New releases last four weeks: UK Garage

Review: London's seasoned producer ADMNTi with four tracks that distil years of immersion in tech-house, jungle and grime into sharp, percussive club tools with distinct UK flair. 'Second Hand Sushi' drives the point home with its snapping drums, snarling basslines and wiry synth stabsibig-room energy and definitely no excess fat. 'Lost Fruits' stays steppy, leaning into sub pressure and pirate radio textures, soundbites crackling like a tape pack rewind. On the flip, 'Diptych' shifts tone without dropping paceichopped strings and warped vocals glide over crunchy drum work, locking into a more introspective groove. Closer 'Shrublands' dips further into dubwise atmospherics, pairing wobbly low-end with hazy flute lines and ghosted sax, while snippets of graffiti lore from both London and New York float through the mist. Early support from Ben UFO, Enzo Siragusa and Tristan da Cunha points to the range and functionality of these cutsiwhether heads-down or heads-up, they pull threads from the capital's soundsystem heritage into something that works across times and tempos. A strong first outing for Forms World and a clear step forward from ADMNTi.

Review: Margate-based Braga Circuit showcases a refined signature style and knack for killer sampling with this standout debut on Air Miles. 'Fall' kicks off with amped-up chord stabs and brilliantly well-swung, rolling kicks that soon get those hips moving. 'Closer' oozes summer cool thanks to the balmy chords that soften the percussive, garage-flecked house drums. There is also plenty of Kerri Chandler soul in these here beats that makes them all the more essential. 'Filter Feed' layers up dusty perc and thudding kicks with sultry vocal whispers. It's steamy and irresistible and last but not least, Leod is another talent from the coastal town of Margate and remixes this one with a more direct and dubby style.

Review: Bruce is back for the second release from Poorly Knit and it's an experimental three-track for more out there dancefloors. 'Belly (Two Mississippi)' has hurried drum loops that flap and underlap beneath tortured pads, shrieking elephant trumpets and ghoulish vocals that really are unsettling. 'Burned Alive (More Gauze)' as you may guess from the title, is another freaky bit of rhythm and sound with distant alarms, mangled vocal fragments and a dub underbelly. 'Hot One (Chapped Lips version)' is a wispy and minimal soundscape full of paranoia and intrigue. Play loud, but only if you dare.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: In case you didn't know, Reliance is yet another label from man like Burnski, the UK powerhouse who is almost single-handedly spearheading a sound that fuses garage, house and tech into something irresistible for the club. He invites Job de Jong to step up for the label's second outing and 'Dub House' is a great opener with just the right amount of bounce, melody and heart. Kepler remixes it into a percussive stomper with siren stabs and dusty perc. 'Emergency' is a trippy melodic workout that bends space and time and 'Don't Wanna Stop, Dub Stop' chucks a killer vocal into the mix over sleazy drums and garage drums that are always going to get big reactions.

Review: James 'Burnski' Burnham already runs about 7398 labels but recently kicked off another, Gravitate. The mission is simple - to put out club-ready cuts that have plenty of character. All of these come under the same name as the label and artist which indicates how much it is a label all about the music. The first one has a JayDee-style dark bassline, the second one brings old school house rawness that brings to mind the MAW sound and the third one is a more roomy cut with space for the synths to encourage a bit of introspection. The closer is the best of the lot, a silky deep house groove with real drive and trippy synth details.

Review: Haggerston-based production wizard Jeigo kicks off the year after a standout 2024 by serving his own label Fleurella Records' first release. For the occasion, he reissues his track 'Pearl Leaf' which sits in between the worlds of Bicep, Sasha and UKG. It has floating pads and airy, organic beats that carry you away on a melancholic mood with deeply buried vocals adding a blurry, heart-tugging hook. On the flip are two new and unheard jams. 'Headpains' is full of a flurry of breaks but is also laden with introspective emotion in the vocals and chords and 'The Days You Were Here' is a more downtempo cut with shimmering pads, pitched-up vocals and languid bass.

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: Lo U returns with four club ready cuts that fuse the best of UK garage, breakbeats and deep electronic textures into contemporary killers. The EP opens with 'Transitus' where crisp UKG rhythms collide with a dark, neurofunk-inspired bassline then 'The Green Planet' follows with classic 2-step swing and a warped, heady breakdown. On the flip, Lo U revisits a label staple with a refined take on 'Platus Karma', injecting fresh style into the original while keeping its soul. Closing track 'Eresia' ventures into expansive, cinematic territory/. It was recorded live and sculpted in the studio so has a fresh feeling that blends broken beats with immersive soundscapes. All in all, a versatile release from a producer in peak form.

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: 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: Burnski's agenda-setting garage label Instinct is back with killer new beats from Mance. 'Atmos101' gets things underway with sparking melodies zipping about the stereo field over chunky drums and with a filthy bassline. There is more of a throwback feel to the dusty drum loops of 'Stone Cold, Baby' complete with great vocal samples and spiralling pads. 'All Night' shows another look again with dry, stripped-back beats and big hits under warped synth stabs and more brain-melting bass. 'I Can't Help It' shuts down with silky pads work and soulful vocals.

Review: New week, new Instinct, new weapons. Burnski's unstoppable label continues to offer up the most fun and functional garage and house fusions out there right now. For this one, Prozak steps up with screw-face basslines and throwback organ stabs on 'Yush,' then 'Dash' rides on a pumping deep house groove that's underpinned by slamming bass. Benson steps up for collab cut 'Gangster' complete with gunshots, rude vocals and ridiculously naughty reversed bass stabs. 'Bounce' is a final fist pumping garage house banger to close an effective 12".