UK Garage charts

Review: Mike Skinner's evolution alongside his band The Streets has been a fine one that has very much told the tale of youth culture from his early party days to more emotionally aware works and on to this new album The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light. It features Skinner being less slavish to tight and coherent rhymes that make immediate sense and instead cutting loose, allowing his language and references to be more free and abstract. Guests include the likes of Jimmothy Lacoste and many other fine young talents. More than 20 years after his debut, Skinner is as sharp as ever here.

Review: Pure Garage was always one of the cornerstones of the early UKG scene. It's good to know they are still going strong, and so is garage - particularly so right now. This is probably why the label had deiced to strike while the iron is hot and drop this second volume of collectible cuts from across the years. Mainstays like Zed Bias feature with his mix of sweet vocals and sleazy basslines, 2step is represented with the choppy cuts and pitched-up vox of Strickly Dubz's 'Realise' and pure floor-filling heat comes in the form of DJ Double G 's 'Special Request' amongst more.

Review: Low-cal melodic pop d&b done from a new-gen perspective: Piri & Tommy's take on drum & bass has been a runaway success in the last two years as the couple bring their own unique song writing signature to the genre. Now to mark this year's RSD, their debut album Froge.mp3 enjoys a limited vinyl outing and it sounds amazing for it. Cuts like the sing-along 'On & On' and the lofi dreaminess 'Slowly But Surely' and the sun-kissed summer joint 'Beachin' all still sparkling as bright as they did when they first dropped last year, this is a significant moment for Piri & Tommy. Happy Record Store Day!

Review: Our love for Coco Bryce is well-documented on these pages. To get news of a new album from the legendary Dutch drum & bass producer, then, is, well, music to our ears. Computer Love is a double pack on his own label MYOR that explores downtempo sonic landscapes, deep drum & bass and occasional forays into UKG and breakbeat. It's a kaleidoscopic listen with meticulous craft in each tune and overflowing with fresh melodic ideas as well as his famous smart samples. Previously released singles 'Night Safari' and 'Trust Issues' are standouts amongst a slew of other more left-of-centre sounds.

Review: Timerhi Records have taken it upon themselves to think of the music they release as reliquary, likening each to an indentation made on the tapestry of history itself (Timehri is a Guyanese Amerindian word for petroglyph). Their latest sonic rock etching comes from much beloved drum n' bass pusher DJ Perception, who makes a complete detour here, swapping out the usual breaks-centrism for funky house, speed garage, 2-step and broken beat. 'Journey To The Star' is made up of myriad lo-fi dance tunes, from 'Darkside' to 'Jupiter's Lullaby', subverting the simplistic elements that historically make up UK dance music and flipping them on their heads. For once, 2-step garage isn't as 'down to earth' as it thinks it is - it's on the moon.

Review: Todd Edwards is affectionally known as Todd the God because of his skills. Those skills are two fold - he famous fomented this own style of garage with quick beats and cut up vocals used like an extra instrument in the mix. But he is also a badass DJ who can slam through house and garage with high energy and plenty of charger. As such, he is rightly celebrated here with an overdue entry into Defected's long running House Masters series. All his most famous joints make the cut, from the bumping remix of St Germain to the lively vocal soul of his dub of Kim English via originals like his jazzy, chord laced anthem 'Push The Love.'

Review: Everything Is Alright, says FINN. And it is, frankly, when you're lost in the midst of his new album on 2 B Real. It's a superbly fun and feelgood mix of house from the 90s, UK garage from this revival era and contemporary sound designs. The title track opens up and soon sweeps you off to a good place then there are loose vocals and bright chords on 'AYOYO' while 'Ere U R' sinks into a deeper groove with a heavy sense of plod and more fresh melodies. The B-side picks up the pace with the retro house throb of 'Things, Things, Things!' and 'Big Raver' brings the pianos that will set the club alight.