Back catalogue: House

Review: Helmed by Kid Batchelor and Keith Franklin, Bang The Party were one of the first UK groups to capture the acid house explosion as it found a foothold in the legendary RIP parties and other seminal early spots. Their sound bridges the gap from the prior rare groove warehouse scene and gives it a sweaty Chicago injection, and it's captured brilliantly on this, their breakthrough debut record from 1987. There's a strong soulful edge to 'I Feel Good All Over', while 'Jacques Theme' has a dreamy, surreal tint, and 'Release Your Body' channels a little Motor City flair in its twitchy synth lines and drum programming, but crucially this was one of the first indications of house and techno finding a distinct character across the pond ahead of the wider house culture that would blow up in the years that followed. Truly pioneering music.

Review: Rush Hour has been one of Europe's foremost labels for man a year. 2021 was no different with plenty of highlights, not least this last sneaky 12" from Lars Bartkuhn. The talented producer shows off his majestic style with a pair of deliciously deep and elegant house tunes. First comes 'Transcend' which is a real floater built on lush arps, serene strings and a dynamic groove that skips its way into your affections. 'Every Morning I Meditate' is a perfect soundtrack to do just that with its distant bird calls, bright spring day optimism and gently unfolding rubbery bassline. A fine outing indeed from this singular soundsmith.

Review: This Tail Of Tears 12" sees WT Records boss William Burnett adopt the Black Deer name for the No Label series that intermittently emits from Rush Hour HQ. The somewhat mysterious No Label series acts as a primer for music that essentially transcends label or genre, and has issued the tape saturated meanderings of Inga Copeland, jagged ragga techno from Aardvarck and the heavily psychedelic electronics of Stellar Om Source. Ths Black Deer record from Burnett certainly adheres to the expect the unexpected ethos of the No Label series, offering a more experimental side to the New Yorker's production palette than last year's exceptional Willie Burns release for The Trilogy Tapes. Burnett himself calls the Tail Of Tears 12" the results of some experiments with "12 string acoustic guitar with effects and synth" whilst Rush Hour call it "sympathetic storytelling for the real Americans".

Review: Whilst most people will have discovered the masterful productions of BNJMN via last year's still quite stunning sounding Plastic World album on Rush Hour's Direct Current label, the producer actually debuted on the Amsterdam label prior to that with a blink and you'll miss it Unknown white label. Dangerously prolific in the period since Plastic World, BNJMN marks his first material of 2012 with a second Unknown release for Rush Hour. This three track release finds BNJMN in precision driven rhythm form, with the opening production "Minus One" a sparse techno arrangement of rubbery basslines, gloopy drum sounds and frosty synths. This canny marriage of innate melodies with other worldly techno patterns continues on the flip with the gradual soar of "Shadow", whilst the multi textured "Unrest" wouldn't sound out of place on the Mathematics imprint.

Review: Last seen dabbling in some Ballard referencing song based material as Singing Statues, UK producer Ben Thomas returns to the more familiar BNJMN guise and the label for whom he's arguably done his best work with this Hummingbird EP for Rush Hour. Seemingly directly inspired by the humble hummingbird, the three original tracks here demonstrate a wide appreciation of tempos, with the glistening 140bpm techno of the title complemented by the shifting, sludgy sonics of "Slowwave". The final BNJMN production "CRVD" feels closest to previous BNJMN material, whilst the title track is blessed by the first ever Xamiga remix from Lowlands forest techno exponents Legowelt and Xosar.

Review: Braiden appearing on Rush Hour is possibly one of the least expected combinations to surface in recent times; more specifically Braiden appearing on any label is surprising, given how quiet the Londoner has been on the production front since gracing Joy Orbison's now defunct Doldrums imprint. A sideline in photography, a smattering of remixes and a prospering reputation as both a club and radio DJ (check his NTS show) means Braiden's been kept a busy boy, though this two track induction on Rush Hour demonstrates there's been loss in production verve. Lead track "Belfry Tower" seems built for submission pounding intent, rhythms gleefully bouncing off each other as a pressurised bassline puts the squeeze on the crunchy textures that attempt to implement some semblance of melody. "Paganini" introduces a whole different slant on Braiden's palette, commencing with a famous singer's ode to the Italian composer who lends his surname to the title which subtly drops into a killer house groove, all expertly layered drum patterns and wonderfully warm and bouncy bass lines complemented by some brilliant echoed usage of the vocal throughout.

Review: Crazy 12" from Rush Hour's No 'Label' operation which really offers some insight into the deranged production mind of Irish producer and selector Morgan Buckley. Not only does Shout Out To All The Weirdos In Rathmines possess one of this year's best titles, it possesses some of the most distinctive music put to wax in 2014. There's plenty of mixtape potential across the four tracks be it the Charles Manier does psyche rock of "Call Incoming" or the pure mind bending psychedelia of "Inner City Hum" on the A Side or the more floor friendly bump of the two B Side cuts. More please Mister Buckley.

Review: Rush Hour has been a buy-on-sight label for decades, no matter what genre it is dealing in. Lars Bartkuhn keeps that fine reputation alive with his new album Nomad which explores the intersection of jazz, synth, house, ambient and more. 'Every Morning I Meditate' is a soothing opener then 'Transcend' is packed with nodding chords, jazz melodies and vocal coos that are perfectly loungey. 'African Skies' is a quiet piano sound, 'First Kalimba' explores the sound of the unique African instrument over shimmering pads and 'Moving Mountains' is a piece to suspend you in the farthest edges of our cosmos. A superbly intimate and artistic album overall.

Review: When Rheji and Ronald 'Rhano' Burrell dropped their debut album on Virgin Records in 1988, there was little sign that they would eventually become one of the most influential production partnerships in house. Simply titled Burrell, the album offered a slick, radio-friendly mix of 80s R&B, synth-funk/house crossovers and the sort of piano-laden garage house - as it was then called - that was beginning to dominate the clubs of New Jersey. Frustrated by the constraints of working with a major label, they went back underground. With the backing of their management trio of Judy Russell and Frank and Karen Mendez, they launched Nu Groove Records, initially as an outlet for their own productions. But the music they made would not be created with radio airplay in mind, but rather the dancefloors of New Jersey, New York and Chicago. It was a masterstroke. Inspired by the jacking house sound of Chicago, the deepness of Larry Heard and the emotion-rich, musically minded productions of early New Jersey garage pioneers, they proceeded to make music that defied easy categorization. It would quickly become known as deep house. This retrospective from Rush Hour is both well deserved and long overdue. It should be essential listening for anyone with even the smallest interest in the development of house music during a crucial period.

Review: Rheji and Ronald Burrell have long been considered deep house pioneers, with their early 12" singles for Nu Groove - the New York label they co-founded in 1988 - currently changing hands for vast sums of money. In the early years of the label, the former major label-signed R&B duo created a huge amount of material under a barrage of pseudonyms, much of it genuinely groundbreaking. This timely collection from Dutch diggers Rush Hour showcases much of that pioneering work, from the musically rich deepness of Aphrodisiac and smooth, Detroit-influenced jack of Tech Trax Inc, to the Tony Humphries-ish garage of Metro and the picturesque sketches of N.Y Housin' Authority.