COVERCHORD CULTURE
Rainbow Disco Club 2023
COLLABORATION with RUSH HOUR / nonnative
AFTER HOURS & CHILL OUT TUNES
First-ever triple collaboration product
Plus exclusive playlists by members of Rush Hour
Release date: Saturday, 15th April
Japan's most beloved dance music festival, Rainbow Disco Club, is back again this year in Izu.
The festival, which has become a cultural phenomenon since its inception, will also be celebrating Rush Hour’s 25th anniversary. To mark the occasion, several members of the Dutch record label will be taking over the final day of the festival, promising a night of bangers that will keep you moving until the sun comes up.
This year, Rainbow Disco Club and Rush Hour have teamed up with nonnative to create something truly special for fans of the festival. For the first time ever, the three brands have collaborated to create limited edition long and short-sleeve t-shirts to commemorate the event, which will be available exclusively on COVERCHORD.
Alongside these special items, we asked members of Rush Hour to curate playlists of their favorite tunes to listen to after a big night out. So whether you're a seasoned club-goer or a newcomer to the world of dance music, there's something for everyone at this year's Rainbow Disco Club festival.
Check out the visuals and sounds below.
Rainbow Disco Club
2023
If you’re looking for a festival that offers a unique blend of dance music and nature, look no further than Rainbow Disco Club, held annually in the lush mountains of the Izu Peninsula in Japan.
This three-day event boasts an impressive lineup of DJs and performers from around the world, and its beautiful location makes it one of the most picturesque festivals on the global scene. Rainbow Disco Club is famous for providing a comfortable atmosphere for all attendees, from artists and dancers to adults and children.
For outdoor enthusiasts and music lovers alike, anyone who has attended would agree that Rainbow Disco Club is a paradise of sorts, offering a truly blissful experience. So mark your calendars for this springtime event and don't miss out on the chance to enjoy the perfect mix of outdoor fun and dance music at one of the world's premier festivals.
Rainbow Disco Club 2023
Location: Higashiizu Cross Country Course
3348 Inatori, Higashiizu-Cho, Kamo-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture
Rainbow Disco Club HP rainbowdiscoclub.com
Ticket： ZAIKO / RA
RUSH HOUR × nonnative
× Rainbow Disco Club
Collaboration Products
The partnership between Rainbow Disco Club and nonnative was formed in 2019 when Antal Heitlager, founder of Rush Hour, and a headliner at the festival that year, was impressed by a nonnative T-shirt.
From that moment, the partnership has continued to thrive due to their shared passion for creativity and love for music, culminating in their latest project: a triple-name collaboration to celebrate Rush Hour’s 25th anniversary.
To commemorate the occasion, the three brands teamed up to create an exclusive T-shirt available in short and long sleeve styles, made with high-quality 100% cotton fabric in three classic colors: black, white, and charcoal. Original graphics adorn the back of the shirt, while the names of the three brands that represent the collaboration are printed on the left chest and long sleeve.
The design is simple yet eye-catching, perfect for those who love to express their support for their favorite brands, whether at the festival itself or in their daily wear.
RUSH HOUR × nonnative
× Rainbow Disco Club
LS TEE
RUSH HOUR × NONNATIVE
× RAINBOW DISCO CLUB
LS TEE
Price_¥9,000
Color_WHITE, CHARCOAL, BLACK
Size_M, L, XL, 2XL
RUSH HOUR × nonnative
× Rainbow Disco Club
SS TEE
RUSH HOUR × NONNATIVE
× RAINBOW DISCO CLUB
SS TEE
Price_¥7,000
Color_WHITE, CHARCOAL, BLACK
Size_M, L, XL, 2XL
Release date: Saturday, 15th April
AFTER HOURS & CHILL OUT TUNES
for RDC 2023
Selected by
RUSH HOUR Artists
Founded in 1997 as a small record store in Amsterdam, Rush Hour has expanded to label, distributor, party organizer, and all-round purveyor of dance music culture.
Committed to discovering rare beats and supporting the next generation of artists, Rush Hour continues to play an important role in the modern scene, transcending genres, tempos, generations, and borders.
It's a milestone year for Rush Hour as the iconic record label celebrates its 25th anniversary. To mark the occasion, they'll be taking over the final day of the upcoming Rainbow Disco Club 2023 festival - an event that's already causing excitement and anticipation among fans.
Ahead of the festival, COVERCHORD asked five Rush Hour artists to curate a playlist of their favorite tracks. The theme of the playlist is AFTER HOURS & CHILL OUT TUNES, which promises to be the perfect soundtrack for festival-goers looking to cool down after a long day of dancing.
ANTAL
2_Yakandi / Fatoumata Diawara
3_Straight To The Point
Bon Voyage Hatoba / Chu Kosaka
5_Inkululeko / Thandi Ntuli
Antal
Antal is the founder of the world-renowned and highly influential record label Rush Hour and its sub-label Kindred Spirits. The record store and label represent a vast range of musical genres, from avant-garde techno/house to re-issues of long-forgotten classics and everything in between. His philosophy is reflected in his DJ style, the wealth and depth of his knowledge mean you never know what you will hear next. Since starting his DJ career in 1996, he has played all over Europe, Australia, Asia, and the U.S., preferring serious equipment such as E&S or Rane rotary mixers and Dope Real isolators to play his sets.
Instagram_@antalheitlager
Sound Cloud_antalrushhour
HUNEE
2_Present Voice / Software
3_Japon / Lucas Croon
4_When I Give My Love To You / Michael Franks
5_Todo Homem (Ao Vivo) / Caetano Veloso
An energy that needs to be met and kept and transformed.
The inner voice is calling for this.
Something rather pleasant pushes you into the next moment, it takes you by the hand.
A song to tell it like it is, and it is felt the right way.
You close your eyes and there are goosebumps and a safe landing. Be well my friend!
HUNEE
Hunee pretty much operates on his own terms, in his own world. Since a first release in 2009 he has been in no rush to make it big, but instead has slowly seeped out into the world his choice cuts of rhythmically playful and super-soul infused house music on labels like Rush Hour, Future Times and W.T. As a DJ, too, he is tireless and visibly enthusiastic at every gig. His selections are made with a palpable passion and cover a cultured cross section of essentials from house and disco to afro and techno. The music he serves up comes from a place of love and knowledge in equal measure - there are no cheap thrills with Hunee, just pure musical joy.
Instagram_@hunchmusic
Soundcloud_hunee
KAMMA & MASALO
2_I’mm You’mm We’mm (Live) / Miriam Makeba
3_Glass Off / Bernie Leadon
4_Deep Distance / Ashra
5_Make It Last Forever / Inner Life
1_Beautiful release on Music From Memory. Goes very well with making paintings!
2_The feeling of togetherness. So strongly performed by Miriam Makeba.
3_Beautiful vocals on incredibly well-placed instrumentation. The ultimate cool-down.
4_New age classic. Rest in heaven Manuel Göttsching.
5_Jocelyn Brown’s Inner Life and Larry Levan extending it into foreverness. Pure psychedelic.
KAMMA & MASALO
Natural-born DJs Kamma & Masalo have been enriching the Amsterdam scene and beyond with their mind-bending synergy and open-hearted approach to music. Both talented artists in their own right, together they form a phenomenal DJ tag-team with an organic flow and ability to transition effortlessly between contrasting sounds. Their tour de force Dekmantel Boiler Room along a full touring schedule of club and festival appearances has moved and inspired dance music culture around the world.
KAMMA
Instagram_@kammakamma_
Sound Cloud_kmma
MASALO
Instagram_@masalo.music
Sound Cloud_masalo-music
LARS BARTKUHN
2_The Big Wind / Steve Tibbetts
3_Symbiosis, 1st Movement: Moderato.Various Tempi, Pt.3 / Bill Evans
4_Edges Of Illuision / John Surman
5_I Am the Mercury / Jimmie Spheeris
One of my all-time favourite songs. A genius cooperation between Pat and Lyle. Especially the breathtaking arrangement is dynamic like no other music I’m aware of. Every aspect of this piece is unique, the way it sounds, the instrumentation, the melody, and the rhythm. Mindblowing.
One of my favourite ECM artists is Steve Tibbetts. All his records are amazing, but this here is the tune that made me a fan and has a special meaning for me. His music is very calm, not overloaded with hectic rhythms, melodies, and complicated harmonies. Still, everything is super complex on a subtle level and in a strange way, the music is very driving and intense. The arrangements are super clever and totally balanced, all layerings of guitars, (excellent) percussion, and other sounds are off the hook. Steve Tibbetts is a silent genius.
Together with Keith Jarrett Bill Evans is one of my all-time heroes. This album - composed by Claus Ogerman - is an overlooked masterpiece. All these years later it’s still hip and unlike anything else. I chose this Part 3 because it’s one of the moodiest passages of music I’ve ever heard. The harmonies are super intense, dark, and dangerous. Evan’s Rhodes sound here is mesmerizing and delicate and the way he develops and stretched his melodic and rhythmic motif over such a long period of time is just hypnotizing. Like a surreal but still very emotional dream.
Another ECM artist I totally love is John Surman. This tune is a blueprint for me of how synthesizer sequencing with ethereal jazz improvisation can sound like. Of course, Surman is a master musician and he morphs the simple sequence-based song into an epical and high journey. I drew a lot of my inspiration for my more ambient-oriented solo works from him.
A beautiful song. Intense, impressionistic, huge, evocative. Not like your standard pop or singer-songwriter stuff at all.
LARS BARTKUHN
In the mid 90s Lars became fascinated with the deep and soulful side of House music and formed Lamaya Productions and now legendary record label NEEDS (not wants) together with his older brother Marek Bartkuhn and DJ Yannick. Many of Lars Bartkuhn’s productions have been played, charted, and loved to death by DJs around the globe. Some tracks even heralded as true dance floor classics creating a solid, international fan base, one example being "Worlds" by Lars' project "Passion Dance Orchestra".
To date, Lars has produced five solo albums on labels like Sonar Kollektiv, Needs, Ropeadope and Inpartmaint, all of which demonstrate a never-ending creative flow of ideas and artistic diversity, complexity and passion.
In 2021 Lars started to work intensely with Rush Hour. After a couple of singles Rush Hour released a vinyl-retrospective of the NEEDS era which sold out at light speed. Many more releases are already in the pipeline ranging from abstract electronic, new age jazz, Fusion to epic deep house anthems associated with his work during the Needs days.
Instagram_@larsbartkuhn
Bandcamp_larsbartkuhnmusic
SAN PROPER
2_The Torture Never Stops part 1 and 2 / Frank Zappa
3_Walk On By / Isaac Hayes
4_Sex Drive Rhythm / San Proper
5_Sun Touch / Herbie Hancock
1_I'm a sentimental guy, looking ahead. This slow jam is featured on my latest album FEROTONES. I am playing this for the people I have brought back to my place for the after hours, to show off a little bit.
2_This track is really a perfect late-night-gem, taken from his album ZOOT ALLURES. It's one of my favourite tracks by Frank Zappa and has a very sexual flair.
3_This track is obviously a cover version but so well done, listen to the full 12 minute version. I love Aretha Franklin's original hit, as well as The Stranglers and their take on it, but Mr. Hayes really does it, especially during the wee hours.
4_I composed this track quite some years ago and released it on Dekmantel. This sleazy track brings back good memories and still clicks with this late-night selection after all these years.
5_I was 13 years old when I would play this track - including his full album MANCHILD - all the time. It's the first album I got high on. It's also a great soundtrack for a threesome, by the way.
It's also a great soundtrack for a threesome, by the way.
SAN PROPER
He is a famously unpredictable DJ who lays down party-starting sets of House and Disco, Electro, Afro, and Acid.
An esteemed producer in his own right, San‘s productions have become fixtures of highly regarded labels such as Perlon, Dekmantel, and of course Rush Hour. This established Amsterdam artist has roots in playing guitars in various bands, is a frequent collaborator (with artists like Melon, the Mole, Maayan Nidam and many others) and always has time to support worthy talent whenever he spots it. He is now a firm underground favorite who has been headlining key clubs and cult festivals for many years. As such, he is at home playing a high-tech nightbox as he is a dirty basement afterparty. With close ties to the likes of Trouw and Dekmantel, San Proper likes to champion local stars (see his Proper A’dam Family Series for proof) but has also remixed, and been remixed by, such legends as Ricardo Villalobos. He also runs his own Proper’s Cult label and is a regular on Red Light Radio with his soul show.
Instagram_@sanproper
SoundCloud_san-proper