Say the word garage, and we don't know about you but for us it conjures up memories of those heady days around the turn of the millennium when the likes of Craig David, Artful Dodger, MJ Cole, Jaimeson, So Solid Crew and many more ruled the charts and brought garage to the mainstream of the music industry, the UK's national airwaves and the dancefloors of clubs around the country and the world!
Over the past decade and more, garage has evolved through different reincarnations - in the form of speed garage, 2-step, UK Funky, Future Garage - to come back stronger than ever in 2011. So to mark the scene's success, we bring you 2CDs that celebrate the freshest new UK Garage talent, the hottest current cuts and a sprinkling of the best-loved all-time anthems. The result is The Sound of UK Garage - we couldn't wait to give it a spin, so here's our album review...
CD1 kicks off with the massive Sunship remix of the recent Top 10 smash from Alex Gaudino and Kelly Rowland, 'What A Feeling', which perfectly sets the tone for a disc of vocal floorfillers that are guaranteed to get your head bobbing and toes tapping! This CD features some of the biggest recent dancefloor hits, including the Wideboys remix of the #2 smash hit from Wretch 32 ft Example, 'Unorthodox', the DJ Q mix of Toddla T ft Shola Ama 'Take It Back' and reworks of The One Hundred 'Break Me Down' and Fredrik Nyberg 'Breaking Up' - to name just a few! Blended in in perfect harmony are reworks of some absolute club classics, including including Kristine Blond 'Love Shy', Dreem Teem vs Artful Dodger & Craig David 'It Ain't Enough', Shola Ama 'Imagine', Ed Case 'Something In Your Eyes', Y-Tribe 'Enough Is Enough' - those tracks that will never get old, never stop making your heart skip a beat, never stop being able to tug at your heartstrings and your dancing feet alike!
CD2 then takes you darker and deeper into the current UK Garage scene, from the Paleface remix of the current club hit from DJ Fresh ft Sian Evans 'Louder' and the Submerse mix of Example's Number 1 smash 'Changed The Way You Kiss Me' to the Mike Delinquent Project rework of J Majik & Wickaman 'In Pieces'. This disc is about dirty, bass-heavy beats that make you want to go harder, faster! Focusing on some of the scene's hottest artists, it's also the perfect showcase for the diversity of garage with the likes of Submerse, Redlight and Club Asylum vs 8 Bit introducing shades of dubstep, grime and even reggae. But make no mistake - with melody at its heart, Disc 2 might be darker but it's still feel-good through and through!
From start to finish, this album is UK Garage at its very best - sleek, sexy, funky and seriously uplifting. If you're a fan of garage in any incarnation, this is most definitely essential listening!
The Sound of UK Garage is out now - for more information, a full tracklisting and to get your copy, click here.