Back catalogue: UK Garage

Review: Breaka returns with Aeoui, a highly anticipated second album that will again establish his reputation as a bass music innovator. Charlie Baker continues to evolve here with his mix of footwork, techno and dancehall influences and jazz drumming background all coming together into fresh club rhythms. The album's unique vibe emerged from a burst of jet-lagged inspiration in late 2023 and led to tracks like 'Squashy Track' and 'YOLO Bass Rewind' which both off-set a mix of organic and synthetic elements, Afro-Cuban rhythms, 'amapiano' and psychedelic influences. Breaka's sound remains unlike anything else.

Review: UK label Rezpektiva unearths another gem from the archives, this time shining a light on Fade 2 End, the elusive duo of Nick Woolfson and Mark Shimmon. Their output may have been limitedijust two releases in 1996ibut what they left behind is a masterclass in deep, rolling, late-night techno. 'Sundance' sets the tone with its undulating rhythms and hypnotic loops, while 'The Passage' weaves together tough beats and drifting synth lines. 'Dreams' and 'Daze' lock into a mesmerising groove, all heady atmospherics and resonant grooves. On the flip, 'Another Day' and 'Another Night' explore the contrast between euphoria and tension, their hypnotic vocals pulling the listener deeper into the groove. 'Feel The Magic' rounds things off with a shimmering, dreamlike quality, balancing lush pads with crisp drum programming. Fade 2 End had a rare touchitracks that feel alive, shifting and evolving as they play out. Now, thanks to Rezpektiva, these lost classics finally get the attention they deserve.

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: 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: If there is a more hyped artist in the world right now than Fred... again we aren't sure who it might be. The lad who grew up close to Brian Eno and has since worked with him in the studio is a global star who has also collaborated with Four Tet and Skrillex, played all over the world, won various awards and dropped several albums now presses up his acclaimed USB to gatefold double vinyl. It is a collection of his early singles that captures his lo-fi, lived-in, diaristic sounds across a range of experimental electronic styles.

Review: Young South London dance veteran Ben Hauke delivers a worthy full-length LP for Touching Bass, Club Cute, a self-described love letter to the city's club culture. Feeling outwards from his establishing, Rye Wax-adjacent EPs and 12"s - which sounded more rooted in 4x4 house, albeit with an unmistakably SE-tinged wonky bent - Hauke's latest here leans further into the broken beats and UK garages more befitting of a full-length dance record. Welcoming a star cast of vocal and production plus-ones to the party (Jadasea, Brother Portrait, Shy One, even Katy B (!)), the effortless feel of UK club culture, particularly the midnight moods endemic to quote-unquote 'SELDN' and its many nighttime haunts in centres like Peckham, Deptford, New Cross and Bermondsey, is felt lightheartedly - cutely - throughout.

Review: Iglooghost's third studio album marks a departure from the intricate world-building of previous works, embracing a sonic maximalism that pulses with chaotic energy. The Irish producer seamlessly blends IDM, techno, deconstructed club and grime, creating a whirlwind of sound that never overwhelms thanks to his meticulous layering and dynamic composition. Tracks like 'Alloy Flea' and 'Pulse Angel' showcase Malliagh's ability to keep the music clear and coherent, even as he adds element after element. His voice, more prominent here than on past projects, takes on new dimensions, from distorted static in 'Coral Mimic' to ethereal contrasts with female vocals on 'flux•Cocoon'. The album's production is dynamic, with a textured, weighty sound that contrasts with the clutter of earlier works. While the relentless intensity of some tracks might seem predictable, Malliagh's ability to craft tangible build and release ensures each moment feels intentional. The result is an intense experience, one that finds Iglooghost maturing as an artist without losing his experimental edge. This album presents a refined sound, rich in texture, rhythm and conceptual depth, solidifying Malliagh as an electronic innovator with endless potential.

Review: On Curve 1, Mura Masa takes a detour from pop-infused collaborations and returns to his roots with a record steeped in the spirit of club culture. Released on his own Pond Recordings, this fourth album is a statement of independence, reflecting both a shift in direction and a rejection of the narrative-heavy, hyper-commercialised approach that has often surrounded modern music releases. Curve 1 is enigmatic, playful, and ambiguousidesigned to resonate in both solitary listening sessions and the intensity of packed, sweat-drenched dancefloors. Mura Masa describes the album as a manifestation of a personal philosophy: to ignore the noise of the attention economy and focus on what truly matters. In this light, Curve 1 becomes more than an albumiit's an invitation for listeners to strip away preconceptions and find their own meaning within its layers. Tracks bounce between euphoric highs and introspective moments, leaving plenty of space for tension and release. With the launch of his own label and creative space in Peckham, Mura Masa continues to position himself at the heart of youth culture, pushing boundaries and fostering new talent. Curve 1 marks the beginning of this new chapter, full of possibilities and free from convention.

Review: Three years in the making, Peaky Beats' debut ten-track LP Bloodlines takes us on a journey through ancient and modern Middle-Eastern sounds fused with the whole gamut of UK bass music. Whether riffing off the mystical promises of the Jewish 'Kabbalah' or the feline gaze of the 'Cats Of Iraq', this is hardly a record sharing in the moody obsessional headnods evinced by Muslimgauze; instead, all tracks here are weighty two-steppers' gut-punctures, squeezing reams of tricksy garagey fun from the otherwise sparse reference to the Middle East - though this is eventually thoroughly fleshed out, especially in the use of characteristically Levantine samples in the breakdowns and transitions.

Review: Renowned for his extensive record collection and deep knowledge of house and garage, Jeremy Underground brings his passion to Vol. 3 of Z Records's 90's House & Garage compilation series. It features tracks that are either unreleased or newly digitised from original DAT tapes and vinyl. This edition comes on double vinyl with four sides of glorious grooves, each one of them carefully selected and professionally treated to reflect the golden era of house, taking in rare gems and remixes from Kerri Chandler, Murk, 95 North, and more. Vital stuff.

Review: Deeper States Volume 2 is another installment of fresh sounds from producers who have come through a competition that set them to making proper deep hose with a specified sample library. Across four sides of wax, there are some mighty fine cuts here such as the deep garage inflections of Enrico Dragoni, some Motor City vibes from Scott Andrews, the deepest of dub techno workouts from Montreal courtesy of Dealin', soul-drenched late-night cruisers from Khalid Ali on 'Elevate' and some nice bubbly vocal vibes from Dublin don Oscide with his 'Free Your Mind.' This is another hugely effective and stylish EP from the Interweaved community.