Return of a Classic: R&S Records

Return of a Classic: R&S Records

26 March, 2010 | 7.00AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: r&s;

There aren’t many labels with a history as deep or rich as that of R&S Records. Founded in 1984 by Renaat Vandepapelier and Sabine Maes, R&S defined some of the most important sounds of the ‘90s, with a roster including Joey Beltram, Model 500, Aphex Twin, Jam & Spoon, and many more.

Based in Belgium, R&S and its equally influential ambient sub-label, Apollo, were instrumental in bringing together sounds from around the world, reflecting electronic music’s global spread and mutable essence. Hard techno, deep house, drum & bass, ambient, IDM, downtempo and even avant-pop all found a home under R&S’ roomy umbrella.

Lying low for most of the ‘00s, R&S revived in 2008 with a series of classic reissues, and in 2009, with new A&R from London’s Dan Foat and Andy Whittaker, they began the next phase of their journey. Amidst the material released since then, dancefloor smashers from Radio Slave and the Chain alternate with more eclectic fare from Delphic and Cortney Tidwell, reflecting the label’s diverse tastes (and tight quality control).

We asked Renaat and Dan to highlight some key releases from the label’s past, present and future. Read on for their comments, audio samples, and some droolworthy announcements, including news about the forthcoming debut artist album from one of French house’s most legendary producers.

Renaat Vandepapelier’s R&S classics

Joey Beltram ‘Beltram Volume 1’ (1990)

I found his first cut on a white label, called him, and invited him to Belgium to record in our studio. He agreed straightaway, so we were witnesses of the birth of ‘Energy Flash’ and other great anthems Joey did!

Aphex Twin: ‘Digeridoo’ ‘Xylem Tube’ and ‘Selected Ambient Works ‘85-92’ (1992)

‘Analogue Bubble Bath’ did it for me. Again, I found it on a white label, invited James to Belgium and he came with a box full of cassettes that we listened to! The hard material was mindblowing at the time, and also the ‘Selected Ambient Works’ material was found in that box! Amazing, what a talent he is.

Model 500 ‘Classics’ (1993)

Derrick May’s ‘It Is What It Is’ blew me away with its soulful techno. I called Derrick and he flew over with Carl Craig, and he did his first session in a Belgian studio. Of course it was all one big family, Juan, Carl, Derrick, so that’s how we came in contact. The music from Detroit was so innovative and positive, I felt in love in a split second.

Jacob’s Optical Stairway ‘Jacob’s Optical Stairway’ (1995)

I followed drum & bass in London, went to a lot of Bukem’s sets when he was still unknown. He played tunes by Jacob’s Optical Stairway, and they were awesome. So they ended up doing this historical album for us.

Ken Ishii ‘Jelly Tones’ (1995)

I met Ken in Amsterdam and proposed that he do some tunes for us. On the 10th anniversary of R&S, Ken was performing, and by some accident, the computers went mad, but at the same time ‘Extra’ was born, and I told him straight away, “Ken, this is a major tune, man.” Ken sound’s was unique at that time—inspired by Detroit, he made up a new sound of his own!

Sun Electric ‘Present’ (1996)

I heard the first Sun Electric track, ‘O’locco’, in Cannes via Mr. Modo, and what a tune that was. Apollo, was not created for any of those artists (Sun Electric, Aphex or Locust), though. Apollo is the counterbalance of R&S, meaning not directly dance music—it can be anything, from rock, to jazz, to experimental electronics. Everything I like can fit on there, as simple as that. R&S is mainly dancefloor oriented, in all forms of club music.

Mark Van Hoen ‘Playing with Time’ (1998)

A much underrated artist and video performer, way before his time. It’s a shame—he did (and does) such awesome music.

Thomas Fehlmann ‘Good Fridge’ (1998)

Thomas was a great friend of Sun Electric, so it was just natural that Thomas would do his own work on Apollo. Through him I met the Orb’s Alex Paterson… What a time!

Dan Foat’s future R&S

Radio Slave ‘Eyes Wide Open / Incognito’

I knew Matt from my time as Assistant Manager of Phonica Records in London. His 12” was the perfect release to kick-start the label, it had the hallmarks of a classic R&S release whilst sounding contemporary enough to connect with the dance in 2008.

My initial plan was to release more techno but it quickly became apparent that it would be impossible to top what Renaat achieved in the ‘90s with the vast amount of boring, 10-minute-plus minimal techno tracks being sent to the R&S HQ. Matt captured the vibe of the label perfectly with this release—in my opinion, his finest dancefloor hour.

Outlander ‘Vamp (Prins Thomas Diskomix)’

I’ve always been wary of labels cashing in on remixes of classic back catalogue titles, so I was over the moon when Thomas sent me the first demo of his ‘Vamp’ mix, less than 48 hours after I asked him to do it. The live drums give it a totally different vibe whilst retaining the energy of the original.

I gave Ed from the Chemical Brothers the premaster and he came back from a gig in Italy saying it was the biggest tune of the night—from then on it had DJs from all genres picking up on it. A true underground party tune and a tremendous remix of a classic track.

James Blake ‘CMYK’ EP

James is from another planet, and this will be one of the defining electronic releases of 2010. I’ve been developing James over the past year and he is about to blow up. He draws influence from the dubstep/bass scene, and with each release he continues to redefine modern electronic music with his startling arrangements and classically trained musicianship.

His ‘CMYK’ EP will be released in May with a second extended EP to follow in the summer. All four tracks are stunning, raising barriers set by the likes of Aphex Twin and Derrick May on R&S in the early ‘90s. He really is that good! Such a nice young man too.

Pariah ‘Orpheus’/’Detroit Falls’

In July 2009 a friend alerted me to a blog containing the tune ‘Detroit Falls’, a Dilla-esque hip-hop joint fresh out of Logic 7, yet containing enough magic to direct my attention to MySpace, where I found ‘Orpheus’, a classic sounding future-garage/2-step hybrid.

This would make up Pariah’s R&S debut released in March 2010. We have taken Arthur under our wing, with my studio partner Nathan Boddy offering him expert advice on production techniques ,and he is now blossoming into a real talent and a great addition to the R&S family.

Pariah will be releasing an extended EP in June, which will showcase his depth and versatility, covering Levon Vincent style house, Joy Orbison-esque dubstep, emotive beatless pieces and downtempo hip-hop jams.

Pepe Bradock ‘Untitled’ LP

I first met Pepe when I DJ’d with him at the Key in London. I was always a massive fan of his productions and stayed in contact with him, later offering him a chance to record his debut album on R&S.

He is a great fan of R&S so it wasn’t hard to persuade him to come on board, and having both grown up working in record stores, we shared a common interest in the preservation of vinyl culture.

It’s mad to think that this will be his debut artist album as he has been around for such a long time. His maverick production style and all around genius make this one of the most exciting prospects in electronic music in years.

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