UK Garage / 2 Step Recommendations Best Of 2012

Review: This conspicuously named EP - Mosca's first for Hypercolour - ranges from the title track deep house madness to more sub-bass-centred frequencies such as "Accidentally" - a thumper of a track featuring none other than Robert Owens. Murderous has got two cuts, a vocal and a dub: the former is a subtle house-UK garage hybrid with some soothing R&B vocals, whilst the latter breaks the beat into two and adds a much welcomed flurry of delays - it's a London ting...

Review: With Dan Snaith concentrating on his Daphni album shaped campaign to counteract the ongoing EDM barfplosion currently riding shotgun through the USA (his words not ours) duties for this latest Jiaolong twelve inch are handed to Les Sins aka former "chillwave" progenitor - and Alvin from the Cosby Show lookalike - Toro Y Moi. Those among you who lapped up Chazwick Bundick's two albums and numerous EPs as Toro Y Moi might not be expecting the left turn towards thick skipping garage reminiscent of mid 90s era UK output that characterises "Fetch" but at least he's moved on from chillwave! Alongside this, the sloppy rhythms of "Taken" are very much in the Four Tet school of production and the gaseous horn playing that remains just out of focus is a delightfully playful touch.

Review: NY Transit Authority and Conqueror's contributions to the Lobster Boy imprint are still ringing in our ears here at Juno, and it took something special to match them. Redlight takes the helm and proves he's more than up to the task with this rowdy double drop. "Mosquito" will undoubtedly be familiar to anyone who refers to themselves as "locked on" to Rinse FM on a regular basis, revolving around an insectile horn manipulation that just about remains the right side of cringeworthy and immediately gratifying UKF house patter. You might doubt the longevity of such a track but you can't doubt its effect on a dancefloor, a description that's equally worthy of the B Side track "Planet X", whose rude intentions are clear as soon as the first wave of sub bass pressure comes rising to the fore.

Review: Soul Motive have always been representative of the current strains of Bristol's ever flourishing tapestry of music scenes so it makes perfect sense that the label would call on the Young Echo collective sooner or later. After some notable releases for fellow Bristol hubs Idle Hands and Punch Drunk, Kahn steps forth with another example of his undoubted talent for making music that spans the shades of the bass music spectrum with the rowdy yet soulful 2 step bump of "Angeles." This is Kahn in smooth mode, demonstrating his prowess at weaving vocals so that they form an integral part of the rhythm. Fellow Punch Drunk acolyte Superisk ensures it's an all Bristol affair with a remix that dampens the soulful nature in favour of something altogether darker.

Review: Zaar is the other name for a little someone called Axel Boman, who is usually more acquainted with the looped-out deep house tricks, but his arrival on Hypercolour is more than highly awaited! "The Clock Strikes Back" fuses Timbaland's notorious hip-hop lyrics with a sweltering bassline capable of all things great. "Notorious Disco" sees Zaar create a strange but wonderful R&B vibe, and "Silly Ho" is actually the more discoid of the two - injecting Biggie's lyrics into the funky pile of drums and melodies. Lastly, "Bones Thug N The Jaguar" is a pretty clear homage to one famous hip-hop group - forming an unexpected dancehall tune from an artist who obviously has many tricks up his sleeve.

Review: One of two EPs from the Sheffield-based man of mystery Beneath. With ruthlessly stark sound design, it's difficult to categorise this in any other way but 'heavy'. Four-to-the-floor beats, early dubstep darkness, UK-funky swing, techno-flavoured minimalism, it's all in the melting pot, and it's well worth investigating. There are four tracks in total, each one of a similar, addictively mixable flavour; the highlight for us on this EP was "Trouble" thanks to its cheeky reverberated 8-bit skank in the background. That said, the raw tribal elements to the beats on the title track were an instant hook for us too. Check it and find out yourselves.

Review: Known to many already from Maya Jane Coles' DJ Kicks mix, this crisp and moody tune from Leeds producer Last Magpie drops on Hypercolour's sister label Losing Suki and demands checking out - from the washes of echo-textures on the title tune, to the minimal and metronomic "Leeds Syndrome" and the sparkling Detroit-angled "U See".

Review: Of the many offshoot projects undertaken by the Hot Chip lot, Joe Goddard seems to have had the most success with his 2 Bears project alongside the equally hirsute Raf Daddy. The first single from their debut album Be Strong, released on both Southern Fried and DFA depending on what side of the Atlantic you call home, "Work" features here with some fine remixes from Toddla T and Oliver $, though it should be stated that like previous drops "Church" and "Bear Hug" the piano heavy original is strong enough to be judged on it's own merits.

Review: UK garage legend Wookie returns after a four year hiatus, featuring the voice of Rachel K Collier and a rather special string of remixes to refix his original "2 Us". Exemen Steppers....erm, step up and conjure a vortex of electro-like basslines, but the real surprise is DJ Die, the jungle legend who has been absent form the game for a while - his take on the original is, as expected, a grinding mish mash of 160BPM breaks and bass howls. Over to the flip, Ray Foxx brings the party out and retouched the original into a modern house-UK garage hybrid. S Chu puts the cherry on the cake and transforms the original with a gorgeous 4/4 rhythm topped with frantic grime percussions.

Review: The LOL Boys duo of Jerome Potter and Markus Garcia hit No Relation with one of the biggest UK funky-inspired anthems of recent years: "Moments In Heartbreak" is a crafty two-step reincarnation of some of the finest early noughties moments, with some highly infectious lyrics. "Moments Grown & Sexy" is almost a continuation of that brilliant track, expanding and refixing those lyrics. BIG!

Review: Whilst disco stalwarts Crazy P and Bristol lynchpin Appleblim might not seem like the most probable of bed fellows, kudos to 20:20 Vision for enlisting the latter to remix the former as the results are illuminating. The Apple Pips boss is clearly a fan of "Changes", having included the track amidst a constantly exciting FACT mix last year, and he offers two varying but equally excellent revisions on this 12". The "Bristol Soul Mix" pays homage to early 80s sound systems such as The Wild Bunch and Soul II Soul, and also sits perfectly amidst the current lineage of dusted and broken house music that's making Bristol so exciting right now. It's complemented, or perhaps overshadowed, by the monolithic creeping nature of "Deep Under Dub" which is clearly geared for the darkest moments in the darkest clubs.

Review: Expect juke-like elements, syncopated rhythms and repeated vocal loops spinning around a bass-laden soundscape in Goldffinch's techno-influenced piece "Point Of Entry". The Belgian duo have been impressing us with their output and this is no exception. "Point Of Entry" is all gloopy SFX, firm, hissing beats and a heavy atmosphere with sub bass pressure from below and the dizzying, disorientating vocal element confusing the senses from all directions. "Arabian Prince" is another electrotech gem, with sumptuous soundscape, deftly placed beats, throbbing bass and ominous vocal coming in and out of focus. Well worth checking out!

Review: After the widely lauded "Oh My Days" got bodies popping last year, Huntleys & Palmers do the smart thing and serve up three remixes of Auntie Flo to get all kinds of future-minded shapes thrown about the place. Pearson Sound is in typically fruity and neatly clipped percussion mode, letting the layers of bongo and drum machine dart around each other without ever clashing, falling into a lean electro groove before too long. SOPHIE opt for a more direct (albeit slightly unhinged) reworking of "Highlife", while Alejandro Paz manages to fuse contemporary beats with slices of guitar for a musical melting pot that bodes well for crossover appeal.

Review: On this release from the fast rising UK imprint Deadplate it's the fresh garage-infused house sound of Artifact that gets an airing, already championed by the likes of Mary Anne Hobbs and Dark Sky. "Archaic Line" showcases his knack for clattering Blawan-inspired percussion, offset by an atmospheric haze of foggy chords. "Deserted" meanwhile is characterised by its deep, resonating bassline, and stretched out synths which sound like a bleaker, more greyed-out take on eski grime. Topping it off is a remix of the title track from hotly-tipped young producer Graphics, who turns the hesitant, stuttering original into a straightened out house monster, complete with deep melody and bass that turns the track into a tune going to present-day London via 80s Chicago.

Review: If you're familiar with the razor sharp UKF formula of Funkystepz, then there won't be any surprises, on this EP but with production this tight there's no need for any kind of deviation from the norm. "Trouble" is the most stripped back, utilising tight drum rolls and rave whistles in combination with deep subs, while "Dirty Dutch" takes a less rhythm based approach, and fills its space with bleeps and squelching bass, with heady melodies brought into check with its inbuilt rewinds. Finally, "John Wayne" offers the most atmospheric track on the EP, taking a deeper techno bassline and melding it with a synth stab, elastic melody and emotive strings, whilst still retaining their insistent rhythmic power.