Back catalogue: UK Garage

Review: Peaky Beats is a great name for a label that serves up such irresistible house and garage jams as it has so far over its first eight EPs. This ninth outing is no less desirable, coming from the in house production team in collaboration with Breakfake. 'Life In Stereo' hits a perfect note between kinetic drums and soulful, jazzy chords deigned to melt the heart. 'Rat City' is more filthy - a warped bassline screws about beneath more sleazy broken beats. 'Chapel Town' brings low end dubstep wobble to the party and 'Dub The Acid' is another filthy dirty skanker with echoing hits and mutant bass.

Review: It would be fair to say that Roy Davis Jr and Peven Everett's "Gabriel" (originally written "Gabrielle" on early pressings) has become a timeless dance music classic - a track that both soulful house and UK garage DJs reach for in times of trouble. Should it not be in your collection already (and it should be), Large Music has decided to re-master and re-press the original 1996 12". It does, of course, contain the now ubiquitous "Live Garage" version - the groovy two-step, trumpet-laden mix that became popular with early UK garage DJs - plus a trio of lesser-known remixes. The Tambourine Dub, in particular, is something of a tough, warehouse-friendly deep house treat.

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: 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: Our second sound-clash instalment sees Panix lock heads with DJ Snowy Buffet. Based out of South London, Panix made a name for himself in the dubstep scene, before emerging as one of the most exciting producers of UKG and breaks. The A1, 'Premium Dubz' combines moody bass-lines with ravey stabs to make the ultimate 2-step dance floor killer. The A2, 'Hefty' does exactly what it says on the tin.. Hefty basslines and squeaky clean 4 to the floor drums. DJ Snowy Buffet is another veteran of the dubstep game, producing under the well known WZ. Surfacing as his new alias, the Czechoslovakian producer shows depth to his game with a bouncy UKG sound. The B1, 'Can I Tell' provides skippy garage drums and synths certain to light up any set. The B2, 'Club Life' showcases the darker side of UKG, with warping basslines and amen breaks.

Review: The Vivid label is yet another one from Burnski who also runs Constant Blanc and Instinct. He is s single handed garage hit making machine and he knows how to tap into the next gen, too. Here he calls upon Peaky Beats for a naughty and nasty three track affair that has retro feels but contemporary style. 'Can't Stop' opens up with a 2-step shuffle and steely hits, then 'Get Ready' gets more free and melodic with some boxing little melodic patterns and oscillating bass. Last of all is the most menacing and dark - 'Wildcat' flips into a dub wise swagger mid-way through that is going to blow up the clubs.

Review: New Portuguese label Pimento kicks off with a various artists showcase to give a good overview of the sort of sounds it will be working with, although the artists providing the music remain uncredited. 'PMT001 A1' is a nice speedy house cut with r&b vocals smeared into the quick and funky mix for some classy peak-time fun. 'PMT001 A2' has its head up amongst the stars thanks to a pixelated cosmic lead. 'PMT001 B1' is perfectly funky drum programming mixed with glitchy claps and sanded and some wonky pads and 'PMT001 B2' is a grubbier cut for more twisted afterparties.

Review: Time Is Now has done a sterling job of driving the garage sound of now forward. Obviously thinking they have spotted another niche, they recently started a white label off shoot that is presumably devised so as to help them navigate any difficulties that may come with using some of the samples we suspect have been used here. Whatever, the are all buying, full flavour garage tunes with bulbous bass and glitchy percussive patterns that will cut up the dance floor. The smart vocal flourishes bring heart and soul and ensure maximum impact.

Review: The label with the finest catalogue number naming convention in all of dance music is back with another fresh slab of wax. This one from Purple Kush mix up US house and UK garage starting with the swinging sounds of 'Let The Spirit Flow' which has a beautiful organ line and heart wrenching vocal. 'La Bahia' is another one with throwback organs and a fat bassline over low slung and well swung drums. 'Make Your Mind Up' goes deep with chopped up vocal fragments and plenty of 90s house vibes and 'Purple Kush Theme' is a stoner reggae downtempo delight.

Review: The Practical Rhythm crew are back with a third vital new release here. It's another trip back to the old school days of 90s garage but with a sufficiently stylish modern update. Sky Joose & DJ Perception are two of the scene's finest players and both come through here with a new single each. Sky Joose's 'Skin Teeth' is a dry, stripped back and minimal cut with darkened bass that becomes even more naughty with the Interplanetary Criminal SPZL remix. Perception then brings some light to the EP with his 'Oh Yes', a soulful cut with a magic lead and loose, tumbling drums. DJ Jason then flips it with some smeared, reversed bass and skeletal perc.

Review: For our first release in the sound-clash series, Xander goes head to head with Papa Nugs.

Based out of Brighton, Xander has made a name for himself in the UKG/breaks scene over the last 18 months with his exciting sound design and work for his own label, Over and Out.

The A1, "Dead My Sound", combines moody bass-lines with snappy drums to make a fierce 2-step dance floor killer. The A2, "Watch It", follows up with a menacing Reese bassline.

Papa Nugs is another prominent name in the UKG and breaks scene at the moment, having also had an exceptional 18 months. With releases on labels such as Constant Sound and Ba Dum Tish, we knew he'd be the perfect competitor for Xander

The B1, "Blip", provides skippy garage drums and with warping bass stabs taking inspiration from dubstep sounds. The B2, "Do Something", showcases a completely different side of UK garage, with slamming 4x4 drums and a chugging bassline.

Review: Three years in the making, Peaky Beats' debut ten-track LP Bloodlines takes us on a journey through ancient and modern Middle-Eastern sounds fused with the whole gamut of UK bass music. Whether riffing off the mystical promises of the Jewish 'Kabbalah' or the feline gaze of the 'Cats Of Iraq', this is hardly a record sharing in the moody obsessional headnods evinced by Muslimgauze; instead, all tracks here are weighty two-steppers' gut-punctures, squeezing reams of tricksy garagey fun from the otherwise sparse reference to the Middle East - though this is eventually thoroughly fleshed out, especially in the use of characteristically Levantine samples in the breakdowns and transitions.

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: 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'.