Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Born 2 Be Free returns with a second sizzling slab of UKG-flavoured wax and this one from Azaad has a superb throwback feel thanks to the smart sampling. 'Untitled 92' hints at which period this artist has the most respect for with its silky smooth chords and thumping kicks getting you into a nice deep vibe before 'Outta My Mind' hist that bit harder with nice dry, scraping hits, bouncy bass and clipped vocal fragments. The classy vibes continue with 'Torn' which shuts down with a more high speed and slick sound smart snares and a rich, emotive vocal that finishes it in style. Three classy, timeless garage cuts.
Review: Plenty of neologistic fun can be had with the work "break", but we must admit that "breakflow" is a new one on us. Lisboa produtor b0n impresses such sonic and titular genii with a new, green-goo-hued four-track EP on Portgal's fantastical Magic Carpet label, spanning clean future progressive and garage-acid tempos. The title track and 'Sasha Palomal' only tease the unortho-breaks with tricky garage beats and straighter but admittedly still formative breaksteps; it's only by the point of the B-siders 'Positive Morph' and 'Fractures' that any such fluvial breakbeat is properly put back together and course-corrected. Be warned, the latter track moves through the nicely rare variants of freestyle and "electrance"; careful not to dance yourself to breakdown.
Review: Copenhagen's Main Phase continues his ascent in the bass world with a new EP that fuses UK influences and Euro house into four club-ready tracks that again embody his genre-blending style. Effortlessly ranging from UKG and speed garage to dubstep and jungle, he brings a fresh energy with a subtle nostalgic undercurrent. As co-founder of ATW Records alongside Interplanetary Criminal, he's helped shape the new wave of UK-inspired sounds with past releases on Hardline Sounds, Locked On and ec2a. This time out he offers the elastic bump of 'Playa Hataz', the chord-laced shuffle of 'Bring It Back' and vamping new school garage funk of 'Bumpa Riddim' which has been a big one for Burnski. 'Until The AM' closes with a proggy hurry.
Review: You thought you knew UK garage, but you didn't know Chris Mack. First released in 1998 on the very same label on which it comes out now - Old Soul - 'Set It Off' is a phenomenal primer on how little effort it truly requires to make a rager of a 2-step garage track. Though it first appeared on the scene as a B-side, it brings an extra slaparound, A-face fodder to it. Ever-so-slight reverb on drums contrast the song's otherwise un-messed-with mix, which retroactively makes us balk in the face of the comparatively overproduced nu-garage we often hear today. The original dub strips things down even further, allowing a bodying reverb on the "here we go" vox to interline seamlessly with the jazz stingers.
Review: Theo Kotts taps into some irresistible garage magic here on the cult Fuse label which has long been dominating the sound of the London underground. 'Dark At 3pm' is an urban sound with subtle nobs back top the original UKG sound with dark breaks and fizzing synths. 'Forward Motion' is a nice bouncy slammer with some balmy pads softening the edges and 'Glow' brings a little more heady melody to the fore, although the drums still cruise nicely. 'In Search Of' shows yet another side with crispy breaks and pitched up vocal hooks while 'Strides' slips into darkness once more.
Review: First released digitally earlier in 2024, Prince Palmer's first outing on Bobby Donny's 'Ace' series heads to vinyl in expanded form. It's the Dutch producer's vinyl debut and a quietly impressive one at that. The headline attraction is 'Serious Play', a rolling, loose-limbed and sub-heavy slab of revivalist garage house/New Jersey deep house fusion that comes accompanied by a chunkier and undeniably trippy, dancefloor dub style 'Vibe Mix' makeover courtesy of Joy Jenkins. There's plenty to set the pulse racing across the rest of the EP though, from the Burrell Brothers-meet-Jovonn flex of 'Get Down' and the jazz-house/garage-house fusion of 'Sleeping City (Wake Up Mix)', to the organ-rich house positivity of 'Polygon Island' and the peak-time-at-Sound Factory NYC flex of Frits Wentink's fine revision of 'Airlift'.
Review: Some two decades after it first slipped out of Underground Resistance's Motor City studio and into record stores worldwide, one of UR's most magnificent moments has been given a deserved reissue. Largely produced by 044 (real name Gerald Mitchell) and featuring vocals from one of his relatives (one Ron Mitchell), 'Hardlife' is not so much a sci-fi techno anthem as a mid-90s US garage/soulful house workout with sparkling, undeniably intergalactic, Motor City synths. As it did back in 2001, it comes backed with a fine remix from the late Aaron Carl that successfully re-frames the track as sparse, bouncy chunk of soul-fired peak-time techno.
Review: The Full Circle label is building up a fine head of steam early on and this third EP is a throwback garage classic. It's a re-release of a cult gem from Danny J Lewis with the steamy vocals of Danielle Gaga. 'Spend the Night' has it all - the hooky and soulful vocal, the dry percussive drums, the infectious swing and the lush chords. As well as the H-Man dub, there are other versions including one from tech house tian Archie Hamilton, a super smooth VIP dub and a Disco Edit that layers in some cosmic arps and leaves the great original vocal intact.
Review: Damian Lazarus's Crosstown Rebels shows it very much still has its finger on the pulse with this new and garage-tinged outing from Bullet Tooth. If opens with the pitched-up vocals and rugged drums of 'If I Can't Be Yours' before 'You Think You Can Fix Me' has more floating grooves and waif synths keeping you suspended above the dance floor. Enamour then steps up with a remix that strips it back and reworks it into smooth deep house groove for beachy fun. Last of all is a Sicaria remix which is emotive, punchy and built on glitchy broken beat loops.
Review: Long dormant has laid the tried but true practice of dubstep and garage artists sampling classic horror movie dialogue, pre-drop. We're thoroughly happy to hear that new Peaky Beats sublabel Brainjuice have gone and resurrected this zombie for us. This four-tracker from the label hears label heads Peaky and Vel carefully and creatively work in as-yet unknown samples to the stew; some kind of Frankensteinish exclamation on the dubstep A1 laments the feeding of a monster "human brains", while the breakstep A2 'Bacon Dance' hears more timestretched, dystopian vocals amid wobbles. 'Don't' leans more into the kind of melodic dubstep that likes to sample R&B acapellas, and is the most refreshing of the lot.
Review: There's something pleasingly matter-or-fact about Moxy Muzik's edit series, which offers up single-sided revisions of classic cuts from uncredited producers. The series' latest instalment is something of an anthem in waiting - to our ears, at least. It offers a revolutionary remake of a classic hip-hop/hip-house cut, with elements of the rap periodically rising above a warped, bassline house style bassline (original Niche heads will love it) and chunky, floor-friendly beats that sit somewhere between 'dark garage' era Armand Van Helden, two-step and 4/4 London garage. It's big, bold and guaranteed to get dancefloors going. Job done!
Review: Jhobei, an emerging artist with a growing reputation in the electronic music scene, is set to make his mark with the Age Of Virality EP on Enzo Siragusa's label. Known for his deep and expansive sound, Jhobei kicks off this EP with 'Swarming,' a dynamic track that uses a slithering bassline to lead a garage-influenced journey through punchy lows and catchy vocal snippets. Following this, 'Machine Language' blends playful, sweeping melodies with a dose of robotic funk, creating an engaging auditory experience. On Side-2, 'Defusion Solution' takes listeners on a late-night odyssey with its syncopated percussion and cosmic vibes, while 'Rising Sun' offers a refined, laid-back progression with smooth organic rhythms. Overall. a very enjoyable record with a lot of creativity.
Review: For his latest release, Tommy Musto delves into his venerated DAT vaults to unearth a treasure trove of mid-'90s NYC gems that are sure to excite house heads. These four tracks capture the essence of the legendary likes of Red Zone, Club Zanzibar, Twilo, and Sound Factory scenes and do a fine job of evoking the vibes that legends like Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, Roger Sanchez, Tommy Simonelli, Masters at Work, and David Morales were all spinning back in the halcyon days of house. Now, you can own a piece of that iconic era with these deep cuts sure to bring back that classic house sound in some style.
Review: The inimitable Santonio Echols/Next Generation have penned many a great soulful house hit and one of them is 'Bad For Me' which now arrives as a remix package on the NCM Label out of Detroit. First up is Eddie Fowlkes's dub which brings nice warm, smeared chords and allows the vocal to pop out of the mix and bring the sunshine. Ron Carroll's club mix has a little more direct energy in the drums, then the Emanuell Groove mix is a funky one with steamy sax notes up top and nice loose drums. Last of all, the Mannywya Deep dub mix slows things right down to a late-night crawl.
Review: Yaleesa Hall wastes no time setting the tone on this Timedance release, delivering a weighty fusion of UKG, electro and sub-heavy pressure. Opener 'Halfway Gone' lurches forward with a heady mix of swung percussion and cavernous bass, its tension building like a slow-motion collision. 'Light Headed' dials up the energy, its restless breakbeat patterns and distorted low-end hitting with unrelenting force. On the flip, 'Voices' leans into dubbed-out textures, letting ghostly vocal snippets drift through the haze as tightly coiled rhythms keep the pulse locked. Closer 'Still Here' brings the release full circle, with fractured beats and rumbling sub-bass weaving together in a hypnotic finale. It's a bold statement from Yaleesa Hallione that feels tailor-made for dancefloors that thrive on weight and space in equal measure.
Review: Nug Nation Vol. 2 is here for all your high-energy and nuggety needs. This one is another four-track journey into club-ready sounds that pick up where the first instalment left off. It's a knowing mix of golden era house and progressive influences with a contemporary twist from the back-to-the-wall prog-trance-techno of 'Three Of Hearts' to the unrelenting machine drum sounds of 'Hyperdrive'. 'Are U Ready (Flight To Toulouse mix)' is brilliantly clipped and bouncy and 'You Don't Know (Another Nother mix)' is a turbocharged face-melting tackle for fun dance floors only.
Review: Beeyou Records proudly presents False Promises, a captivating EP from Dennis Quin, a renowned artist known for his timeless, soul-moving house music. The A-side kicks off with 'Reactivate,' a high-energy garage track that immediately captures the listener's attention with its punchy basslines and crisp percussion. Following closely is 'Diamond Hunting,' a bumpy 4x4 track that is guaranteed to get any dancefloor moving. On the B-side, Quin offers a more introspective sound with 'Accidentally,' a track that blends classic house grooves with playful modern production. The EP's title track, 'False Promises (Original Mix),' is a standout, featuring a lovely vocal and vibrant house energy. Finally, 'Well Conducted' showcases Quin's versatility with its downtempo, chilled vibe. False Promises is a must-listen for fans of house music. Quin's talent for creating timeless tracks is evident on every track on this EP.
Review: The debut EP from The Set Records arrives as a vinyl-only offering, shunning digital realms in favour of pure analogue sound. This limited edition record shines a light on six standout artists - five from the UK and one Dutch - who've carved out their own corners of the deeper house spectrum. From the first groove, TSR001 pulls listeners into a nuanced exploration of house music's more intricate layers. Garage rhythms hum next to progressive beats, with each track offering its own distinct energy. It feels like a journey into the heart of a dancefloor before the lights come up - familiar yet full of surprises. What makes TSR001 especially exciting is how each artist brings something different to the table. There's a sense of variety that never strays too far from the EP's overarching vibe, which is smooth, sophisticated, and unmistakably underground. These are tracks for the heads, the DJs and anyone who knows the satisfaction of holding something rare and tangible in a digital world. The lack of digital presence ensures this isn't just a release but a coveted collectible. Collectors, be warned - missing this means missing out completely. V.A. TSR001 is here, it's elusive, and it's gone before you can press play twice.
Review: Fad-free French house label Skylax has always done its own thing, and always to a great reception amongst serious heads. This new one from Quasar is an impossibly perfect mix of physical drums and heart-aching vocal hooks. The pitched up female vocal conveys such bittersweet pain it doesn't matter the words she sings as you're immediately drawn in for the ride. 'For Your Love' is another hugely emotional cut with floating breakbeats and nagging vocals that really get you where it hurts. 'Morning Bells' is a deep house cut with a spritely groove and blissed out vocal, and 'Inside My Love' closes with more heavy analogue drums but no less of a heartfelt sound thanks to the melancholic pads.
Review: The next red hot and hand-stamped UKG 12" on TXTBK comes from ZEROFG (no guesses for what the naughty 'FG' stands for). Opener 'Who's The Boss?' is a raw, percussive, metallic workout that is hard-hitting and never lets up with some sleazy London gangster vocals over a bouncing bassline that is distorted and scuzzy. The flip side 'The Change' is a totally different proposition - a sweet, r&b-tinged 90s jam with deep bass, cuddly but punchy kicks and a gorgeous vibe for late-night sessions.
Review: Diffrent makes a powerful entrance with his debut 'My Sound' EP on Bristol's Time Is Now label, building on the success of his summer hit 'A Little Closer,' which had clubs across Europe buzzing in 2024. Here, he dives into the UK's rich foundations of garage, bass and breaks, delivering a weighty yet finely tuned sound that's unmistakably his own. It's the kind of chuggy, speed-garage flavour that's capturing everyone's craving right now. For a debut, 'My Sound' lands with impressive force as each track brings fresh flair and a distinctive character. From the first drop, it's clear Diffrent is carving out a unique spot in modern dance music, positioning him as one to watch.
Review: We live a bit of DJ Perception here at Juno H. He is an original garage great who keeps on cooking up the goods. This latest missive comes on the small but well-formed South London Pressings and features off the classic 'Future (feat Russ).' It's a soul drenched sound with acoustic guitar licks flailing above breezy breakbeats that will be perfect for once the sun comes out, not least with the most Balearic top lines that break out midway through. The Benny Ill Heavenly remix is a more shuffling garage cut but still one packed with real heat.
Review: It's been a long time since we heard from Pangaea, one of the three famous faces who made up the original Leeds label come ubiquitous DJ's DJ's DJ imprint - Hessle Audio. Though perhaps less appreciated than his contemporaries Ben UFO and Pearson Sound, now's his time to shine again: Changing Channels is his second ever album, following up 2016's In Drum Play (which for all its quality, rough, juddering techno experiments, will always line the shelves of many a budding selector). Like its predecessor, oddball bassy techno is here Pangaea's preferred mode, whether reflected in the sassy femme vocal cutups of 'Installation' or the spitting basses of 'Squid'. This is one of two vinyl 12"s over which the album is spread; an effort to enhance its playability for DJs.
Review: Pangaea's latest album Changing Channels comes a notable seven years after his debut, In Drum Play, and again hears the Hessle brain lay down a whopping demo in dance histrionics. Made in a period of oscillation - between international DJ sets and holidays of downtime and r&r - we get the impression of a remarkably clear-headed album, with the production crisp, and the choice and placement of samples neat. On this 12", we hear the LP's first part, with the no-fuss garagey 'Hole Away' and the stabby 'Changing Channels' piquing particular interest.
Review: Digital Tape Recordings kick out another vital 12" on wax here, this time with a third part of their on going and excellent Deep Dub Essentials series. 24HR Experience is at the helm here with a quartet of house and garage collisions that bring the good times. 'The Heaven Track' is a classic US garage cut with stiff snares and low slung drums, and 'Touch The After World' is just as deep and warm. 'Just A Vibe' is the highlight at the end - nice New Jersey drum with warming organ stabs and a carefree groove that effortlessly sweeps you up off your feet.
Review: Almost a year after it debuted on digital download, Mr X's most celebrated single for Vega Records finally lands on wax - and in expanded EP form, too. Lead cut 'The Curse' is a terrifically energetic, sweat-soaked affair with incessant electric piano riffs riding a breathless base of swinging, bumping house drums, deep bass and echo-laden percussion fills. The mysterious, New Jersey-based producer remixes it himself on 'The Curse (Revisited)', opting for a darker, moodier sound and loose-limbed, Kenny Dope-esque drums. He also offers up two bonus cuts: the funky bass-propelled jack-track 'The Underground', and the low-slung, heavily edited disco-house throb of 'B-Side Only'.
Review: Brother Aten debuts on Bruk with a minimalist masterpiece featuring the detached vocals of Ze R. This tidy 10" is influenced by cult sci-fi and early 80s no wave so naturally presents a stark, synthetic soundscape devoid of excess. The title reflects its mood: Aten's mechanical mantras are crafted with precision on outboard instruments and explore gritty, futuristic worlds. On 'Unavailable,' resonant drones create a platform for Ze R.'s initial deadpan delivery which reveals deeper humanity as the track unfurls through crisp drums. The brief yet impactful two-parter, 'Fragmented Dystopia' is a taste of Aten's cyberpunk vision while Ze R.'s words oscillate between structure and chaos.
Review: Pangaea and Leonce's collaboration feels like a natural evolution of their respective sounds. 'Dusted' takes the more energetic route, drawing from UKG's signature drum patterns and crisp, chopped-up vocals. There's a weightlessness to it that feels characteristic of Pangaea's style, with the track riding that fine line between chaos and precision. It's rapid but controlled, capturing the essence of the UKG sound without resorting to tired cliches. On the other hand, 'Stuck' leans into a more understated vibe, pulling from the foundation of 90s US club music. It's relaxed, more patient in its progression, with a warm, spacious quality that contrasts nicely with the jitteriness of 'Dusted.' The contrast between the two tracks showcases the range of both artists: while they're clearly rooted in different scenes, they've found a way to merge their influences in a way that feels both fresh and familiar.
Review: Next up on the To The Rock label are four firing remixes of the Danny J Lewis tune 'Best Friends'. The original is a real UKG classic but any measure and one of the tunes of the year back when it first landed back in 1999. It's got plenty of London swagger endnote of that is lost in any of these reworks. Chicago's Garett David opens up with some dancing chords and tight, shuffling drums, newcomer Late Nite City then slips things back and goes a little deeper with his more seductive take and and multi-instrumentalist Mom Tudie layers in the soul with his more heartfelt version and funky guitar twangs. The Dominic Spreadlove remix might be the best of the lot with a nice pitched up vocal hook and dry as you like drums.
Review: London's 1-800 Girls brings cleanly garage and bright breaks to his All My Thoughts label, riffing on the combo of infectious aural hooks and brutalist sonics fashionable among the present chart doyens of UK dance music and techno. 'How I Feel' sounds like an innocent admission of affection in techno-garage form, pairing the flunky inter-jabs of 2-step garage with the cute-aggressive seethes of a repetitious sampled vox; the track centres on a nostalgic, airtight sequence of parapractic phonemes, onto which the listener may project their longings and amours. 'Signal' embraces both big beats and biomech squeaks verging on sports-whistles, while 'Like You Do' returns for a comparatively brooding burbler. Finally, 'Guy's Salmon' rounds things off on a dense sequence of yeahs and ohs, as ever building up a slow-burn of cool wonderment and openness.
Review: The Time Is Now label single-handed ushered in a new era of garage if you ask us. That was a few years ago but the label continues to lead from the fort here with a new EP from Samurai Breaks & Napes who make their label debut in explosive fashion. They are skilled studio talents who are nudging at the boundaries of the current UK bass sound and here they hybridise bassline, jungle and garage. You won't easily be able to fit these into one stylistic box but they will do damage on the floor, from the ghetto restlessness of the opener to the manic melodies of 'Correct Technique' and onto the turbocharged 'FrogMob'. Thrilling stuff.
Review: 'Done Me Wrong' is one of trailblazing Glasgow label Numbers' essential cash cows. The track is etched into the brains of most clubbers still out today, owing to that short but sweet, mid-2010s interregnum that somehow bridged the gap between UK funky, post-dubstep, future bass and Night Slugs adjacent 'wave'. As is the case with the Hyph Mngos and the Midnight Request Lines of the era, producer Mosca seems to have touched a collective nerve with this one, one that lent the 'Done Me Wrong' a self-starting energy that served to promote itself; or perhaps that's an illusion, as it was, of course, rinsed to death on Rinse FM, and included in many a post dubstep DJ set too. Whatever the case, 'Done Me Wrong' and its inverse 'Bax' reflect the playfulness of a transitory era in bass music, being two of those tunes that, despite all our genre namedrops, never quite fit into any neat box.
Review: The mysterious but magnificent Phone Traxxx dial in with another killer 12", their sixth so far. 'Slinkzer' is a nice playful house number with some bubbling synth melodies and zippy lines adding energy to the dusty drums. 'Groovement' picks it up with more slamming drums and hard-edged hits as was as chopped-up melodic bursts and sci-fi effects. 'Mentasmluv' is a garage number with a scruffy low end and some fun oinks and boinks and cartoon sound design adding colour. 'Humbucker' is a slinky percussive number that closes out at a lick.
Review: Hidden Folder label head Christopher Ledger is back with another slamming outing, this time in the form of his NRG 12". For this one he draws on a love for and understanding of breaks, garage, house and tech and kicks off with the filthy dirty and brilliantly sleazy 'NRG' with its wub-wub bassline sure to get lips curled in mock disgust. 'How Do You Like It' is a more prickly and spaced out dollop of industrial tech house, 'Back 2 Bass' is a thrilling blend of tightly programmed beats and big chord stabs and 'This Way, Please' is cruising party pumper. A Donnie Cosmo remix of that cut close with more excellent sleazy garage house bounce.
Review: The latest release from SP:MC dives into the depths of UK garage with precision and flair. The A-side boasts a weighty low-end groove, underpinned by tightly coiled percussion that feels alive with intent. On the reverse, there's a striking shift towards introspection, as shimmering atmospherics and fluid rhythms weave a cinematic tale. Both tracks are a testament to his knack for marrying technical prowess with a palpable sense of mood, delivering a record that feels equally at home on a big system as it does in less hectic environments.
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