New releases last eight weeks: UK Garage

Review: A captivating mix of deep house that effortlessly moves between groove and soul. The opening track, 'Real Love (Remi Mazet Twist),' sets the stage with its understated percussion and bassline, building a smooth, infectious vibe that pulls you in without overpowering you. But it's 'Speed Garage From Jupiter' that really grabs your attention. It has that heavy, classic speed garage punchidriving, raw, and full of energy, yet still feels current. It's no surprise it's found its way into Ben UFO's sets, where it clicks with the crowd in a way that feels both nostalgic and fresh. The EP closes with 'Ca C'est Ca C'est Sassy,' a track that adds a playful sophistication to the mix, showing Bulwer's versatility and confidence as a producer.

Review: Diffrent makes a powerful entrance with his debut 'My Sound' EP on Bristol's Time Is Now label, building on the success of his summer hit 'A Little Closer,' which had clubs across Europe buzzing in 2024. Here, he dives into the UK's rich foundations of garage, bass and breaks, delivering a weighty yet finely tuned sound that's unmistakably his own. It's the kind of chuggy, speed-garage flavour that's capturing everyone's craving right now. For a debut, 'My Sound' lands with impressive force as each track brings fresh flair and a distinctive character. From the first drop, it's clear Diffrent is carving out a unique spot in modern dance music, positioning him as one to watch.

Review: Warehouse Tools takes listeners on a nostalgic journey through the vibrant world of UK house music, showcasing the iconic sounds of Hooj Choons. Opening with Farayen & Liam Parkins' 'Where Do We Go (Jamie Unknown Remix)', the track blends high-energy euro house with New York-style house rhythms, offering a dynamic trip back to the early 90s. Dan Newman's 'Movin'' follows with a melodic Balearic progressive house gem, featuring heavenly piano moments paired with a serious beat that creates a dynamic vibe. On the flip side, Dean & Di After's 'Wicked Dreams' brings retro energy to the forefront, evoking the essence of house music's early days while offering a fresh perspective. Finally, Shade Guevara's 'Ted or Dead' delivers a piano-driven breakbeat, showcasing a vintage sound that encapsulates the roots of house music. This compilation is a well-crafted tribute to the genre, perfectly balancing nostalgia with contemporary energy.

Review: Interplanetary Criminal, a driving force in the UK garage revival, finally drops his long-awaited debut on ATW Records. Known for his sharp sets and bold productions, he's seen a meteoric rise with hits like the UK chart-topper 'B.O.T.A.' with Eliza Rose, alongside sell-out tours and standout Boiler Room appearances. The new release features 'Gunman' feat. Riko Dan on the A-side, followed by 'Manchester' and 'The Valley' on the B-side, showcasing his gritty, bass-driven sound that's electrified festivals from Glastonbury to Ibiza's iconic DC-10.

Review: Wrong'uns is a newly established label designed to serve up dirty jams for the dancefloor. For this second outing, they look to a beat-making crew of miscreants in Just Olly, Mehlor, Jake Rollinson and Joejoemojo who all offer up one jam each. Just Olly's 'Tougher' has filthy basslines and lip-curling menace in the stepping drums. Mehlor's low ends are just as warped and the drums and percussion are just as kinetic, then Rollinson's 'Trip The Funk' is a sinner blend of synth modulation sand bleeping dial tones that is full of fun for the club. Last but not least, 'Shake The Funk' is a catchy slammer with big breaks and sirens designed to blow up any sound system.

Review: French producer Kaval reinvents UK funky on this intricately constructed four-tracker. The opener is an energetic blend of syncopated percussion and shuffling rhythms that builds momentum with a tight, layered arrangement. The second cut introduces an off-kilter melodic touch, balancing dynamic grooves with a more playful sensibility. The flip explores a much darker, sonic territory, leaning into moody atmospherics and spacious drum patterns. Closing the record, the final track layers hypnotic loops over driving basslines, offering a satisfying finale that exemplifies Kaval's ability to push the boundaries of UK funky while retaining its rhythmic essence.

Review: GLBDOM Classic drops a second vinyl release here in the form of a various artists' selection of vintage house sounds. Manuold's 'Hey Sunshine' gets things underway with some back-to-the-90s kick drums and playful horns with uplifting vocal samples making for a sweet vibe. Evenn's 'Inner Dance' is a nice raw house bumper with vamping chords and some soulful Detroit chords in the background. Scart Lead then keeps things silky with the smooth pads and muted melodies of 'Everglades' and Esspee and Kid Only close out with two more ageless house gems that pair dance for clout with heartfelt soul.

Review: The Pirate Cutz label is fast approaching release number ten and has done a fine job of establishing itself with a fresh garage sound. This latest is no different and comes from Midnite who brings some trad vibes with new school techniques. 'Heart Breakin' is bumping US garage with a big diva vocal stab that will get those hands skywards. 'Move On' is laced with big piano chords and 'Want Me' has a more choppy garage feel with silkier stabs. 'Keep On' blends lovely vocal warmth, glowing chords and dusty drum shuffles that will prove hard to resist in the club.

Review: Back in March 2024, producer Papa Nugs launched the Suckerpunch imprint with Dance Floor Rennovations, a three-track collection of (in his words) "old dance reworks and 90s inspired jams given a modern dancefloor punch". This sequel is similarly minded and, like its predecessor, tons of fun. Papa Nugs naturally delivers two tracks: '132 in a Ford Escort', where sassy samples from a well-known female rapper rise above punchy breakbeat house beats and a dirty analogue bassline, and the mind-mangling nu-skool breaks flavoured, acid-flecked, Beastie Boys-sampling 'Intergalactic'. Sometime Old Boy collaborator Ho Gosh handles the rest of the EP, serving up the mind-mangling UK garage mutations 'Fight Or Flight' and 'Dope Melody', the latter peppered with early Basement Jaxx stabs and sped-up hip-hop samples.

Review: The mysterious but magnificent Phone Traxxx dial in with another killer 12", their sixth so far. 'Slinkzer' is a nice playful house number with some bubbling synth melodies and zippy lines adding energy to the dusty drums. 'Groovement' picks it up with more slamming drums and hard-edged hits as was as chopped-up melodic bursts and sci-fi effects. 'Mentasmluv' is a garage number with a scruffy low end and some fun oinks and boinks and cartoon sound design adding colour. 'Humbucker' is a slinky percussive number that closes out at a lick.

Review: Fad-free French house label Skylax has always done its own thing, and always to a great reception amongst serious heads. This new one from Quasar is an impossibly perfect mix of physical drums and heart-aching vocal hooks. The pitched up female vocal conveys such bittersweet pain it doesn't matter the words she sings as you're immediately drawn in for the ride. 'For Your Love' is another hugely emotional cut with floating breakbeats and nagging vocals that really get you where it hurts. 'Morning Bells' is a deep house cut with a spritely groove and blissed out vocal, and 'Inside My Love' closes with more heavy analogue drums but no less of a heartfelt sound thanks to the melancholic pads.

Review: Noah Skelton achieves garage clarity on the 16th volume in the Mindhelmet series. Described as having a "post-boing depth" by the label, shortly adjoined by the demand to "release your release", the EP first comprising 'Used To Say' and 'Smooth Liberation' sounds to have extracted an immortal bio-essence of garage from an otherwise perishable culture. Ultra-clean femme-vox cutups, and crispy but not pained rims and claves, ensure the A-siders strip garage of its oldskool oddities, offering a modern pristine grove of tricky but bassy sanitation. 'Gazer' and 'Nocturne Hedon' continue this by the record's midpoint, adding truncated timbale and 4x4 cosmic relief; then 'Aleph Null' and 'Cold Heat' return to swing, moving fuller, fog-choked future garage, and stoic, lamplit night-bump 2-step, respectively.

Review: Jeremy Sylvester's latest offering continues his mastery of UK garage, balancing infectious rhythm with soulful nuances. 'The Lights' opens with a deep, rumbling bassline, setting the tone for a track that builds on Sylvester's signature groove. The lush vocals float effortlessly over crisp percussion, and the track's stripped-back energy makes it as hypnotic as it is accessible. '2 The Rhythm' shifts gears, layering syncopated rhythms and intricate bass stabs, creating a more energetic vibe. Meanwhile, 'Groove With You' adds warmth with jazzy chord progressions, seamlessly merging upbeat energy with subtle undertones. The EP's depth showcases Sylvester's unparalleled command of space and rhythm.

Review: Fred Again's new LP Ten Days is decidedly minimal in both visual and sonic feel, making for a well-put-together exercise in chic dance summeriness, one that manages to feel, paradoxically, nostalgic for the present moment. If the crux of Fred Again's appeal rests our vicarious enjoyment of his evidently voracious enjoyment of life, then this is equally as reflective in the music here, with 'Adore U' skimming through pitch-warped vocals sampled from Obongjayar's live performance dedicated to his sister and mum, as if to immortalise them in a rush of frenetics and lightness of being, and 'Ten' equally playing up the bare skeletals of snap-rims, warbly samples and ever more pitch-effecting, this time on Jozzy's vocals. Less earnest than his outing with Brian Eno, and more dedicable purely to the young adult gaieties of summer, Ten Days marks a little over a weeks' worth of fun, tinged with a tiny hint of melancholy.

Review: Irish producer Iglooghost continues to redefine electronic music with a conceptually rich and sonically dense third album. Drawing from the desolate landscapes of a coastal UK town overrun by primordial detritus, the record fuses UK garage, coldwave, drill and more into a visceral, cinematic experience. Created while squatting in a Kent coast garage near a sewage plant, Iglooghost's surroundings heavily influenced the album's dark, aquatic tone. Blending relentless percussion with eerie melodies, the album unfolds like a near-future sci-fi soundtrack. Tracks like 'Germ Chrism' deliver pummeling trap-meets-IDM chaos, while slower cuts like 'Spawn01' evoke the hushed intimacy of early Portishead. Iglooghost's vocals take center stage, ranging from snarling hooks to delicate whispers, imbuing the music with a surreal humanity. Thematically cohesive yet wildly experimental, the album's soundscapes mimic waterlogged radio transmissions, stuffed with textures, rhythms and cinematic interludes. Despite its grim undertones, a cartoonish, surreal charm runs throughout, melding genres and abstract storytelling into relentless, goosebump-inducing club music. This record reaffirms Iglooghost's mastery of world-building and his ability to craft a vivid, otherworldly atmosphere from the interplay of sound and narrative.

Review: First released digitally earlier in 2024, Prince Palmer's first outing on Bobby Donny's 'Ace' series heads to vinyl in expanded form. It's the Dutch producer's vinyl debut and a quietly impressive one at that. The headline attraction is 'Serious Play', a rolling, loose-limbed and sub-heavy slab of revivalist garage house/New Jersey deep house fusion that comes accompanied by a chunkier and undeniably trippy, dancefloor dub style 'Vibe Mix' makeover courtesy of Joy Jenkins. There's plenty to set the pulse racing across the rest of the EP though, from the Burrell Brothers-meet-Jovonn flex of 'Get Down' and the jazz-house/garage-house fusion of 'Sleeping City (Wake Up Mix)', to the organ-rich house positivity of 'Polygon Island' and the peak-time-at-Sound Factory NYC flex of Frits Wentink's fine revision of 'Airlift'.