Rush Hour

Limited gatefold edition of 500 copies, including bonus 7" (Carlos Niño & Friends, Ivan 'Mamão’ Conti and WaH-ChU-KU)Rush Hour announces their second artist compilation Patchwork, curated by one of the label’s most loved family members, Sassy J. The Swiss DJ is the very embodiment of passion and long-standing dedication to the craft of the DJing, but also to the community surrounding the music that she lives and breathes. For the past fourteen years Sassy J has run the Patchwork night in her native Bern and in London, with guests ranging from Theo Parrish and Little Dragon to Floating Points and MF Doom invited to share their respective musical visions. Her collaborative approach stands out in a DJ world that is too often weighted in favour of promoting the individual. This compilation grows out that unique sensitivity, foregrounding a theory of curation that centres on long-term bonds, articulated through Sassy J’s personal relationships with the contributing artists.Patchwork speaks to the grass roots values that Sassy J espouses, showcasing music by many of the artists that have joined her throughout the years in clubs, on the radio, and at home. It is an expression of Sassy J’s individual musical path that casts its gaze firmly in the future: Patchwork is made up almost entirely of new and unreleased songs that are exclusive to this collection. Patchwork captures a sound that has continued to evolve in its restless search for new musical directions. Across thirteen tracks we find forward thinking electronic music rubbing elbows with cosmic jazz and deep percussion workouts from Brazil and beyond.There are irresistible calls to the dancefloor: 2000 Black’s UK boogie and the syncopated rhythms of WaH-chU-kU nod to the West London sound, whilst the early rave of Nu Era and Aardvarck’s sub-rattling techno channel the grittier edges of the club experience. We find machine music imbued with humanity in Larry Heard’s deep house classic “Survivor” and in Ron Trent’s WARM project, whose gentle breeze points to a different side of the legendary producer. Patchwork also opens a more immersive listening space in which the radical indie soul of Georgia Anne Muldrow, the ambient spiritual jazz of bandleader Carlos Niño & Friends, and the lament for the Amazon rainforest by Azymuth’s drummer Ivan Conti can channel the overall spirit of group interplay and solidarity. Patchwork also includes Sassy J’s collaboration with veteran producer Alex Attias, marking her own place in a universe that is held together by her singular thread.

Heat in two Belgian flavors! Check out the Zaïrian electronic dance floor banger “Nakombe Nga” by Les Choc Stars. Comes with the dope, largely unheard Belgium new beat version on the flip from the Teknokrat's. Both tracks were originally released in 1989 and this is the first time they appear together on 12". Reissue co-curated with renowned record fiend John Gomez.The music on this winning double-sider was written by Tony Baron and Gery François, two Belgian producers that were involved in several musical projects on the New Beat scene in the 1980s. They worked under many aliases and recorded the Teknokrat’s haunting “What Did She Say?” at the famous Studio Madeleine in Brussels in 1989. Prompted by Jean Martin from Espera Records, Baron adapted the music into a further two songs to be released that year, Virginity’s melancholic “The Key”, and the surprising but ear catching collaboration with the label’s soukous stars, Ben Nyamabo’s Les Choc Stars Du Zaire. It is still a mystery how the seeds were planted for the one-off pairing that culminated in the electronic soukous bomb “Nakombe Nga”. What is certain is that it is set to light up dancefloors worldwide.

Late 80s South African dance floor winners only! Selected by DJ Okapi and Antal, the compilation holds tracks by Jivaro, The Hard Workers, Ayobayo Band, S.Y.B. & many more. This is the sharp electronic music that fuelled the local Pantsula dances during the 80s and 90s . A must have for fans of Bubblegum and Kwaito music.The 12 tracks selected for Pantsula! come from a very unique, very different time and place. They represent the birth of electronic dance music in South Africa, through the songs of one particular independent label from the time: Music Team. The sound represents the culmination of the bubblegum era, when South Africa’s disco artists outgrew their American influences and forged an increasingly electronic and ‘local’ pop sound.Evolving over time since long before the 80s, the distinctly South African subculture of Pantsula is more closely associated with an attitude, a style and a signature dance, rather than any specific sound. In the late 1980s and early 90s, Pantsula was also the name given to a new type of dance music taking over the streets of South Africa, influenced by earlier bubblegum and the rise of Shangaan Disco, but with a far broader appeal and a harder, purely electronic sound.

South African house and synth-funk from the kwaito era by the legendary Senyaka Kekana. The unexpected deep house jam "Bayanyonyoba (1993)" and the illustrious soul song "Don't Judge Me Bad (1987)" are big RH favorites. Original copies are absolutely impossible to find, now released on 12inch for the first time. Beautiful sleeve by Stenze Quo! Esa Williams - "I had the pleasure of performing alongside Senyaka at the Alexander Theatre, Johannesburg back in 2012 which would have probably been his last most iconic gig before his passing in 2015. These two tracks really showcase the sounds of South Africa around the early to late 80’s, the influences from American synth pop and House that would then lead later into many of these records being played at the wrong speed which ultimately became the original Kwaito sound from South Africa."Kwaito is not just a form of house music, it’s also about the way South Africans dress, talk and dance. The lifestyle took shape in Soweto and gained popularity throughout the cities and townships of South Africa during the nineties. In the backdrop of a transforming South Africa, this slow, loud and striking form of house music emerged just before Nelson Mandela took office as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Kwaai meaning hot, kicking - kwaito is a style in which the sung, rapped and shouted lyrics played a prominent part to mobilise the youth and push for change.The late Senyaka's 1987 album Fuquza (Dance) was years ahead of its time and gave rise to his reputation as a forerunner of the kwaito sound. The album includes "Don't Judge Me Bad" as well as "African Rap" and "Go Away". Later, in 1993, with South Africa on the cusp of democracy and the kwaito movement about to explode into the mainstream, Senyaka cemented his position with the release of his landmark album Ma-Gents, which included the song “Bayanyonyoba”.Regarded as one of the first African rappers, this pioneering artist was best known for his eccentric, controversial lyrics - delivered with a bold and at times funny approach that endeared him to many fans. Outside music, Senyaka also grew in popularity thanks to his roles as an actor, including in the popular homegrown film Moruti wa Tsotsi and the television comedy Ashifa Shabba.The emblematic artist successfully reinvented himself during his career, which led to divergent works. Senyaka’s versatile character shines through in this release as well. “Bayanyonyoba” is a soulful, loud but dreamy South African house gem, whilst “Don’t Judge Me Bad” is a more introverted electronic soul song.

Cult Japanese Reggae/ Cosmic Dub LP. Featuring an all star line up including: Sly & Robbie, Augustus Pablo, Minako Yoshida + core members of Soul Syndicate and The Wailers. Direct reissue of this 1980 original. Next stop in RH store's Japan series!

BACK IN STOCK !!!Sought after boogie tune from Japan now reissued in limited 7inch format. Only 800 copies of these will be pressed. b/w the midtempo boogie tune "Live Hard, Live Free"....