New releases last four weeks: UK Garage

Review: London's seasoned producer ADMNTi with four tracks that distil years of immersion in tech-house, jungle and grime into sharp, percussive club tools with distinct UK flair. 'Second Hand Sushi' drives the point home with its snapping drums, snarling basslines and wiry synth stabsibig-room energy and definitely no excess fat. 'Lost Fruits' stays steppy, leaning into sub pressure and pirate radio textures, soundbites crackling like a tape pack rewind. On the flip, 'Diptych' shifts tone without dropping paceichopped strings and warped vocals glide over crunchy drum work, locking into a more introspective groove. Closer 'Shrublands' dips further into dubwise atmospherics, pairing wobbly low-end with hazy flute lines and ghosted sax, while snippets of graffiti lore from both London and New York float through the mist. Early support from Ben UFO, Enzo Siragusa and Tristan da Cunha points to the range and functionality of these cutsiwhether heads-down or heads-up, they pull threads from the capital's soundsystem heritage into something that works across times and tempos. A strong first outing for Forms World and a clear step forward from ADMNTi.

Review: Plenty of neologistic fun can be had with the work "break", but we must admit that "breakflow" is a new one on us. Lisboa produtor b0n impresses such sonic and titular genii with a new, green-goo-hued four-track EP on Portgal's fantastical Magic Carpet label, spanning clean future progressive and garage-acid tempos. The title track and 'Sasha Palomal' only tease the unortho-breaks with tricky garage beats and straighter but admittedly still formative breaksteps; it's only by the point of the B-siders 'Positive Morph' and 'Fractures' that any such fluvial breakbeat is properly put back together and course-corrected. Be warned, the latter track moves through the nicely rare variants of freestyle and "electrance"; careful not to dance yourself to breakdown.

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: US house legend Dennis Ferrer's debut album The World As I See It was a masterclass in soulful, emotive house music that really cut rherough when it arrived in 2007. Blending gospel, Afrobeat, and deep NYC roots, Ferrer avoided big-name features in favour of fresh vocal talent while delivering heartfelt tracks like 'Run Free' and 'How Can I Let Go.' The iconic 'Son of Raw' and 'Underground Is My Home' bring dancefloor fire, while 'Change the World' and 'Dem People Go' showcase Ferrer's cultural depth. With rich percussion, fat basslines and sincerity throughout, this isn't just a house albumiit's a powerful work that transcends the club and still bangs today.

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: 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: Burnski's agenda-setting garage label Instinct is back with killer new beats from Mance. 'Atmos101' gets things underway with sparking melodies zipping about the stereo field over chunky drums and with a filthy bassline. There is more of a throwback feel to the dusty drum loops of 'Stone Cold, Baby' complete with great vocal samples and spiralling pads. 'All Night' shows another look again with dry, stripped-back beats and big hits under warped synth stabs and more brain-melting bass. 'I Can't Help It' shuts down with silky pads work and soulful vocals.

Review: Very few producers in the game can hold a candle to Zed Bias when it comes to exceptional garage sounds. He has helped shape the genre many times over and now comes through on the IFG label with another gem. This one features Abstract Sonance and Amber Prothero and is deep, cuddly, dubbed-out mid-tempo garage with long-legged drums and mystic melodic leads next to a spine-tingling vocal. The Zed Bias 4x4 remix bumps a little more directly with fizzing static marbled the beats and some nice wobbly bass finishing it in style.