Ever since the glory days of disco in the 70s the allure of a record label has often equalled or even eclipsed the artists, not only for the ubiquitous trainspotters but simply devotees looking for a seal of quality, something to take the music forward or simply something guaranteed to blow the roof off. Disco had Salsoul and Prelude, Chicago house was dominated by DJ International and Trax, Detroit techno gained its mystique from labels like Metroplex and Transmat while New York deep house was ruled by Nu Groove and Strictly Rhythm.
Meanwhile in Ghent, Belgium, the distinctive Ferrari-like prancing horse logo of R&S heralded a stream of cutting edge techno gold unleashed as the label corralled more seismic electronic battle-weapons than any in European dance music history. R&S licensed the hottest tunes from all over the world while developing its own formidable stable of producers. Itís catalogue, now thankfully being reactivated, is nothing short of stunning. The roster reads like the who's who of electronic music, Aphex Twin, Derrick May, Ken Ishi, CJ Bolland, Kenny Larkin, 69 / Carl Craig, Joey Beltram, Model 500, Dave Angel, the list goes on...
The start of 2008 saw R&S, releasing a number of re-mastered albums and in Sept, the first new single for years - the massive "Eyes Wide Open / Ingonito" arguably Radio Slaves finest hour and the perfect start to the labels new mission. October 2008 saw the long awaited release of the In Order To Dance compilation cd - a collection of R&S finest moments - with added remixes from the likes of Audion, Prins Thomas, Tom Middleton, Optimo and Boyz Noise.
2009 is set to be the year that R&S Records regains it's crown as one of the worlds leading independent record labels. The recent Steve Lawler 12" "Kalimba" has already gained massive reactions from the worlds leading DJs and became BBC Radio 1 Essential new tune on Pete Tongs show. But this is just the tip of the ice-berg as the label prepares to release the debut single from hotly tipped Manchester band Delphic, a concept edits LP from Optimo, a masterpiece remix from Ewan Pearson and a new In Order To Dance compilation series featuring some of the worlds leading electronic artists.
Watch this space for further information.
R&S Records - Back To The Future!
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