Back catalogue: All genres

Review: L&F's The Zeer Zamin EP on +98 Records is a stellar showcase of UK garage, featuring four exceptional tracks that highlight the genre's versatility. Side-1 opens with 'The UG,' a prime example of main room house work and garage music at its finest. It's followed by 'What You Do,' a fun breakbeat garage track adorned with diva samples and a respectful nod to the island sound of Jamaica.Side-2 continues with 'I Feel It,' a track that harkens back to mid-90s UK house, inspired by American house yet infused with UK-specific elements like techno, bleep, and deeper sounds. The EP concludes with 'Oi Listen,' a playful broken beat garage track rooted in dub, bringing an infectious energy. The Zeer Zamin EP is setting the example of great UK Garage, blending nostalgic influences with fresh, dynamic sounds. Huge!

Review: Crosstown Rebels compere Damian Lazarus teams up with fellow musician and singer-songwriter Jem Cooke, with new track 'Searchin'': a primeval precognition of the big bad boss man's upcoming fifth album on the label, Magickal. Though it's been released digitally with a focus on Bullet Tooth's remix on the B-side, this blue-innered vinyl edition compiles all three of the track's versions, also clocking a sure-to-be much-spun Radio Slave remix on the B. The original is an FM-led brooder with posterities of bleep techno and darkside fidget house. Cooke's vocals belt searchingly against burbling synthwork, while Bullet Tooth's remix takes a tempting dark garage turn, risking briar-shod paths of bass as Cooke's refrain is made gothic. Slave's version is, as ever, hardly slavish, preferring a more tensile daytime vibe of subtle piano and muted vox.

Review: "Underground dance music" got its name for a reason: the black market is where the good stuff is! The ninth release on the underground-allusive, daytime-elusive Undergroove label moot a congregation of sound spivs, turntablist tricksters, deep house dealers, and many other scraggly clientele, for a fresh and unregulated yield of homegrown Lyon talent. Said to have channelled electro house and garage house going in, lord knows what has come out the other side, but we can aver its dankness: Lazer Man and and Funktroid nod to twin moods of desperation and forbearance commonly seen in criminal underworlds, with the stoic grind of the street represented in unfazed, steely electro beats. Real fiends only let loose on the B-side, where Local DJ's 'Dreams Of Radio' and Aladdin's 'The Ali-ens' quell any residual fears through glitchy purples and ghostly tech backings.

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: REPRESS ALERT!: The Plastik People label kicks off its new year with a trio of top garage jams from Romeo Louisa. 'Challenges' is a perfect feel-good sound with silky smooth chords and nice dusty drums and hi-hats all topped off with a classic vocal packed with emotion. The irresistibly catchy vibes continue with 'Lost Bottle' which is another timeless US house sound of the sort the Dope Jams crew became so well associated with. Last but not least is 'Keep Me Deep', another perfect blend of US garage and house with horns, deep kicks and lush chords.

Review: The man, the machine, the legend! Anile makes his return with two utterly outrageous remixes of LSB's classic 'Potshot'. First up comes the d&b version that plunges you down to submarine levels before pull you up too quickly and giving you the bends. Need something a little slower with more swing but hits just as hard? Jump on that garage version. Holy moly. Welcome back Anile!

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.