R&S Records

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 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. It’s catalogue 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 the relaunch of R&S, releasing a number of re-mastered classic albums, and remixes of classics from the likes of Audion, Prins Thomas, Tom Middleton, Optimo and Boyz Noise. But the label is not about looking to the past, it’s continuing it’s tradition of releasing brand new, cutting edge music. Since the relaunch the label has re-positioned itself again as one of the most forward thinking electronic labels with the new roster featuring the likes of James Blake, Pariah, Space Dimension Controller, Blawan, Lone, Vondelpark, Model 500, Tessela, Paul White and Airhead. R&S is not associated with the Ferrari brand and the prancing horse logo of R&S embodies the freedom of dance.