R & S Records VS. Plus 8 Records Ltd.

[rino]

Hard one. For me, at least, as the two record label names above mark for me the nucleus of electronic music. Not that there isn't stuff out there which isn't as important, worth checking out or something similar, but these two have, in my humble opinion, surpassed everything else, and when I say everything else, I imply stuff like KMS, Transmat, Tresor, Cocoon, Warp and all the other known giants.

 

What do you think/say?

 

My pick is, and always was: Plus 8 Records Ltd.

 

Even though their discography is notably smaller than the one of R & S, they had the knack of releasing stuff which sounded just like something I had hoped for. R & S had torrents of classics, undeniable and unforgettable gems, tunes which signaled changes and ignited revolutions, marked the end of many trends and started just as many new ones, but what it all comes down to is that Plus 8 churned out one album which jump started as many revolutions in my bed room as R & S couldn't help start on a global scale, figuratively speaking naturally. Plus 8 is the label which introduced me to both, Richie Hawtin and Jochem George Paap, both of which are (music wise) the pivotal personalities of my life. As if that on its own wasn't enough, they also introduced me to Kenny Larkin, who would later on cement his name as a techno legend through his releases on R & S. Hell, PLus 8 is responsibe for Plastikman's boom, and releasing F.U.S.E.'s "Dimension intrusion", such unforgettable 12" as Final Exposure, V-Room, Gravitational Arch Of 10, etc., the legendary compilations "From our minds to yours", moving on to their recenter flirt with minimal, like Alex Under's "Collage" and Beyer's "A walking contradiction". I won't even bother to explain my feelings towards Probe (the harder side of Plus 8...). All in all, maybe not an impressive load of releases (quantity wise), but as far as quality goes + nostalgic value + personal value = Plus 8 wins out, big time! All I need is the kick off sound of Pull Over and I know where my heart is

 

On the other hand, R & S... Starting from The Savage And Beaond, the first track I ever heard off this label, they have had virtually every artist who was somebody on the scene release a track under their flag. Not everybody, naturally, I was only taking it too far for the sake of stressing out their extensive influence on the scene, but check the record; DJ Hell, Jam & Spoons's Stella, making Ken Ishii a star, Mundo Muzique, Joey Beltram, CJ Bolland, both of Detroit's heroes, Juan Atkins and Carl Craig and a few of their aliases, Josh Wink's turbo hit Meditation Will Manifest, and a slew of other classics which became classics in the first place because they were licensed to R & S. You know what?

It's arguable and understandable that one might appreciate R & S, mainly due to an overwhelming amount of block busting hits and bangers they've released, but hey, what is it all worth if Plus 8 did it more for me with a fistful of vinyls I won't forget or neglect even if I got brain washed.

 

Your turn, I'm off to bed after the match is over. Rise and shine tomorrow morning, work awaits the unfortunate ones!

[NEMO.BOFH]

Well, I could not decide to be honest. They both have qualities and classics that are equally good. Releases from Robert Leiner, CJ Bolland and Sonic Solution etc etc were groundbreaking, but then on the other hand, Plastikman, Sysex, F.U.S.E. etc etc were equally good. 2 different sets of artists more or less, so its impossible to compare. It comes down to taste in the end. I mean, I could not compare Harthouse to Dragonfly for example... could you?

[yerg]

R&S Records for me.

 

Seems people don't pay as much attention to oldschool techno as to oldschool goa. Well they should've - because sometimes techno can be surprisingly psychedelic.

I still have to explore Plus8 Records.

I'm now reviving my R&S archives and something from Tresor.

 

Classic and fave releases from R&S would be:

Jaydee - Plastic Dreams

Aphex Twin - Didgeridoo

CJ Bolland - Camargue

Model 500 - I Wanna Be There

 

I also liked Joey Beltram's "Energy Flash" in the past - but heard it recently and it was meh.

 

I could not compare Harthouse to Dragonfly for example... could you?

Good point.

 

I heard a very small amount of Plus8 so can't judge properly.

[Lemmiwinks]

definately R&S (a bit of national pride is in order here since they're from Belgium ) Listening to their classic collection reminds me many great nights I've spent in Belgian clubs from when the underground scene was practically inexistent in these part.