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| Pitchfork |
 It says something about the state of electronic dance music that my favorite aspect of Rush Hour Presents Amsterdam All Stars is the fact that "Vol. 1" doesn't follow its title. Not that a second volume would be unwelcome; it's that we're in the midst of a run in which most compilations (from the big houses, at least) are weighty, extra-long attempts to define a genre, rep a label, or map a career. They are, in other words, short historical arcs offered by a scene that is still learning how to manage its past. In this context, All Stars is a breath of fresh air, purporting to offer nothing more than a glimpse of the current house music talent operating in or originating from Amsterdam, Rush Hour's home base since 1997.The 12 exclusive tracks offered here are, as advertised, a set of raucous, 4/4 shakers born in the 1980s in Chicago but possessing updated wardrobes. Given the label it's hardly a surprise, but it bears mentioning that All Stars has absolutely nothing to do with the squeaky arena-fodder known as "Dirty Dutch" or Dutch House. All Stars might plausibly be presented as an alternative were it not for the fact that the very existence of labels like Rush Hour and their fanbases are testaments to the desire for substitutes. (If a massive Afrojack fan hears this comp and has her eureka moment, I'll swear off colored vinyl for a year.) On the whole All Stars is dense and bold, casting off any minimalist impulses in favor of buzzy machinations that rely on manicured loops in lieu of samples. I hesitate to describe this as an "Amsterdam sound," as it's more likely the result of a youth-oriented lineup. Dexter, Melon, and Newworldaquarium constitute the old guard here, the latter's "Liberty Hot" being the comp's most sexual and incisive rhythm. But really the show is in the hands of contemporaries like Tom Trago, whose foggy, see-sawing "Once Upon a Time in Amsterdam" stirs my urban Euro fetishism, and the perpetually on-the-verge Juju & Jordash, whose brushed-steel drum programming is refreshingly aggressive. The standout newcomer is Maxi Mill, a producer confident enough to stop momentum mid-track to make way for a burr-laden bassline....full text |
| Xlr8r |
| Founded in the late '90s, Rush Hour Recordings got its start not as a label, but as a record store and mail order catalogue. Through these beginnings, it acted as a vital link between Amsterdam and the world, importing the then-booming sounds of techno and deep house into the Dutch capital. Since then, Rush Hour has become much more than just a record store, and now, it's a highly respected label that not only disseminates the deeper side of Dutch house, but also has come to stand as one of house music's most reliable brands, with compilations and releases from such international heavy hitters as Carl Craig, Daniel Wang, and Anthony "Shake" Shakir. Yet, while the label has moved beyond regionalism, Rush Hour Presents: Amsterdam All Stars, its latest release, is an attempt to showcase the current scene of the city in which Rush Hour first made its mark. A 12-song compilation, Rush Hour Presents: Amsterdam All Stars features exclusive works by both native Amsterdammers and those directly related to the scene. As such, the compilation serves as a snapshot of what's currently happening in the city's underground dance music scene. It's an excellent release that mimics the scope of the label by offering up tracks that stretch from peak time to home-listening material. Things start off strong with the trippy, mid-tempo groove of San Proper's "Caught on You," which floats Mick Jagger-like vocal chants over a baroque disco-edit backdrop. From there, all bets are off as the compilation veers into the paranoid—and almost UK-garage sounding—techno of Maxi Mill's "In No time." The disparity between these two initial tunes is felt throughout the compilation, which seems to revel in contradicting any sense of stylistic cohesion. Chunky tracks (think Aardvarck's "Just Washed That Pig") like Simon Weiss' "Amsterdam Wave" and Melon's "Telephones" are neatly balanced out by jazzy and stoned head-nodders like Awanto 3's "Crappy Joyride" (what a name) and Young Marco's "Hoodoo."...full text |
| Residentadvisor |
| While Rush Hour certainly hasn't shied away from releasing native talent, it's never exactly been about hometown hubris. That finally changes with Amsterdam All-Stars, a compilation that groups together a formidable smattering of local artists and posits Amsterdam as a haven for all kinds of the four-to-the-floor stuff: classic-sounding house, deep house, house-verging-on-techno—you name a style, it's probably here in some form or another. Take the opening run: through San Proper's humid funk-guitar groover "Caught On You" and Maxi Mill's disorienting but soulful "No Time," this isn't your average collection of house orthodoxy. Not that there isn't more traditionally-inclined house to be found. Tom Trago's permanently-bubbling-under "Once Upon a Time in Amsterdam," Melon's vivacious raver "Telephones" and Simon Weiss's piano plonker "Amsterdam Wave" are about as accessible and likeable as house can get, even if they're still underlaid with offbeat touches and bizarre sounds (the piano on "Wave" sounds acrid and warbly). A collection as much about highlighting underdogs like Maxi Mill and Awanto3 (whose "Crappy Joyride" is the record's quirkiest track, a welcome diversion), Amsterdam All-Stars' best moments come from those producers who currently find themselves in the midst of a hot streak. Dexter's "Zamba" initially poses as a shuffling Latin-inflected number before a rude fuzz-bassline invades the tune in typically irreverent fashion, quickly turning feverish and unstable. Ever-out-there duo Juju & Jordash throw a wrench into the compilation's final stretch with their "Bleached Roots," made up of queasy, hard-panned hats and a lopsided jackhammer march that somehow feels both militantly rigid and ramshackle. NWAQ provides one of his loosest productions in a while, "Hot Liberty" suspending breakbeats in a sauna with appropriately steamy porno samples, almost managing to transcend its gimmick but proving a pile of big dumb fun either way. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Amsterdam All-Stars is how truly timeless it all sounds: a collection of mostly new tracks by current producers, it still sounds utterly unconcerned with sounding "up-to-date" or futurist. The tracks are spacious, the drums are huge and the melodies are upfront, but that's the only unifying factor here: there's nothing particularly trendy about any of this. As if to cleanse the palate after NWAQ's raunchy racket, the compilation closes with Young Marco's "Hoodoo," the simplest, prettiest track here, all cheap glossy textures and skipping beats, a gentle reminder that Rush Hour is never quite what we might want to think it is....full text |
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