Keep It Moving (feat Riko Dan - Bakey dub mix) (4:38)
Keep It Moving (feat Riko Dan - instrumental) (4:24)
Hear This (4:57)
Review: Freerange Sounds - which shouldn't be confused with Jimpster's deep house label Freerange - is reissuing its first release from back in May 2022 here. It's a dark garage outing from 9TRANE that kicks off with 'Keep It Moving' (feat Riko Dan) with edgy vocals, late-night urban menace and some crisp drum patterns. The fantastic Bakey dub mix brings more pruning basslines and withering pads while the instrumental is stripped back and more haunting. Last of all is 'Hear This' which leans on the Burial style of ghostly production but with a more fulsome low-end and prickly percussive brew riding the beats. Serious tackle for sure.
Review: Almost a year after his last outing on Dungeon Meat, Amsterdam's Borren is back with more hefty slabs of hardcore house and garage fusions. 'Space Mode' kicks off with shuffling beats and low sling bass that can't fail to amp the party. 'UKTD Gangsterloop' is another naughty and smiling cut with characterful samples and filthy bass. There's some nice and trippy melon to 'Warp Garage' that makes it perfect for those inky blue late night hours and 'Zeer Zakelijk' shuts down with chunky drum funk and rolling bass that is so deep it rattles foundations.
Review: Brother Aten debuts on Bruk with a minimalist masterpiece featuring the detached vocals of Ze R. This tidy 10" is influenced by cult sci-fi and early 80s no wave so naturally presents a stark, synthetic soundscape devoid of excess. The title reflects its mood: Aten's mechanical mantras are crafted with precision on outboard instruments and explore gritty, futuristic worlds. On 'Unavailable,' resonant drones create a platform for Ze R.'s initial deadpan delivery which reveals deeper humanity as the track unfurls through crisp drums. The brief yet impactful two-parter, 'Fragmented Dystopia' is a taste of Aten's cyberpunk vision while Ze R.'s words oscillate between structure and chaos.
Review: The fledgling Jackpot Recordings label is back with a second serving up club-ready goodness with Club of Jacks at the helm. There is a healthy dose of classic elements to these tunes - 90s vocals, deepness, soul - not least the opener 'Always' with its diva wails and balmy pads draped over nice silky drums with a majestic piano breakdown. 'Gorgon Dub' is a fat bottom house cut with mid-tempo drums and rigid percussion atop a dark bassline throb. 'Think Of You' is a warm and breezy one with loved-up pads and r&b vocal chops and 'Soundboy' gets more naughty with some garage-inspired drums and bass primed to pump the party.
Review: Rhythm N Vibe label head Marc Cotterell strides into 2025 with a killer new three-track EP featuring plenty of his signature garage and house crossover jams. 'Annihilate The Rhythm' gets things underway with some rave-ready sirens and tightly programmed beats and bubbly bass. UK talent JACKARD steps up to remix and does so with razor-sharp hi-hats and low-slung kicks that bring the sleaze. 'Floor Dance' then brings the funk with some playful chord sequences and swirling pads and fFeed Your Soul' shuts down with aching vocal hooks and old school piano energy over some fresh US house drums.
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: REPRESS ALERT!: For the latest release on his consistently impressive Mate Records imprint, Madrid stalwart Rafa Santos has turned to Parisian twosome Groove Boys Project. Their take on house tends towards the nostalgic and musically expansive, and the four tracks assembled here fit that description. They begin by joining the dots between Kerri Chandler style garage-house and dreamier European deep house on 'Keep On Dreamin' (Club Mix)', before expertly fusing elements of new age house, Italo-house and solo-laden US deep house on 'Sunrise (Underwater Mix)'. Over on the flip, 'The Jazz Palace (Long Ride Mix)' is a vibraphone-solo laden chunk of rolling deep house warmth and Rawai hook-up 'Djoon Trax (937 Classsic Mix)' sees the duo add delicious jazz guitar solos to a sun-soaked deep house groove rich in rubbery synth-bass.
Review: Yaleesa Hall wastes no time setting the tone on this Timedance release, delivering a weighty fusion of UKG, electro and sub-heavy pressure. Opener 'Halfway Gone' lurches forward with a heady mix of swung percussion and cavernous bass, its tension building like a slow-motion collision. 'Light Headed' dials up the energy, its restless breakbeat patterns and distorted low-end hitting with unrelenting force. On the flip, 'Voices' leans into dubbed-out textures, letting ghostly vocal snippets drift through the haze as tightly coiled rhythms keep the pulse locked. Closer 'Still Here' brings the release full circle, with fractured beats and rumbling sub-bass weaving together in a hypnotic finale. It's a bold statement from Yaleesa Hallione that feels tailor-made for dancefloors that thrive on weight and space in equal measure.
Review: Keefy G has been lighting up the dancefloors of his native West Yorkshire and beyond for some time now. His sets are as slick as his hair and here he branches out with some fresh slabs of wax on the mighty Dungeon Meat's new Slabs label. It's a hook-up that makes sense given that he grew up listening to sets by label founders Tristan and Brawther and his own take on their template is compelling indeed. 'Like Dis' is rock solid deep house with crisp drums and slamming bass. 'Wildstyle' lays down another heavy house groove with glitchy perc and well-treated vocals that add plenty of sleaze.
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: 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: It can be hard work keeping up with the myriad of different labels that Burnski aka Constant Sound aka Instinct heads up. This one leans more into UK garage and welcomes Main Phase for another succulent selection here. 'Gotta Maintain' kicks off with a nice dusty garage sound that will get your lip curled, and then Buckley brings broken beat rework with dubbed-out low ends. 'Soul Mirror' is a clean, bouncy sound with a cool synth breeze and 'Breather' brings some olds school references - the raga vocals, the bleeping synths and the monstrous bass. Brilliantly filthy.
Review: Recovered DATs is a collection of lost tracks from the legendary producer Masterplan and they all pack a raw UKG punch. They were once assumed to be gone forever but were happily found on some original Sony DAT tapes and have since been carefully extracted. They were made with all the gear of the day such as the Roland JV-1080, Emu Proteus 1 & 2000 and Korg M1 so offer proper authentic sounds of the sort that define true UK garage. 'Dub General' is our favourite with its clipped vocal sample and restless chord stabs daring about the mix.
Review: It feels like most every week Burnski starts a new label that is immediately as good as all his others, and here is this week's case in point: Reliance is a new outlet from the super producer and it kicks off with ODF who you may know from a brilliant remix of Special Request. 'Yeah (Uh!)' opens with bubbly basslines and neon melodies and is a timeless garage bumper. '2 Turn' then brings the funk with tight bass and lovely silky drums, 'Rattlesnake' is more dark and menacing thanks to the trippy samples and low end and 'Back To 98' is a stateful shot of garage nostalgia direct to the veins.
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: Burnski's Constant Sound is back with more badman garage madness and this time it is Dennis Quinn in charge. 'Good Stuff' opens up with mad raw beats and menacing low ends, then 'Damage' picks up the pace with a mix of sleazy vocal samples and metallic hits. 'Sweatshop is a bumpy house cut with long-legged drums and swirling pads that bring the feel good vibes and 'Major Minority' shuts down with a more late-night sound, intriguing melodies and thudding kicks that you will not be able to ignore.
Review: Launched late last spring via an EP of nostalgic, spacey and sub-heavy breakbeat science, Shadow Child and DJ Haus's collaborative Rhythm Force series returns for a third instalment. This time round, the long-serving duo have opted to explore bowel-bothering bass of vintage UK garage and the late 90s drum and bass explorations of liquid superhero LTJ Bukem. Check first 'Night Lights', where twinkling electronics, glassy-eyed pads and rewind sound effects ride a crunchy two-step breakbeat and powerful sub-bass motif. 'Icy Moons', meanwhile, offers a lusciously spacey and rhythmically breathless take on the post-jungle early d&b sound, naturally underpinned by a seriously weighty, speaker-shaking bassline.
Review: What true head doesn't know 'Flowers'? Produced infamously by Sunship (Ceri Evans), this keystone lintel of the 90s UK garage door frames Leanne Brown's vocal - originally recorded as part of a much slower r&b demo - against a rolling, skippy beat that's all bounce and shimmer. Lyrically, it's a lovesick anthem, filled with longing and the ache of distance, but the groove keeps it light on its feet, providing a crossover appeal with a perma-adhesive sticking power. Though Sweet Female Attitude didn't follow it with another major hit, 'Flowers' has never faded. Tend to your garden, and your blooms won't wilt.
Review: Burnski's Pilot label keeps it fresh with more sounds that operate in the middle ground between house, tech and garage. This one is a split EP that kicks off with Vitess's 'You Got Work,' fizzy, sugary cosmic cut with bouncing drums. 'Play My Game' is another trippy and astral affair with disco energy and wispy synth melodies that hit different. Robin Graham steps up on the flip with 'Not Here 2 Party' which is a low-slung tech cut with a sordid little bassline. 'Pipe Dream' gets even more abstract and minimal with sleek drums and dry drums rolling onwards.
Review: Breaka returns with Aeoui, a highly anticipated second album that will again establish his reputation as a bass music innovator. Charlie Baker continues to evolve here with his mix of footwork, techno and dancehall influences and jazz drumming background all coming together into fresh club rhythms. The album's unique vibe emerged from a burst of jet-lagged inspiration in late 2023 and led to tracks like 'Squashy Track' and 'YOLO Bass Rewind' which both off-set a mix of organic and synthetic elements, Afro-Cuban rhythms, 'amapiano' and psychedelic influences. Breaka's sound remains unlike anything else.
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