New releases this week: UK Garage

Review: Margate-based Braga Circuit showcases a refined signature style and knack for killer sampling with this standout debut on Air Miles. 'Fall' kicks off with amped-up chord stabs and brilliantly well-swung, rolling kicks that soon get those hips moving. 'Closer' oozes summer cool thanks to the balmy chords that soften the percussive, garage-flecked house drums. There is also plenty of Kerri Chandler soul in these here beats that makes them all the more essential. 'Filter Feed' layers up dusty perc and thudding kicks with sultry vocal whispers. It's steamy and irresistible and last but not least, Leod is another talent from the coastal town of Margate and remixes this one with a more direct and dubby style.

Review: Bruce is back for the second release from Poorly Knit and it's an experimental three-track for more out there dancefloors. 'Belly (Two Mississippi)' has hurried drum loops that flap and underlap beneath tortured pads, shrieking elephant trumpets and ghoulish vocals that really are unsettling. 'Burned Alive (More Gauze)' as you may guess from the title, is another freaky bit of rhythm and sound with distant alarms, mangled vocal fragments and a dub underbelly. 'Hot One (Chapped Lips version)' is a wispy and minimal soundscape full of paranoia and intrigue. Play loud, but only if you dare.

Review: You thought you knew UK garage, but you didn't know Chris Mack. First released in 1998 on the very same label on which it comes out now - Old Soul - 'Set It Off' is a phenomenal primer on how little effort it truly requires to make a rager of a 2-step garage track. Though it first appeared on the scene as a B-side, it brings an extra slaparound, A-face fodder to it. Ever-so-slight reverb on drums contrast the song's otherwise un-messed-with mix, which retroactively makes us balk in the face of the comparatively overproduced nu-garage we often hear today. The original dub strips things down even further, allowing a bodying reverb on the "here we go" vox to interline seamlessly with the jazz stingers.

Review: Copenhagen's Main Phase continues his ascent in the bass world with a new EP that fuses UK influences and Euro house into four club-ready tracks that again embody his genre-blending style. Effortlessly ranging from UKG and speed garage to dubstep and jungle, he brings a fresh energy with a subtle nostalgic undercurrent. As co-founder of ATW Records alongside Interplanetary Criminal, he's helped shape the new wave of UK-inspired sounds with past releases on Hardline Sounds, Locked On and ec2a. This time out he offers the elastic bump of 'Playa Hataz', the chord-laced shuffle of 'Bring It Back' and vamping new school garage funk of 'Bumpa Riddim' which has been a big one for Burnski. 'Until The AM' closes with a proggy hurry.

Review: Dennis Quin is a Dutch talent who does it all from thumping tech to deep house on labels like Defected, Madhouse Records and PIV. He now steps up to the Slabs label run by Dungen Meat duo Brawther and Tristan Da Cunha with a swinging garage two-tracker. 'Farmette' has nice sleazy bass and drum combinations with razor-sharp hi-hats and rolling bass that never quits. 'Ode To Todd' has a more skippy rhythm but still keeps you locked with a fat low end. Some vocal chops and percolating synths bring further energy to this irresistible club cut. Another fine outing from Quin.