HIGHRISE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Highrise continues to pile on the pressure through his breakout year in the buoyant UK garage scene, following up crucial spots on Plastik People and Shuffle 'n' Swing with more of that immaculately rendered 2-step tackle to get you shaking uncontrollably. 'Groovin' is steeped in soul and vibe, while 'Not Because Of You' gets even craftier with its organ chops and vocal slices. 'Teedra' on the B-side follows suit, displaying a razor sharp instinct for the funkiest slithers of sound to get bouncing around that deadly swing. If you need proof there's plenty of fresh garage being made these days, then cop yourself one of these before they're all snapped up.

Review: The ongoing re-emergence of garage continues apace in 2020, despite the fact that none of us are actually able to knock out shapes in a club. Practical Rhythms builds on the success of its first release with another split, this time introducing High-rise on the a-side. 'Feedback' is a bumpy ride with 98-style 2-step and lush vocals that Sly then flips into something more down and dirty. Bailey Ibbs opens up the reverse with the more minimal and skeletal 'Talk To Me' with its glitchy sound and sub warmth. Soul Mass Transit System remix with a more bliss out and soulful late night house vibe, but at high speed and to great effect.

Review: Hold tight for more absolutely essential garage fodder from the Plastik People camp. This sharp and snappy two-tracker kicks off with Highrise, aka Darlington-based producer Dinn Warde who's been making increasingly large splashes with his jungle productions as Dwarde and more recently his on-point garage productions. His mix of "Want You Back" is a tightly wound, bumping slice of 4x4 with cool and deadly organ stabs. By contrast, label boss Marc Cotterell brings a more outwardly soulful flavour to his original version, leaning on uplifting chord sequences and putting the vocal front and centre. Depending on the mood you're looking to set, this record has you covered in two distinct and supremely classy ways.

Review: Reptile Mob is a newly launched, vinyl-only sub-label of the well-regarded GLBDOM imprint. It kicks off with a five-track various artists release that pays homage to the garage sound. 'Don't Know It' by Highrise opens up with a distantly 90s vibe, then Sky Joose shows his class on 'On The Shores' with its hard-edged bassline and full-throttle drums. Johnny U-Tah works some re-pitched and time-stretched vocals to perfection on 'Voices In My Head', with further gems from The Thunderkats whose 'Melatron' is a piano-laced bumper and last of all Jay Ward's 'Everything That I Need' brims with vocal lushness. A top draw start for sure.