UK Garage / 2 Step Recommendations February 2011

Review: Having enjoyed a remarkable 2010 that included Onra's superlative album, the LA series of killer ten inches and much more, Dublin imprint All City begin the year with the first in a new series originally mooted by the label bosses back in 2009. Inviting their favourite producers to knock heads and deliver two tracks, All City deliver a statement of intent with Martyn and Mike Slott at the controls with brilliant results! Much like the majority of Martyn's recent work it's pretty hard to categorise "All Nights", his A Side collaboration with Luckyme's Slott, other than to say it's a techno step flexer that's primed for play in the clubs. Special mention as well, for the prominent usage of cowbell and a vast array of unidentifiable sound effects that add a sonic richness to the track. The flipside brings the downtempo vibes of "Pointing Fingers", all reflective textures and soft, dreamlike melodies aided by rattling beat programming and ethereal vocal harmonies. Forward thinking sounds from all involved.

Review: Ten Thousand Yen do it right again with the future flex of rising producer XXXY housed in a delightfully bespoke designed ten inch sleeve and limited to 350 copies for the world to consume. "You Always Started" will bear obvious comparisons to early Joy Orbsion - i.e. before he went all house - but that's no bad thing as it's drenched in a soulful emotion that builds quite delightfully towards the hair raising crescendo. The guile with which XXXY teases out the vocal sample deserves a golf clap. Equally impressive is the psychedelic house thrust of "Ordinary Things", chopping up the vocal over a skipping deep bump, with a swathe of burning tripped out melodies the backdrop to purple synth flourishes and cheeky whoo samples. There's a simplicity to the production but it's overwhelmed by the thickness of sonic emotion XXXY achieves. As well as being very pretty this release comes with a code to download the tracks!

Review: Luckyme finally deliver Jacques Greene's debut EP on vinyl after pressing issues, and it's quite the looker, with artwork done in part by the mysterious Montreal wonderkid really impressing in full twelve inch glory! Greene is not shy in wearing his unabashed love of R&B on his sleeve, but this EP's roots are firmly in houseU deep Chicago hooks, acid synths and post-garage beats all abound here. Title tune "The Look" is the glossiest of this set - chopping and subtly pitch-shifting vocal lines into something truly anthemic, while basslines and synths pop and gurgle over a clap-based drum track. "Good Morning" goes deep into Detroitisms, fully loaded with tweaked enveloping pads, jacked-up beats and just the right amount of piano. On a future-funky tip, "Holdin' On" layers snapping percussion and garage-patterned beats on top of subtle vocal chops and more epic pads, while the slower "Tell Me" sports a hypnotic arpeggio that'll burrow its way into your cerebellum after just a few minutes listening.