Back in stock: 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: Back in March 2024, producer Papa Nugs launched the Suckerpunch imprint with Dance Floor Rennovations, a three-track collection of (in his words) "old dance reworks and 90s inspired jams given a modern dancefloor punch". This sequel is similarly minded and, like its predecessor, tons of fun. Papa Nugs naturally delivers two tracks: '132 in a Ford Escort', where sassy samples from a well-known female rapper rise above punchy breakbeat house beats and a dirty analogue bassline, and the mind-mangling nu-skool breaks flavoured, acid-flecked, Beastie Boys-sampling 'Intergalactic'. Sometime Old Boy collaborator Ho Gosh handles the rest of the EP, serving up the mind-mangling UK garage mutations 'Fight Or Flight' and 'Dope Melody', the latter peppered with early Basement Jaxx stabs and sped-up hip-hop samples.

Review: Fad-free French house label Skylax has always done its own thing, and always to a great reception amongst serious heads. This new one from Quasar is an impossibly perfect mix of physical drums and heart-aching vocal hooks. The pitched up female vocal conveys such bittersweet pain it doesn't matter the words she sings as you're immediately drawn in for the ride. 'For Your Love' is another hugely emotional cut with floating breakbeats and nagging vocals that really get you where it hurts. 'Morning Bells' is a deep house cut with a spritely groove and blissed out vocal, and 'Inside My Love' closes with more heavy analogue drums but no less of a heartfelt sound thanks to the melancholic pads.

Review: Mint Condition is exceptionally good at reissuing genuinely buried treasure, with their frequent vintage UK deep house and formative tech-house selections being particularly potent. They've hit the spot once more here, too, raiding the vaults of legendary UK tech-house imprint Oblong and returning with a killer 2002 single from Spincycle (AKA Dave Clements and Andy Davies). A-side 'Making Faces' is a great example of London tech-house from the period - all starry, echoing synthesiser motifs, dreamy chords, smooth bass and hypnotic beats - while flip-side 'Twister' sees them reach for bowel-bothering hoover bass, speed garage-influenced drums and undulating, Swag-style melodic motifs.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Jeremy Underground loves a compilation project. He has done them for his own My Love Is Underground label as well as the superb Beauty: A Journey Through Jeremy Underground's Collection which came back in 2017 for Favourite Recordings. Now he reverts to his roots once more and digs deep for 90s garage and house, often from the US. His tastefully selected sounds come on Z Records as part of this multi-part 90's House & Garage series with plenty of key names from the genre's golden era all present and correct. This is a fine collection that will up your own house credentials no end.