Anthony Shakir At Juno Download

Review: Ah yes, whilst Angello, Axwell and Ingrosso amuse all with their 21st century update on Spinal Tap, Rush Hour drop a timely reminder about the real Swedish House Mafia, enlisting Skudge and MRSK to take apart some Frictionalism classics and piece them back together in their own distinct fashion. The ever mysterious Skudge are up first stripping Shakir's classic "Floorfiller" of it's emotive keys and twisting the remains into the sort of highly pressurised, relentless, twisting reverberant industrial thumper you'd expect from the elusive Scandinavian collective. Impressive as that is, MRSK provides an even better take on "Travelers" transforming the future abstractions of Shakir's original track into something dark, sensual and pulsing with an intensity that's comparable to Robert Hood at his finest.

Review: Kyle Hall aside, it’s hard to pick two up-and-coming producers better suited to the task of giving Anthony Shake Shakir’s off kilter Detroitisms a contemporary tweak than FaltyDL and Space Dimension Controller. In the first of two Rush Hour-curated releases, Belfast youngster SDC, fresh off a stunning EP released on resurgent Belgian imprint R&S, turns his intergalactic remixing hand on the seminal "Detroit State Of Mind", first released in 1998. He slows down the tempo here, opting for slo-mo, bubbling synths, claps and a vintage analogue electro-disco funk melodies that are fast becoming the SDC signature sound. FaltyDL (real name Drew Lustman) meanwhile remixes "Assimilated". Despite being based in New York, Falty’s sound has its roots in the UK, with his releases displaying a clear affection for dubstep, funky and old-school garage as well as house. On this effort he goes for a dense, layered approach, with snare hits busily chopping and changing direction amid a flurry of analogue squiggles, with a bassline groove that is slowed down, tweaked and generally messed with in an insouciant manner that would no doubt make Shakir smile. More than merely a nice idea for a remix project, this release serves as a neat snapshot of what electronic music is all about in 2010: a fertile breeding ground between genres, eras and continents, with one foot respectfully planted in the past and the other holding the door open for the future.

Review: The second vinyl sampler for Rush Hour's essential Anthony Shakir retrospective finally comes to download, and again it's an essential purchase for fans of high quality house and techno. Lead cut "Arise" - originally released way back in 1998 - is particularly inspirational example of Detroit techno at its rich and emotional best, all touchy-feely synths, tumbling riffs and star-gazing beats. There's more soft centred piano love on the shuffling "Simpatico", while "The Fake Left, Go Right Plan" pushes the groove into the red in its pursuit of stripped-back perfection. Then there's "Mr Gone Is Back Again", as melancholic a Detroit techno track as you'd wish to find.

Review: The third part of Rush Hour's essential Anthony 'Shake' Shakir retrospective comes to digital download. As with previous instalments, it's an impressive collection, and one that brilliantly demonstrates the breadth and depth of Shakir's musical palette. There is, of course, some pure Detroit techno - in this case the sublime galactic funk of "For The Lamanted" - and something a little rougher ("Frictionalized"). But there's also some delicious old skool house bump (the wonderful "I Get A Feeling", which will send shivers down the spine of punters of a certain age) and, most impressively, a tech-jazz wig-out that sounds like early Recloose given the Shakir treatment ("Assimilated"). Essential as ever.

Review: Rush Hour's trawl through the back catalogue of the irreplaceable Anthony 'Shake' Shakir comes to an end with a final three-track romp. As with the previous three releases, every track is nigh on essential. This time round, there's a much more obvious funk swing to proceedings, with all three tracks displaying clear soul and disco influences. The relentless military snares and Rhodes riffs of "The Other One" particularly impresses, but there's also little to call between the Detroit techno meets NY disco pomp of "Plugged In" and the simple pleasures of "The Floorfiller". In many ways, it doesn't matter; like the rest of the series, the whole EP is an essential purchase.