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: UK garage goes increasingly wonky on DJ Jackum's latest EP for Time Is Now. Working in Skrillexy sound design - nasal growls, puffy metal snares, thin but heavy mixes - the enigmatic Jackum makes a real racket of a debut here, delivering four genre-poking bangers of a difficult-to-peg style. 'Vibe' is especially anthemic, being a rare example of a garage tune centred largely on the second and fourth beat handclap and not the kick; 'Push Dat' veers more into hooligan rave territory, pushing the to bass bus to redline; and the final 'Pimpin'' offers a crazed shuffle and vocal sample; this is a bold and creative expansion of an existing sound.
Review: Killjoy's Straight 2 The Neck EP delivers four vibrant UK Garage tracks guaranteed to ignite any party. Side-1 starts with 'Heat In The Dance,' a catchy mid-tempo breaks track featuring a swirling, atmospheric drop that captivates from the get-go. Following this, 'Paradise' (4x4 mix) brings a heavy garage bassline infused with elements of 90s house, creating a nostalgic yet fresh sound. Side-2 opens with 'Lighter Massive,' an energetic and busy house track designed to shake the dancefloor. The EP closes with the title track, 'Straight 2 The Neck,' which blends jungle influences with bouncy, MC sample-laden beats for a high-octane finish. Killjoy's Straight 2 The Neck EP is a fun and dynamic addition to the UK Garage genre, showing the diverse influences and infectious energy throughout.
Passing The Impassable (Come Rudeboy remix) (5:24)
Hornet's Nest (5:52)
Can I? (Oxide remix) (5:38)
Verbal Glock (5:24)
Review: Shall Not Fade/Time Is Now hook up a new initiate, fellow hair-raiser producer Mance, for a sharp bee sting in the vein of true-blue speed garage and spindle-warbling 2-step, 'Passing The Impassable'. The EP also incorporates shed thoraxes from breakbeat and an extra special ocular compound eye from bass music, making for a trad British, room two feel. All weighty, and with the force of a wasps' nest gone ballistic, we lead with the inflated basses and surface-tense, sped outbuilding dynamics of the title track's Come Rudeboy remix, the rudest of the lot. Then 'Hornet's Nest' fronts an 808ing, samply-wamply crumpler, marking a full-on nailing of fatness; not long before the garage door is again prized open on Oxide's new version of 'Can I', giving subsequent rise to the minimal afterthought 'Verbal Glock'.
Review: Garage innovators Time Is Now show they are a long way from done yet with another raw and essential 12" to kick off 2024. This one comes from Network and kicks off with 'Lose Control', a track that has it all - the bass-heavy low end, dusty percussion and alluring r&b vocal. 'All Night' is another that will pop right off with its zippy synth lines and seductive female coos, 'Falling' is more fractured in its digital melodies and chopped-up vocal refrains and the flipside keeps the good times coming. 'Desire' has warm and steamy, 'Be There' is an old school number and 'This Ain't Love' is a sixth sizzling cut with more original vocals really making the tunes standout.
Review: Toby Ross sure does explore some Tuff Breaks on this new EP for the faults Time Is Now label. The title cut is a fury of steely metallic sounds, crashing hits and devastating breaks with plenty of jungle signifiers also thrown into the mix. 'Barracks' is another high octane thriller with more old school jungle and rave motifs and 'Anarchy' keeps the rawness coming, this time with some chopped up vocals stabs thrown in over the relentless, crushing drum pressure. 'Voyager' shuts down with the sort of wire, intense electronic collisions that blow brains.
Review: Toby Ross joins the Time Is Now family with four massive bass-driven bangers. Clean yet raw, airtight and hermetic breaks come among slews of laser faller SFX, sampled David Rodigan hypeups, and offbeat bubbles on 'Foundation', while the ensuing 'Stamina' prefers to wobble away next to "rudeboy!" shouts and patois murmurations. The B-side's 'Sekkle' takes a deeper dark garage turn, wresting our attention with "yos" and "yeahs", not to mention a massified sub-bass; finally, MC PAB delivers a wonderfully laid-back flow over the top of 'Make It Thru', getting at the quintessential character of UK breaks and garage today.
Review: The Time Is Now to welcome bass legend Samurai Breaks to your ears; the artist's latest record 'Turbo Diesel' is a splittingly fast garage come bassline EP, one boldly unafraid of the upper ranges of the proverbial tempo fader. Described as "another cut of face-melting goodness" by the Shall Not Fade sister label, the likes of 'Exercise Riddim' and 'Wheel Up' bring raw and confident rave sampleage to a brisk doubletime 150-odd BPM, while B-siders 'Turbo Diesel' and 'Supa Wobbly Shedda' hear a seamless mix into juke-footed drum & bass come bassline. We're ordered to "pop the trunk" amid siren blares on the former track, not long before we're bundled into the back and taken on an earnapped ride, the latter track indeed shedding any prior inhibitions we'd harboured.
Review: The Time Is Now label single-handed ushered in a new era of garage if you ask us. That was a few years ago but the label continues to lead from the fort here with a new EP from Samurai Breaks & Napes who make their label debut in explosive fashion. They are skilled studio talents who are nudging at the boundaries of the current UK bass sound and here they hybridise bassline, jungle and garage. You won't easily be able to fit these into one stylistic box but they will do damage on the floor, from the ghetto restlessness of the opener to the manic melodies of 'Correct Technique' and onto the turbocharged 'FrogMob'. Thrilling stuff.
The Lights (Soul Mass Transit System remix) (6:11)
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.
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