Premiere: Rushmore – “Silent Melody”

Throughout a series of free releases and EPs for the likes of Unknown to the Unknown and his own Trax Couture imprint, Rushmore has gained a penchant for crafting the sort of free wheeling club tracks that defy both time and genre. The free “Air Trax” series is the perfect example of the London-resident’s stripped-back approach and resembles something in between the raw, feverous energy of ghetto house and the tightly-wound proficiency of UK techno. Unlike many of his contemporaries Rushmore doesn’t stab at concepts of futurism or technological progress, instead working towards the sort of machine-led dance floor proficiency that originally led to the rise of dance music in Chicago. Rushmore’s newest EP, his third on Trax Couture, is raucous at times, but also sees Rushmore adopt some of the paranoiac spirit that pervades much of the capital city’s output. Kicks, toms and stomp boxes are still in order for much of HOT004, but so are cut up violin bits (akin to Dark0’s recent work) and other video game soundtrack-derived melodic content. “Silent Melody” still embodies the gleeful linearity of Rushmore’s past productions, but trades in ghetto house for Jersey club’s rumbling kick pattern and grime’s melodrama. It’s metallic and slightly obsessive in its repetitious melody, source material drawn directly from post-Olympic East London, but also from the growing figurative diaspora of UK and American club sounds. HOT004 will be out on vinyl and digital on October 20, but can be pre-ordered through the Trax Couture website now.