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Tommy Farrow has been making waves ever since his breakout single, 'Let's Just', caught the eye of Radio 1 tastemakers. His emotive, trancelike tracks, evoking influences like Bicep, have been instant hits. Joining the Classic Cuts series, Forever EP is his debut on Shall Not Fade.

'Forever' features rising star vocalist Clementine Douglas, her sultry lines coasting over melancholy chords before casting off into high drama breaks and synth melodies. Breakbeat dominates 'Feel What I'm Feeling' too, a big room track filled with pure ecstasy; closing track 'Imagination' is deep and grooving with an explosive electro edge.

Forever EP drops 10th December via Shall Not Fade.

Pressed on pink marbled vinyl

Shall Not Fade's garage and breaks sublabel, Time is Now, has been a great success in its first year, and now starts 2021 with the first in a series of hand-stamped white label releases. London via Madrid up-and-comer Tower Block Dreams makes his debut for the label with five killer cuts, backed with a weighty remix from Manchester-based garage maestro and Time Is Now regular Interplanetary Criminal.

The A-side is all reliable garage bangers; the opener, "Wicked Ya No" is a rude wobbler for the early hours, with rave piano stabs and a dirty drop. Track two "Keep Coming" loses none of the pace, chopping up playful R'n'B diva vocals to a hard bassline; and the A-side ends with a sidewinding beast of a track in "Soundboy". Think retro synths paired with timestretched ragga vocals - it's unashamedly filthy.

Onto the B-side with gun fingers out for "Truss We", which plays again with ravey stabs and staccato female vocals for an instant dancefloor banger. Tower Block Dreams' last offering on the record is much darker; a forward stepper that cruises along at half-time, creating an ominous atmosphere on which to lead into Interplanetary Criminal's remix of "Wicked Ya Know". This one reimagines the record opener in the producer's trademark high-octane style, smattering hyper breakbeats across the track and turning up the wobble to end the record with a stinker

Four tracks of juicy, cheeky breakbeat action with an underlying hint of skippy two-step synchopation going on, overlaid with elements from the more musical end of house and the most dancefloor-slanted side of P-funk. 'Giftig', with its Bollywood string flourishes, is the most exotic beast among the pack, while 'Cllosing Time' boasts searing 80s disco stabs and some neat tickling of the Hammond very much in jazz funk style. That said, it's all action across all four tunes, so get stuck in.

Instinct remains at the forefront of the UK garage scene as we roll into 2022 thanks to more heat like this from Main Phase. He follows up standout tunes on the likes of Time Is Now, Dansu Discs and Lost City Archives with his most complete statement yet. Opener 'Treat Me Right' is a lively stepper with lush hits and a wobbling bottom end. 'Whale Dub' gets darker and more stripped back but swings just as infectiously, then 'Nuff' layers up brain-melting bass with rude vocals and 'OG' ups the energy with a pumping old school sound and plenty of characterful details. There is more retro garage gold on closer 'Body' to make this a hugely useful EP.

Limited 12" vinyl only release. Run of 500. 140g black vinyl. No repress, no digital.

"The strongest affection and utmost zeal should promote the studies concerned with the most beautiful objects. This is the discipline that deals with the universe's divine revolutions, the stars' motions, sizes, distances, risings and settings... for what is more beautiful than heaven?" - Copernicus.

Leeds garage connoisseur and Time Is Now family member Groovy D is back with a kaleidoscopic 4-tracker which sees him explore the many different flavours of UKG with the help of grime legend, Trim.

When it comes to rhythm and texture, BadderDanDem EP leaves few stones unturned. On the title track, a heavily swung two-step rhythm - seemingly off kilter yet fiercely controlled - keeps you on your toes, whilst sinister sub groans and the unmistakable flow of protean MC, Trim, make it a real soundsystem banger. Next up, '187Dreams' welcomes the first of many shifts in mood. At once maintaining the womping bassline which make it equally as suited to big stacks, this one sees melody take centre stage, licked with infectious vocals which inject a dose of groove and soul. Flip the record over and speed garage banger 'Haul&Pull' brings the high-octane ruffage before '97Groove' adds a bit of sex appeal, closing precedings luscious pads and and a tight two-step rhythm.

Repress !

Constant Sound sublabel Instinct comes correct with some ruff n' tuff steppers from 0113, a shadowy alias that channels pure speed garage energy into a record of pure firepower. There's no messing with lead track "Inside", all nasty bass and frantic swing with more rudeboy swagger than a souped up Vauxhall Nova. "Steppa" darts around a crooked 2-step flex to die for, embellished with eerie atmospherics to darken up the dance. "Rouge Fader" brings some heavyweight 4x4 bump n' flex, and "Break" keeps the pressure up to make this a four-deep dancehall wrecker of the highest caliber.

Whether it’s bouncy UK garage styled beats, deep dubstep excursions, skippy house, trip hop or even footwork stylings, his vision is set firmly on creating music which takes the sounds of genres like dub, downtempo, dub-techno and early dubstep in different directions but together and cohesively.

The echoes of Stillhead’s previous alias DFRNT seem to get louder here as he takes another foray into the world of deep electronic music.

Since his days of releasing deep post-dubstep as DFRNT, Alex Cowles has been crafting his sound in multiple genres and since 2014, his Stillhead moniker has carried that torch over 4 albums and a number of EPs. His newest album “Restraint And Reverb” will be landing on 12th August on double heavyweight coloured vinyl. Released on his own Brightest Dark Place label the full 12-track album will be available in both physical format and digitally.

Four cuts of four to the floor garage music from Enrico Dragoni, Snolan, Gavin Dista, and U Know The Drill.

Three slices of unashamedly old skool (two) stepping action from the Above Sound label and 2Step2 (squared) aka DJ Ruby and Jo Public, that'll transport you back to the Sunday scene and UKG's earliest days. On this EP's lead track 'Give Me Some Of That' the duo perfectly catch that intersection between rave elements - the wispy, eerie synths and pitch shifted vocals - and the sophisticated shuffle of American garage. 'Drop The Bass (2022 Remaster)' leans slightly more towards the hardcore flavour, its choppier beats more evocative of the inspired syncopations of breakstep,, while 'What's Gonna Happen' is the trippiest and most optimistic sounding of the three while still packing plenty of rhythmic punch.

Featuring Artists Pugilist, Caldera, Dawn Razor, Lithe & Imitation Therapy, Harrta and Barley. Branch Points first V/A is a exploration into functional leftfield club sonics. BPA003 is pressed on 140g 12" sustainably using recycled vinyl.

Up next for the mental health charity label are 4 tracks dedicated to Mind. The VA pays homage to early 2000s nostalgia - with two Garage/Breaks cuts from Harry Wills & Rob Amboule respectively. The two of them alongside Alec Falconer make up 'Phone Traxx', a highly-regarded UKG outfit. Up first is '6 for 5 and feeling fresh', a track that's already been doing the rounds on dancefloors - idyllic for that peak-time club setting. Following that on the A2 is 'Mindright', which contrasts a noteworthy alternative - something you could expect any time, any place, anywhere. On the flip, is a moody remix from Rob - with a bassline that'll wobble any wall in the country. And last but not least, 'Harry's toasty mix', which more than aptly wraps up a release which is arguably the label's best yet. One not to miss.

**Hardcore, FWD dance music from two leading sound artists. Edition of 500, Mastered and cut by Matt Colton** Mark Fell and Gábor Lázár ratchet the game with their razor-sharp debut collaboration, 'The Neurobiology of Moral Decision Making'. As promised in the wake of Gábor's acclaimed vinyl debut, 'EP16', the duo have colluded on a full set of ten tracks, ranging from short synapse bursts thru to an uncannily emotive 12 minute masterpiece on the closing side. As the 10th release on The Death of Rave, it demonstrates the distance travelled since the early '90s paradigm shift of original rave culture, effecting a radical recalibration of meter and tone conventions in electronic/dance music, and by turns, acutely probing our perception of time and space. Essentially it's incredibly "funky", if "funk" is taken to mean syncopation or a play on tension-and-resolution. By utilising the grid-morphing potential of Max/MSP software, they unlock mutant ballistic patterns cleanly weaving between and recoding the tendons and ligament of techno, garage, footwork and hardcore with muscle memory-reprogramming impact. Kicks, claps and visceral chromatic stabs land at irregular, blind-spot junctures, acutely rewiring our sense of rhythmic anticipation and offering a thrilling new freedom of expression and dancefloor discipline in the process. It's a masterful step forward from Yorkshireman, Mark Fell's Sensate Focus output and SND classics, and, likewise, a logical leap from Budapest-based Max whizz, Gábor Lázár. If you're into Mumdance, Errorsmith, Lorenzo Senni, Autechre, Actress or SND; we'd say it's as essential as they come.

(remixes)

A new spoken word track with Smokey him self on vocals featuring the talents of Smasher, reminiscing of late teen years going raving and the love of fashion, record shopping, and most importantly UKG culture! This is a smooth 2 step banger that will make you want to put your Moschino shirt & Gucci loafers and head to Camden Palace!

Think about the classic from MAW "Work", Reel to Real "I like to Move it"... TROPICAL FLASH "Get up" has the same vibe and the same kind of potential on the dancefloor !

This is a truly essential for the coming summer, percussive rhythm and expressive Jamaican vocal style. Funky, efficient and with an organic feel due to the bass guitar and percussion.

Along both original mixes features a really cool remix by the NYC Legend DJ Spinna, this time Spinna did not produce a soulful house track but a real massive House Remix with some heavy 90’ influences, really sick! The 12'' has been cut by Mathieu Berthet so expect a very nice cut, the full picture sleeve has been manually designed by Felix Godefroy and is really colourful, it makes a very nice 12'' with good pressing quality on 140g from Vinyl de Paris.

Davide Piras is an Italian producer with a penchant for the tougher, rougher side of British bass music. Creating music under the moniker DJ Chupacabra, Piras has been picked up by labels like Haws and Dr Banana in the past year, and now makes his debut for Time Is Now with more deep raw cuts.

The EP hits hard with deep tech, breaks and rumbling bass. "Grimer" kicks off with sparse, staccato beats for heads down business before the expansive two step of "Rockstar". With its eclectic use of samples and ominous swelling bassline, it's a solid club roller.

Funky, earworming house is the game of B-side opener "Killalot" which hints just a little of an acidic edge. "Morbid" is a heady stepper with plenty of ear teasing melody and atmosphere. The EP closes with a crescendo in "Croissant", which has a chunky minimal deep tech beat and booming bassline which is destined to send the dancefloor wild.

Classic Groove Chronicles remixes from 2000 on long awaited repress!

Aussie singer / songwriter Sia's debut LP 'Healing Is Difficult' dropped at the turn of the millennium and introduced us to her unique take on electronica, jazz and everything in-between.
Enlisting the legendary Groove Chronicles to take on remixing duties was a masterstroke as this brand spanking new pressing of 'Get Me' show us in fine style. Boasting a fresh soulful vocal version kicking things off and an obligatory instrumental b-side, the GC boys bring their trademark swinging, clipped 2-step funk to proceedings, doing what they do best while making an underground classic in the process.

'Get Me' is now back on the streets with a fresh, legit and welcome 2022 remaster from the wizards at London's The Carvery, repressed onto a nice and heavy 12" slab of wax. Another slamming UKG classic brought back courtesy of Long Lost Brother records and Above Board Distribution. Bound for the reload!

Wolves-based duo TC4 have been working it for some time now, dropping their first 12" back in 2013 and continuing to push a sprightly speed garage sound that spells instant good times. This self-titled label sees them back on the case with four good time joints that make great use of RnB samples, chirpy piano chords and beats with all the bump. 'Feels' has more of a deep house vibe, 'Gold Teeth' takes it straight to classic UKG territory, but without fail all these jams swing tuff and bring enough heat to set a pool party on fire

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.

Freerange Records present the second jazz-flecked EP taken from Crackazat's recently released 'Evergreen' album, featuring a stunning rework from irrepressible Berlin-based producer, Cody Currie.

Following the arrival of the recent Beacon Of Light EP, the word is well and truly out about Ben 'Crackazat' Jacob's breathtaking metamorphosis from dubbed- out dancefloor igniter to fully-fledged singer/songwriting talent. Incorporating a new level of compositional mastery while maintaining his well-earned club credentials, Jacobs continues breaking new stylistic ground with the 'Everybody Talks About It' EP.

Curating an organically-inspired match between two of UK house music's most outstanding and musically refined artists in recent years, Freerange invite Cody Currie to commence proceedings with his typically deft interpretation of 'Everybody Talks'. The London-born producer has made an enormous impact on the dance underground since emerging in around 2016, releasing a flurry of jazz- inspired titles on benchmark labels including Toy Tonics, Razor N Tape, and Classic. Making his Freerange debut, he elegantly reframes the track while retaining the essence of the original. Gently nudging the drums to add a touch of floor-focused gravity, he carefully spaces out the instrumentation and effect- laden vocal, allowing driving chords to power the US garage-inspired groove deep into sun-kissed dancefloors.

Next to appear is Crackazat's original version of the title track, a song that perfectly encapsulates the intelligent pop-centric focus of the forthcoming album. 'Everybody Talks About It' explodes with emotion, with its searing vocal rising over shimmering pads and bass before building to a horn-filled crescendo. The composition sees Crackazat at his song-writing zenith, adding an irresistible crossover sheen to the propulsive club groove.

On the flip, we find Crackazat's 'Mana's Dub' of 'I'm Easy', stripping back the vocal and adding bite to the drums as looped instrumentation and celestial synths build to a club-ready fervour. As with the previous single, the inclusion of this well-crafted instrumental transports the track into dubbed-out realms and is sure to hit home with admirers of the vintage Crackazat sound. Finally, the deep disco of the original version of 'I'm Easy' sees blissful chords glide over weighted bass as the vocal powers across the panorama, bursting with Quincy Jones-inspired horns above delicately woven keys and raw house drums.

This neatly varied package once again demonstrates Crackazat's meteoric artistic development while tipping the cap to his dance-focused roots.

Every Odd Number has an E in it.

A timely reissue of UK house maestro Charles Webster’s heavily sought-after Spectrum EP, originally released under his Presence alias back in ’96 from Glasgow's TDSR.

A timely reissue of UK house maestro Charles Webster’s heavily sought-after Spectrum EP, originally released under his Presence alias back in ’96. ‘Gotta Be Paid’ sets the tone, a huge deep house number reminiscent of the Prescription/Murk/Shelter Mix camps with shuffling drums, sweet low end and a looping vocal sample. Across the rest of the tracks Webster nods to various strains of US dance music that inspired the British club scene of the era but shows why he is regarded as one of the best in the business. A2 ‘Partyboy’ continues on with the well-swung, punchy attitude, underlying keys seemingly harking back to the bleep days prior to the hardcore continuum. The sound is classier and more refined though, mostly due to the improvement the mid 90s saw in production opportunities and Webster’s clear affinity to the New York scene across the pond. The EP is an exercise in the classic house template of addition and subtraction, yet with all of Webster’s chosen elements oozing quality and nothing ever sounding out of place. ‘Work on Me’ opens the B-side with a big room diva mantra imploring all the dancers to get to work. Simple and totally effective. ‘I Believe’ grooves along ever more subtly, an after-hours burner rounding the 12” off in a wide-eyed romantic fashion.

New dog in the 777 pound! Join the "Low Poly Life (Level 1)" by Dogpatrol and experience some deep quirky percussive leftfield treats!

Since joining forces as Soul Mass Transit System a couple of years ago, Baby J and D Jason have released a wealth of club-ready 12" singles, many of which explore their love of vintage UK garage. This EP on Vivid is a little more eclectic but no less celebratory or peak-time ready. For proof, check saucer-eyed opener 'Set You Free', where giddy old school piano stabs, stretched-out sub-bass and spinetingling female vocal samples ride a rolling breakbeat, and the revivalist hardcore hedonism of the ludicrously bass-heavy 'Nah Nah Nah'. They doff a cap to their bassline roots on crunchy breakbeat roller 'Phat Booty', before drawing a fine EP toa close with the two-step-goes-Niche heaviness of 'Smoke'.

LAURENT GARNIER
"Hummm this is twisted and so damn good"

Noted for his vast and psychedelic bass heavy productions, Brighton based producer Etch pulls out four killers for the ‘Sloppy Rhythm Trax’ EP on Hypercolour.

With a pedigree that has bestowed labels like IllianTape, Sneaker Social Club, LMD SunkWorks and TempOzone with exceptional singles and albums, the man like Etch fires on all cylinders for his Hypercolour debut.

Impenetrable and heady vibes are served up on ‘Lazyville’, whilst‘ Gaia’s Mainframe’ give us some of that aforementioned psychedelic bass in spades!‘

Pluto’s Groove’ tears into jungle and d‘n’b territories, rinsing out the acid breaks vibes, whilst ‘Belladonna & The Poppies’ throws down more sub bass frequencies in a dusty and decidedly chugging EP finale.

Fresh from turning heads on Lobster Theremin, Running Out Of Steam & Distant Horizons - Dublin based M4A4 comes correct for Hot Haus Recs with 4 UKG tinged burners.

After a 2020 that saw releases on Running Out Of Steam and Object of Desire, M4A4 brings his laid back house & garage stylings to Distant Horizons on Undercover Castle.

Opening track Avera is a skeletal 4x4 stomper, lined with a whompy bass & crystalline chords while Sunriser is a more dubbed out, hazy house roller. The flip side opens with the sensitive minimal 2-step cut She and New City’s bubbling bassline ensure the release ends on a groovy tip!

Reissue from Blahh !! as demand grows for this 4 track garage house flavoured ep. Swing in overdrive, from the deeper shuffle of "Closer" to the heavy bump of "I Don't Want U". "Freak Me Out" is a wonderfully frantic workout with all manner of samples and skittish key flex pinging around an uptempo groove, before "Talkin' About" pushes the swing even harder to conjure up a jazzy feeling smattered with sax licks and squelching synth stabs.

4 naughty cuts of dark garage. Full of swing, sub, and straight rollage. Buy multiple copies so you can hang this up on your wall.

Bringing back the Sunday vibes from the early days of UKG - bass heavy tracks geared towards the undergrond.

Instinct has been one of the key protagonists in garage's ongoing renaissance. Not only have his tunes given a fresh take on the much loved old sound, but there have been plenty of them, too. Now he's back with yet another full length, and once again it's packed with heat. There are deep shufflers that nod to the original US garage sound, as well as darker, 2-step tinged get downs. More so than before, there seem to be plenty of reversed bass stabs and MC vocals, old school signifiers and jungle breaks that pay homage to the roots of the sound while never simply copying it. The heart aching vocal of 'Don't Know' is our fave and a likely candidate for one of this summer's standout tunes.

The latest from Burnski's Vivid label is a three way split, six track affair with Oldboy, Xander and Longeez each dispatching a pair of tunes in the label's trademark roughneck breakbeat style. - Oldboy kicks off proceedings with the speedy junglisms of 'Blackbird' before the chunkier, funkier and a little more traditionally paced breaks heft of 'Walrus Party'. Xander's 'If I Tell EM' and 'Get To The Point' both plays off two step rhythmic twists and menacing bass against dreamy synths and more breakbeaty flourishes, before Longeez closes proceedings with the slightly sparser 'Evermore' - super sharp hi hats and echoing rasta dialogue - and the appropriately spinback-peppered 'Wheel Up'.

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.