Bleep

Another essential repress from Rush Hour as they foray into the underworld of 90’s UK techno and house. Originally released by Tony Thorpe’s short-lived house label BPM Records in 1990, ‘The Dawn of a New Age’ was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gem that never quite lived up to the fate it should have done. Forever fated to a life as a little-known obscurity, all that’s now set to change, the record sounding as relevant and as futuristic as ever – think Dream 2 Science, Burrell Brothers and other Nu Groove output and you’re some way to understanding this gem of a record. Genre fans may recognise ‘Distant Drums’ as a pirate radio favourite back in 1988 - all upbeat house chords and self-help samples set to mellow breakbeats - but other tracks are just as dazzling, with an early hard house template on the hoover-powered ‘I’m Alive’, pre-Orbital melodic acid on ‘Spheres’ and a Paul Hardcastle-like sample mashup on the title track.Mustafa Ali’s album did incredible things with the most basic of techno palettes; this release is a second chance to grab a slice of dance history.