Review: Mr G is of course an untouchable producer of dubby house and techno rollers. Whether or not he is the inspiration for the title of this EP we do not know but it's a fittingly good one either way. Dewey Decimal is the man in control and opens with a naughty garage cut with filthy low ends. 'Cha Ching' is another killer cut with sensuous sax notes over turbocharged bass and prickly, percussive drums with a cheeky two-step swagger. 'Wag21' brings some smart r&b vocal samples to another raw, hard hitting garage house groove and 'Treat Me Right' closes out one of the best EPs we've heard in a while with some busty drum loops and dirty bassline brilliance.
Review: Matt Jam Lamont & Scott Diaz first joined forces more than a decade and a half ago and have been at it ever since, remixing Raze, Craig David, All Saints, Adina Howard, Rosie Gaines and more, as well as making waves with DJ appearances like their iconic B2B Glastonbury appearance. Having formed their Undagrnd Freqz label in 2020, serving up a brace of floor-slaying classics including a collaboration with US garage pioneer Todd Edwards, and 'Haribo' with Smokey 'Bubblin' B, clocking up more than a million streams and 36 million views as part of Fred Again's now legendary Boiler Room session. Their latest, 'The Best of Both Worlds', nods at their skill for fusing the best elements of both house and garage across four tracks of razor-sharp vocal chops, bumpin' beats and classy production flavours. Absolutely essential.
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: For the next, 21st release on Whiteloops, Diskop, a rising-star producer and DJ from Ukraine, returns with a two-track meander into the sound of old-school UK breakbeat. Drawing on the ambitions of dark rollage and vibesetting that were endemic to this early sound in the noughties, 'Raw' opens with a frank contrast of straight breaks and middy bass hums, while 'Tsey Vo' is a bit starker and harder, edging closer to dimly-lit UK hardcore territory with its well-sculpted transient designs, heard-skipping reverse SFX and phonetic one-shots. Come hither, and experience Diskop's vision of a smoked-out, hooded rave.
Review: DJ Crisps taps into a menacing garage vibe on this no-frills, all-killer new EP via South London Pressings. Opener 'Styla' has naughty low ends and punchy drum programming with plenty of post-dubstep wub-wub goodness and eerie urban melodies. 'Hold Tight' will have the gun fingers firing off left right and centre with its rude-boi vibes and 'Adolphy Sax' then channel masters like Groove Chronicles with its dry, dusty drums and hits, lush chords and sexual sax lines. 'Too Shy' (feat Ell Murphy) is perfectly sleazy yet sultry vocal garage closer.
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: A melting pot of UK garage, house and bass, DJ Swagger's latest release on Berlin-based label, 777, is a fascinating exploration in structure and chaos. Opening track, 'Thanks Felix', moves at lightspeed - a thrilling race through a gritty arrangement of blunted kicks, shifting in and out of focus, moving between order and disorder. 'Fingerclut' emerges with an instantly more house-facing feel - a satisfyingly hypnotic groove spirals in a circle motion, featuring a cyclonic gathering of subtle flecks of percussive variation over the course of the track. Offering a spliced, glitched-out take on contemporary bass, 'Final Bout' journeys through moments of airy weightlessness before being thrown back into the growling, driving bass section of the track. The perfect tension builder, 'Full Cycle', is an ingenious tease of a track, skillfully building up to, you guessed it, even more build.
Review: Knee deep in the foundations, head high in the clouds, anchored by bass: Robin Clarke's Dream Cycle is the perfect match for Sneakers Social Club. Across five tracks he runs the gamut through precision 2017 vision; "Dream 93" is a steppy drop into a slo-mo rave, "Start While It's Hot" tips a nod to the warmer tones of Detroit with its lilting chords and persistent drums, "Sour" dusts off its reeboks for a little garage hypnosis while "Paradise State" is a hardcore flashback with strong twangs of early Moving Shadow. Closing with a mesmerising ambient remix from Them & Us, it's yet another unique trip from the friendly trainer crew.
Review: The brand new Mush Trax label makes a head-turning debut here with some naught garage and house cuts from the depths of Dorset. Footprint opens up with the straight-up shuffler that is 'Light It Up. It's got old school flavours all over it - the piano stabs, the original Chicago house vocal and the melodies. It's the same story with Dunman's 'Hot' with its filthy backless bass stabs, yelping vocal cries and steel-plated US garage drums. Completing this highly effective EP is Ash Brown with another throwback garage anthem in 'Whompa.'
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.
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