Since its inception in the late 90s, Rush Hour has become one of Europe’s most revered record stores and labels. Yet, regardless of its success, the philosophy of the Amsterdam institution has always remained the same. Founded by Antal, their brilliance lies its unyielding passion and desire to showcase diverse and distinctive music, unbounded by genre, age or trends.
With a fascinating line-up featuring Neroli boss Volcov and Japanese house legend Soichi Terada, the Rush Hour takeover of Corisca Studios, presented by Tief, showed this open-minded and eclectic approach could also be translated to the club environment. The crowd were already in good spirits as Volcov expertly warmed up the main room with his signature brand of classic broken beat and dubby grooves. The Italian showcased a masterclass in building a sense of fervent anticipation and tension as he began to tease the crowd with a jazzy sample or disco baselines toward the end of his set which lay the perfect platform for Terada to follow. Glenn Underground was a dominant fixture, with ‘I Am Not In Love’ proving a notable highlight.
As Soichi began his live set, the atmosphere become increasingly animated and there was a fanatical level of excitement that’s rarely been experienced inside Corsica to such a degree. Dressed in his trademark floral shirt with a wide smile etched across his face all evening, the reception seemed to even overwhelm Terada himself as he bowed to the audience.
Admittedly, at times it was hard to tell how ‘live’ his set actually was as the Far East Recording legend danced around in the booth with his hands in the air, whilst his music was still playing background. Yet none of that mattered. To hear ‘Low Tension’, ‘Sunshower’ and ‘Do It Again’ on one of the best sound system in London, played by the man himself was a joy to behold.
When the night seemed like it couldn’t get any better, Rush Hour boss Antal stepped up to the decks. In the absence of Ron Trent, he played an extended four hour set which weaved effortlessly through multiple moods and genres. Beginning with spiky acid house and soulful techno before embarking on a stunning journey through afrobeat, Japanese disco (for more check out a list of his Japanese favourites) and balearic gems straight from the DJ Harvey handbook. He played the best set I have heard for a very long time and it was a fitting end to a flawless night of music, which will have certainly won the Amsterdam label a legion of new fans. Salute to Tief for making this happen.
Our dancefloor detective kept an ear out for what was played and picked ten of the best across the evening. Listen above.
