistening guitar lines - being complimented by a brand new "Beat Edit". This adds a slowly unfurling, head-nodding rhythm that takes the track further towards Detroit Beatdown territory. In essence, though, it sounds like an early '90s ambient house jam. That's no bad thing, given that Vynehall seems to have emphasised the sun-kissed beauty of the original in the process.