In this thread we post Garage bangers

[Sebastian Cobb]

After a bit of introspection recently after hearing a bit of UK Garage on the radio I realised although a lot of my online and offline life has been shaped by me kicking about in DnB circles for 20+ years, but my sordid little secret is I totally love Garage, so, so much more, but I missed the boat a bit and it never really seemed to be 'online'.

Oddly the nightlife in the midlands seemed to be more DnB orientated, but once Kool Midlands got knocked off air, there was more garage on the pirate radio. Silk City was a personal favourite.

None of you needed to read that really.

SFA - Flowers
Ed Case - Something in Your Eyes
B15 Project - Girls Like Us

[Bobby Treetops]

I remember one of my first posts on here, many years ago, was innocently mentioning 'The Bells' in a Techno thread. What followed was mirth and condensation from a certain member on here, deriding me for choosing such a predictable record (it was compared to playing 'Smoke On The Water' in a guitar shop).

Thankfully I stuck around, and 12 years (12 years!) later here's a predictable record in a Garage banger thread.

Roy Davis Jr ft Peven Everett - Gabriel (Live Garage Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwxpMIEZ9fg

Also worth linking is Todd Edwards playing Time and Envy (or Hollywoods as it was previously called, although it was known as Wallywoods by my mates) in Romford on New Years Eve 2003.

https://www.facebook.com/residentadvisor/videos/611272166491357/

Just look at the glee on Todd Edward's little face, a clip that never fails to cheer me up.

[Better Midlands]

Big fan of UK garage, so many good tunes - especially in the early days. Gabriel is amazing - just a beautiful piece of house music full stop.

I posted this in the Alternative History thread

Nu Birth - Anytime



Can't have 1996 without some UK Garage, this is possibly my favourite, easily one of the first - funky and uplifting at the same time.
Anytime started off life as an amazing dub remix of some Richard Darbyshire (Living In A Box) drivel by Julian Jonah in 1994, which he then remade with Danny Harrison as Anytime in 1996. On re-release in 1998 it just missed out on the top 40 reaching #41 - probably because it had sold so many copies in the proceeding two years. The pair went on to have chart success as 187 Lockdown.

Todd Edwards was so groundbreaking in his approach to sampling, his remix of Alabama Blues cobbled together from several Stevie Wonder tracks is incredible.

[Tikwid]

I've only recently gotten into UK garage proper (wonder how many others had the three way combo of Burial/The Streets/People Just Do Nothing as their entry points) but the Todd Edwards remix of R U Sleeping by Indo is a Supreme Banger

[Sebastian Cobb]

I remember one of my first posts on here, many years ago, was innocently mentioning 'The Bells' in a Techno thread. What followed was mirth and condensation from a certain member on here, deriding me for choosing such a predictable record (it was compared to playing 'Smoke On The Water' in a guitar shop).

Thankfully I stuck around, and 12 years (12 years!) later here's a predictable record in a Garage banger thread.

Roy Davis Jr ft Peven Everett - Gabriel (Live Garage Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwxpMIEZ9fg

Also worth linking is Todd Edwards playing Time and Envy (or Hollywoods as it was previously called, although it was known as Wallywoods by my mates) in Romford on New Years Eve 2003.

https://www.facebook.com/residentadvisor/videos/611272166491357/

Just look at the glee on Todd Edward's little face, a clip that never fails to cheer me up.

Gabriel's a great track.

I have it on this compilation which isn't bad:

https://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Way-It-Was-Classic-Garage-Cuts-From-1993-1996/release/204142

Back in the day, the Pure Garage compilations, while not as good as tape packs were pretty decent as a collection of tracks, obviously different genres but seemed a cut above things like the MOS collections being knocked on to CD. I think they were mixed by DJ EZ, although I don't think he was putting all his flair into them.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I quite like this love shy remix, cheesy as hell but it seems like cheesy garage doesn't age badly so that's nice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOsIJcPyuLg

I know it became a bit hackneyed and common but I do quite like the quite common thing a lot of producers did where they'd sample the vocals and drop chopped up vowels into the tracks. A lot of the vocalists seemed very talented as well, I'm guessing whilst autotune and harmonizers were established by the time garage was popular* it was still way out of reach for people making Garage.

*I'm assuming a lot of it predates full DAW's and was largely rackmount kit with computer (often Atari ST) control.

[Better Midlands]

I know it became a bit hackneyed and common but I do quite like the quite common thing a lot of producers did where they'd sample the vocals and drop chopped up vowels into the tracks. A lot of the vocalists seemed very talented as well, I'm guessing whilst autotune and harmonizers were established by the time garage was popular* it was still way out of reach for people making Garage.

*I'm assuming a lot of it predates full DAW's and was largely rackmount kit with computer (often Atari ST) control.

Yes that's about right, you'd could take individual pieces of vocal into the sampler and tune/fine tune them so they were in the right key - it's a surprisingly easy technique with vocals where there is no harmonies. Also timestetching was available by the mid 90's which could be used to speed up/change key of vocal samples - this often left the vocals sounding "wobbly" (e.g. Rosie Gaines - Closer Than Close)

Todd Edwards would do it with musical samples from different sources to build up riffs which was a whole other level of clever.

[Sebastian Cobb]

this often left the vocals sounding "wobbly" (e.g. Rosie Gaines - Closer Than Close)

Ah yeah I remember that one! Not a favourite but not a bad track at all really.

[Sebastian Cobb]

About a year ago The Guardian did a thing about unappreciated guest vocalists that sounded a lot like the sort of thing that Garage did, although I don't think it actually was, because I think Garage did typically give credit/feat to vocallists (I can remember most of the vocalists on a lot of garage tracks, I can't say the same for DnB for instance).

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/04/the-narrative-is-we-dont-sell-records-the-black-female-singers-uncredited-by-the-uk-industry

Anyway, one of the people they chose for the articles was Kelli Leigh, and the tracks she's done are what I think is called 'future garage' these days it's a pretty decent rework, although I guess she's doing the vocals to avoid sample costs, either way, the track is a banger imo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIsWmB28AdM

[Sebastian Cobb]

Monster Boy - I'm Sorry seemed very popular and caned on the radio at the time, but as a core-concept is a terrible song, some melt cheated on his missus and is now acting like a big fanny about her being unhappy about it.

Architects - Body Groove now there's a simple, well made wholesome track!

[Sebastian Cobb]

HOLLA WITH THE RINSIN' SOUND

(irie was a much better track imo, and ain't no stopping us was better still)

[Malcy]

HOLLA WITH THE RINSIN' SOUND

(irie was a much better track imo, and ain't no stopping us was better still)

Saw Luck & Neat, SFA, Oxide & Neutrino and loads more days before Lockdown. I was buzzing after it, and during, and could easily have called it a night then even though there were loads more to come on.

Couple of feet from the stage in front of some massive speakers for A Little Bit Of Luck was amazing. I'll never forget that but agree that Irie is just ever so slightly the better track.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Architects Body Groove is so good.

[dex]

There were a couple of garage tracks I had a guilty pleasure for over the years. They tended to be the more soulful sorta ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oK6CY9GG2k Ed Case

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fonXU_H46pk Wookie

But fuck it, this one'll belt you up the arse even though it isn't so soulful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fFwAymlauQ DJ Luck & MC Neat (but not that one!)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Those are all excellent tracks daf.

Something In Your Eyes is a magnificent track. One of the best.

[Sebastian Cobb]

The Daniel Beddingfeild track is cheesy as fuck but also great imo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4eMyOzD9UI

[Sebastian Cobb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvfjWGhWX_U
so good

[spaghetamine]

J Da Flex & EL-B - When I Fall In Love (Dub Mix)

Restless Natives - I Wanna Know

Large Joints - What Have You Done Lately?

Colours - Hold On (SE22 Mix)

[waste of chops]

Urban Shakedown - Some Justice 2002 (Menta Remix)

Agent X - Decoy

DJ Zinc vs Missy Elliott - E23

Naughty - Pussy Trak (DJ Hype Remix)

Aaliyah - Try Again (Pikachu's Ruffneck Mix)

Blazin' Squad - Standard Flow (DND Remix ft. Elephant Man)

Sticky ft. Ms Dynamite - Booo (Medieval Hooligans Remix)

Re-Animator - Return to E (Horsepower Productions Remix)

And of course, the ultimate garage banger:

Andy Cole - Outstanding (The Champions Double Treble Mix feat. Pied Piper & The Unknown MC)

[Chicory]

MJ Cole's 'Sincere' is just perfect.  I remember that being a hit around the same time as the Wookie one.  Did death throes era Melody Maker actually listen to these records?

[Captain Z]

I never really appreciated Garage at the time, took a few years before I realised that several tracks from that time were things I needed on my generic car playlist. Most are obvious and already mentioned, Girls Like Us being my absolute favourite. I'm guessing Artful Dodger are considered too cheesy to warrant a mention, but I still love to hear Moving Too Fast.

Lonyo feat. Comme Ci Comme Ca - Summer Of Love

Double 99 - Ripgroove

Tru faith + Dub Conspiracy - Freak Like Me

How about this from 2013:

Disclosure - You & Me ft. Eliza Doolittle

[Captain Z]

MJ Cole's 'Sincere' is just perfect.

Crazy Love is the one for me.

[phes]

Timeless stuff from Double 99

https://youtu.be/maODamC8ab0

[Chicory]

Do you smoke, Paul?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu7Hyk14s0g

[phes]

Love this one. Nice and jittery before a current of deep bass floods in underneath

Anthony Naples - Mad Disrespect

https://youtu.be/FFR1CboigGg

[Harry Badger]

George Morel - Let's Groove https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dv1xsyiQS4&t=67s

[Better Midlands]

Christian Falk - Make It Right (True Faith Mix)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Do you smoke, Paul?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu7Hyk14s0g

I can't say I really rated this one but it did get caned all the time by the pirates so there is some nostalgic charm.

[phes]

May be obvious(?), but it is a banger

Colours - Hold On

https://youtu.be/w1c9SaPWZVQ

Looking forward to hearing a few new bits here as my knowledge of UK Garage is light to say the least and limited to half remembered tracks and bits and bobs I'd found in best of type lists

[monkfromhavana]

Never the biggest fan (probably due to not being exposed to much of it), but I probably veer towards the more Speed Garage-y stuff.

Always enjoyed this one though, very summery.

Dub Technicians Inc. - In The Thick Of It

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6kcfoVnTcQ