Published
Thu, Jan 14, 2010, 17:00
- Eric Lewis and Merwyn Sanders seminal Chicago house outfit will have their first and only full-length re-released in March.
Rush Hour will kick off their season of reissues from the legendary Trax label with Eric Lewis and Merwyn Sanders' Virgo album.
The Chicago-based pair may not have been the most prolific producers, but what they did release has gone on to be regarded as some of the best house music of all time by musicians and fans alike. Originally released as two separate EPs on the Trax label back in 1989 (the second under the banner of M.E. instead of Virgo), the pair's futuristic but soulful deep house was quickly picked up by UK imprint Radical Records, who compiled both 12-inches onto a single album release. Although the first of the Trax singles has been re-released, with individual tracks also being included on a number of compilations, the Rush Hour release will be the first time that lesser known cuts such as "School Hall," "Never Want to Lose You" and "All the Time" have been remastered and available to purchase again, with all eight tracks being spread over a double vinyl release. There will also be a limited edition CD package, with Rush Hour also set to distribute the tracks digitally.
Full details of Rush Hour's Trax reissue programme have yet to be revealed in full, but we can inform you that there will be ten to fifteen 12-inches that will be remastered and issued again following the release of the Virgo LP. The first will be a full replica edition of Ron Hardy and Vince Lawrence's ultra-rare "Sensation" single, which was originally released back in 1985. Copies of the '98 reissue continue to command high prices on sites like Discogs and eBay—no doubt due to the inconsistent pressing quality of the Trax originals—so collectors should be happy to see it made available at an affordable price. The only other release that we have details of at the moment compiles tracks from Jamie Principle, and Chicago house fans will no doubt be excited to hear that the much-feted unreleased mix of "Bad Boy" will finally see the light of day on vinyl alongside the original mix and "It's a Cold World." The final inclusion is Eric Lewis and Merwyn Sanders' "Let Your Body Talk", which was originally released on Trax subsidiary Saber under their Ace & The Sandman guise.
Tracklist
01. Do You Know Who You Are?
02. In A Vision
03. Going Thru Life
04. Take Me Higher
05. Ride
06. School Hall
07. Never Want To Lose You
08. All The Time
Rush Hour will release Virgo in early March 2010.