R & S represents the initials of Renaat & Sabine, the couple that created this quintessential label of the history of the electronic music. Based in Ghent, Belgium, it held the privilege to be located on one of the oldest and most traditional cities of Europe. This city which once used to have a medieval shape changed very suddenly, at the right moment when the machines started to dominate the scenario. Across the streets, you could see a different generation emerging.
but for the three massive cathedrals (St. Peter, St. Baaf and the newer one of Gothic design, St. Nicholas, built in the 13th century), the city passed through a serious transformation since the beginning of the nineties. At that time, a new revolution has attained this Belgian community: the one of the rise of the machines, made mainly through innovation and experimentation, principles that will always remain as the main landmarks of R & S Records.
Created by the visionary Renaat Vandepapeliere and his wife Sabine Maes, R&S recruited almost every single artist of avant-garde essence from late eighties to the first half of the nineties. Renaat’s passion for Ferraris has been notorious, which explained why he initially decided to use the Ferrari logo for the label, probably paying substantial royalties for it, from 1988 to 1989.
This happened in the same period of the New Beat era, a musical styled clearly influenced by EBM and Acid House, but with lower BPMs (the first releases are precisely New Beat ones, but soon the sound flavors would change to something far more technological.
Just to have an idea of the importance of R&S, it was the label that catapulted careers such as the ones of Joey Beltram – first of all for having released one of the classics of the last decade, “Energy Flash”. The same highlight occurred with Human Resource, the trance duo of Jam & Spoon (of “Stella”), and also the ambient-experimental fusion of Richard James’ creative mind (as Aphex Twin, with tunes like “Digeridoo” and “Analogue Bubblebath” I and III). The New Beat formers CJ Bolland (author of “Camargue”, “Mantra” and “Horsepower”) and Cisco Ferreira (which was considered alongside Robert Leiner an engineer of respect) also took their places on the team of the ‘Techno Island’ – a place that served as a majestic Academy for futuristic-technological soundscapes, where the R&S studios were located. On the same historical crew appears Jaydee (of the effusive breakbeats “Plastic Dreams”), but also Sun Electric, Mundo Muzique, Afro Trance, among several other artists. Even Dave Clarke, still as ‘Hardcore’, had some of his first steps on Renaat’s label, in 1990. On another hand, other genies have consolidated their excelling journey on the Giant Horse, like Dave Angel, who released many of his best Techno tunes during the beginning of the nineties.
It is equally important not to forget that R&S was responsible for a very close alliance with the legendary producers from Detroit. The names included Stacey Pullen as Silent Phase, the impact of Derrick May as “R-Tyme”, the pioneer Juan Atkins, Carl Craig and even Kevin Saunderson. Together, this organization gave formidable contributions to the growing electronic scene of Europe. The eclectic spirit was so determinative that R&S will remain one of the few labels to blend rhythms from Techno to Trance, Breakbeats, the more experimental, or Drum & Bass.
In 1989, Renaat’s first big move toward the ground-breaking sonorities appeared on the compilation “In Order To Dance”, born to be eternal. Selected during the New Beat era, it quickly called the attention of the critics and the intense listeners (through tunes like ‘Ghentlon – Techno Dream’) for the fact that a new musical style would soon take its place on the preferences of the quality-demanding supporters of electronic music: Techno.
About 1991, the second “Order To Dance” was released with names such as the New Yorker Mundo Muzique, CJ Bolland and a fellow named ‘Angel’ (who would become a Techno-reference in the future – Dave Angel). The same compilation had another issues, and we must not forget “In Order To Dance 4” which collaborated for taking the electronic sounds to another level in the European scene. The fifth volume, of 1994, was the one that Carl Craig firstly released his “At Les” classic – a cutting-edge box with the best of the electronic sounds of that time. Drum & Bass also got its space on the label’s catalogue on the sixth edition of the In Order To Dance compilation, with well-known versions for Techno tunes. This happened in 1995-1996 when the R&S command decided to diversify their releases even further, covering several musical styles, such as Drum & Bass, jungle, and even Electronic-Rock fusion ones, but, as strange as it must seems, since then the Belgian label wouldn’t repeat its highlights acquired before.
Acting under a plethora of sub-labels, such as All Good Vinyl, Apollo, Diatomyc, ETC, Generations, Global Cuts, Labirynt Records, Outrage Recordings, R&S UK, Satori, TZ, R&S ruled the Universe of electronica for a reasonable number of years, leaving a legacy that will never be questioned.

R&S broke more artists during the early techno scene, then any other European label. I do remember being shocked to hear a cover version of my own "Call It Techno" by Space Opera in 1989, wondering WTF? But Renaat was a visionary and knew exactly what to put out for releases. I do not think any label had that kind of output. Serious back catalog, without a doubt. Something changed from 1995-1999, and trying to grab onto the Drum & Bass genre, the label began to sink like the Titanic. The release of "Air Frog" with Adam Beyer's remix surfaced in 2000, but by then it was over. R&S will always be the pioneering techno label and its legacy lives on!!!

I think it is a bit of a shame what has happened to R&S. They were, undoubtedly, one of the most important labels of the 90s. They had trememndous artists in their own right and they licensed very wisely, cherry picking some of the best of what the rest of the world had to offer.
They have not kept up the pace, however. I no longer trust the label the way I did 8/9 years ago. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I bought a new R&S release. One for the archives methinks.

Renaat Vandepapeliere was originally going to call this label "Ferrari Records" after his new toy he was in love with.
However his partner Sabine Maes thought the name too tacky, so they agreed to use the initials from each of their first names: Renaat -R, and Sabine -S, hence R&S.
A very good move on their part as this name did not carry over an 80's image, something that cost a lot of early belgian labels dearly, many of which dissappeared after the new-beat boom.
Renaat still got his way with the prancing horse, though and the rest is, well, history...