| UK garage | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early to mid-1990s,London, UK |
| Subgenres | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Other topics | |
UK garage, abbreviated asUKG, is a genre ofelectronic music which originated inEngland in the early to mid-1990s. It is defined by percussive, shuffled rhythms withsyncopated hi-hats, cymbals, and snares, and may include either 4/4house kick patterns or more irregular "2-step" rhythms. Garage tracks also commonly feature "chopped up" andtime-stretched orpitch-shifted vocal samples complementing the underlying rhythmic structure at a tempo usually around 130 BPM.[1][2] The genre was influenced bygarage house,jungle, Jamaicansoundsystem,ragga,dancehall,gospel music,R&B, andrave culture.[1][3]
UK garage encompassed subgenres such asspeed garage and2-step, and was then largely subsumed into other styles of music and production in the mid-2000s, includingbassline,grime, anddubstep. The decline of UK garage during the mid-2000s saw the birth ofUK funky, which is closely related. The 2010s saw a resurgence in the genre, then in the early 2020s, a revival of UK garage, sometimes titled "new UK garage" or "NUKG", was widely attributed to London-based producer Conducta and his record label Kiwi Rekords.[4][1]
UK garage emerged in London in the early 1990s from a blend of New Yorkgarage house,jungle, Jamaicanragga anddancehall music, andR&B. It was influenced by the pirate radio scene,rave culture, gospel, Baptist churches, and theBlack diaspora.[5][6] MJ Cole once stated, "London is a multicultural city... it's like a melting pot of young people, and that's reflected in the music of UK garage."[7]
In the United Kingdom, wherejungle was very popular at the time, garage was played in a second room at jungle events. After jungle's peak in cultural significance, it turned towards a harsher, moretechstep influenced sound, driving away dancers, predominantly women. Escaping the 170bpm jungle basslines, the garage rooms provided a more sensual and soulful sound at 130bpm.[8]
AmericanR&B influences can be heard in early UK garage intended for a commercial, rather than dancefloor, audience. Tracks like "Twentyfourseven" byArtful Dodger, a slower and simpler R&B-infused drum pattern can be heard, in contrast with the complex drum beats, heavy syncopation (swing) and more energetic tempo (normally between 130 and 138 BPM) that usually characterised UKG. Garage producers then proceeded to churn out UK versions of US contemporary R&B hits, such as theArchitechs' version of Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine". The Architechs sped-up the vocals through time-stretching and added sound effects to increase the competitive nature. The "B&M Remix" eventually sold twenty thousand copies as a bootleg.[8]
By the late 1980s, the house music played at DJLarry Levan's New York LGBTQ+ clubParadise Garage was known as "garage house". In 1990, 15-year-oldDJ EZ, who was inspired by rave music and New York garage house, began working atpirate radio station Dance FM while still at school in North London.[1]
In 1990,Margaret Thatcher's government increased fines on unlicensedraves, causing theacid house scene to fracture.[9][10] That same year, theMinistry of Sound opened, running until 9am on Sunday mornings. To provide a venue for revellers who wanted to continue partying, promoter Timmy Ram Jam opened an event at theElephant and Castle pub across the street, starting at 10am. The DJs played sped-up versions of New York garage house.[11]
Soon, similar after-hours events opened on Sundays, including an event at the nearby Frog & Nightgown, before spreading across London.[11] Larger nightclubs, such asHeaven inCharing Cross, also began to dedicate space to garage DJs.[12]
An early UK garage track, "Feel My Love" by Justin Cantor and Matt Jam Lamont, was recorded in 1991. It wouldn't be officially released until 1993.[11][12]
In 1994, DJ EZ started working at Freek FM. That same year, while DJing in a Greenwich nightclub, he played American DJTodd Edwards' garage house track "The Praise (God in His Hand)" at a speedier 130 beats-per-minute (bpm), instead of the 120bpm popular in the US, to make it closer to thetempo of the UKhardcore andjungle music popular in clubs at the time. This raised the visibility of garage house which, when played at 130bpm, became known asspeed garage.[1]
Edwards' distinctivesampling style, with chopped up vocals and complex rhythms, would continue to influence this emerging genre.[2][13] Instead of having full verses and choruses, Edwards picked out vocal phrases and played them like an instrument. Often, individual syllables were reversed or pitch-shifted.[14][6][13]
As British producers working in this genre began to create their own original tracks—incorporating elements of Black British, Caribbean, and rave music—they increasingly called their work "UK garage".[1] The new genre became especially popular on pirate radio stations.[15][16]
Over the course of the 1990s, new garage clubs opened across the UK, with large scenes inBirmingham,Manchester,Bristol, and other university towns. By 1996, the UK garage scene had spread to popular tourist destinations inAyia Napa,Ibiza andFaliraki.[17]
With the continued support ofpirate radio stations such asRinse FM, Ice FM, Déjà Vu, andFlex FM, the soaring popularity of UK garage saw 1999 take the genre into the mainstream, breaking into themusic charts.[18] Venues such asScala, The Colosseum, The Gass Club,Ministry of Sound andFabric became especially associated with garage.[19] Besides being popular in UK clubs, venues inAiya Napa andIbiza were also dedicated to garage.[20]
Production duosShanks & Bigfoot andArtful Dodger were very successful with the tracks "Sweet Like Chocolate" (the first UK garage track to hit number one in the UK) and "Re-Rewind", respectively. Both songs reached platinum status and became anthems for the 2-step scene. Other huge hits in 1999 include the #1house/garage anthem "You Don't Know Me" byArmand van Helden.[21][16][22]
Da Click (Pied Piper, MC Creed, PSG, Unknown MC and singer Valerie M) had a #14 hit with "Good Rhymes", while musical trio theDreem Teem had a #15 hit with "Buddy X 99", a garage remix ofNeneh Cherry's 1992 song "Buddy X".DJ Luck & MC Neat also had a chart hit with "A Little Bit of Luck" in late 1999 into early 2000.[16][22][20]
Many more UK garage acts followed into the new millennium by releasing commercially successful singles, thus making UK garage and 2-step a stable fixture on the UK charts for the next couple of years. Debut singles of various UK garage artists were hitting the number one spot on theUK charts.Craig David's debut solo single "Fill Me In", a mix ofR&B and2-step, with single formats containing various garage remixes of the track, hit number 1 in April 2000, whileSweet Female Attitude's "Flowers" was number 2.[22][23][20]
A month later,Oxide & Neutrino's "Bound 4 Da Reload (Casualty)" debuted atop the charts.[23] Other top 10 hits in 2000 include Artful Dodger's "Movin' Too Fast" (#2), "Woman Trouble" (#6) and "Please Don't Turn Me On" (#4),True Steppers' "Buggin" (#6) and "Out of Your Mind" (#2),B-15 Project's "Girls Like Us" (#7), DJ Luck & MC Neat's "Masterblaster 2000" (#5) and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us" (#8),MJ Cole's "Crazy Love" (#10),Wookie's "Battle" (#10),Lonyo's "Summer of Love" (#8),Architechs' "Body Groove" (#3), and Oxide & Neutrino's "No Good 4 Me" (#6). Another huge hit in 2000 was theTimo Maas remix of the song "Dooms Night" (#8) by German producerAzzido Da Bass, which was heavily associated with UK garage at the time, having become a major club hit and appearing on several UK garage compilations. It was also remixed by garage duoStanton Warriors, titled "Dooms Night (Revisited)".[22]
In 2001,DJ Pied Piper and the Masters of Ceremonies's sole number one record "Do You Really Like It?" was released in July. Two months later in August 2001, South London collectiveSo Solid Crew hit the top spot with their second single "21 Seconds".Daniel Bedingfield's debut single "Gotta Get Thru This" also hit number one the same year.[23]
2002 saw an evolution as 2-step moved away from its funky and soul-oriented sound into a darker direction called "grime", now a genre in its own right.[10][24] During this period, MCs also became more visible in UKG, bringing the genre closer to its rap influences than its soul influences. At this time, traditional UK garage was also being pushed back underground amongst the bad publicity emanating from the tougher side of the genre, including a high profile shooting at aSo Solid Crew gig and the subsequent informal banning of UK garage acts from the West End.[10][3]
During this time, there was also a strong division of class in UK garage. In the heyday of garage, the late 1990s, it was a highly aspirational genre. When people went to the club to hear garage, they dressed up.[8][25][26] Clubs such as Twice as Nice enforced a dress code with no tennis shoes, jeans, or baseball caps. The dress codes were meant to "encourage people to make an effort", but also to "keep trouble out." In time, Twice as Nice installed a metal detector to screen for guns.[8]
Eventually, when groups like So Solid Crew attracted more urban, lower-class audiences to raves, garage began to transition to grime because previous audiences were less likely to listen.[27][3][25]
Speed garage tracks were characterised by a sped-up house-style beat, complemented by the rolling snares and reverse-warped basslines that were popular withdrum and bass producers of the time. Speed garage already incorporated many aspects of today's UK garage sound like sub-bass lines,ragga vocals, spin backs, and reversed drums.[24]
Armand van Helden's speed garage remix ofSneaker Pimps' "Spin Spin Sugar" in 1997 further popularised the genre and is sometimes credited with breaking speed garage into the mainstream.[16] Speed garage duo Industry Standard scored a top 40 hit with "Vol. 1 (What You Want What You Need)" peaking at #34 in January 1998,[28] and the 1997XL Recordings release of Somore featuring Damon Trueitt's "I Refuse (What You Want)" reached #21 also in January 1998,[29] containing mixes by Industry Standard, Ramsey & Fen,R.I.P. Productions andSerious Danger. Serious Danger obtained a chart hit in his own right with "Deeper" which debuted and peaked at #40 in December 1997, and the Fabulous Baker Boys scored a chart hit with "Oh Boy", which peaked at #34 in November 1997 and samplesJonny L's 1992rave track "Hurt You So".[30]
Early promoters of speed garage included theDreem Teem andTuff Jam, andpirate radio stations such asLondon Underground, Magic FM, Upfront FM, and Freek FM. During its initial phase, the speed garage scene was also known as "the Sunday Scene", as initially speed garage promoters could only hire venues on Sunday evenings (venue owners preferred to save Friday and Saturday nights for more popular musical styles). As dancers were often tired by Sunday, the faster beats were intended to keep them energised.[6][10]
Over time, the2-step garage sound emerged with the addition of further funky elements likecontemporary R&B-styled vocals, more shuffled beats, and a different drum pattern.[24][31] The most radical change from speed garage to 2-step was the removal of the 2nd and 4th bass kick from each bar.[32]
One of the earliest examples of 2-step is the 1997 Kelly G remix of "Never Gonna Let You Go" byTina Moore, which peaked at #7 on the UK chart.[23][33][34]
In 1998,Lovestation released their version of "Teardrops" which reached #14.Doolally (formerly known as Shanks & Bigfoot) also scored a #20 hit the same year with "Straight from the Heart". A re-release of this song the following year fared even better, peaking at #9, due to the success of their #1 single "Sweet Like Chocolate".[23]
In the late 1999s and early 2000s,MJ Cole, a classically trained oboe and piano player, had a string of chart and underground hits, most notably with "Sincere" and "Crazy Love". Cole also won a BBC "Young Musician of the Year" award.[22]
4x4 garage or "4-to-the-floor" garage initially referred to all garage that wasn't 2 step. It eventually evolved into its own subgenre with a greater influence from house music, and characteristic driving basslines and high-energy club rhythms. Examples include "Shut The Door" by Todd Edwards and "Reasons" by MPH & Oppidan.[35]
Bassline garage, sometimes known as "niche" after the club where the style emerged, is often linked to the work ofDJ Q. It developed in the mid-2000s in the UK, and borrows heavily from 4x4 and speed garage. Its recognisable traits include its speedy tempo, heavy basslines, and fast vocals. Example tracks include "Heartbroken" by T2 ft. Jodie Aysha.[35]
Other subgenres include vocal garage, jazzstep, bumping garage, rollin' UKG, and old school garage. Future garage and funky house may also be considered subgenres of garage.[35]
In 2007, several DJs helped promote and revive UK garage's popularity, with producers creating new UK garage, also known as "new skool" UK garage or "bassline".[36] The end of 2007 saw "new skool" UK garage push to the mainstream again with notable tracks such asT2's "Heartbroken" andH "Two" O's "What's It Gonna Be" both reaching the mainstream charts. The revival was galvanised byDJ EZ releasingPure Garage Rewind: Back to the Old Skool, which contained three CDs of "old skool" UK garage and a fourth CD with fresh "new skool" UK garage.[citation needed]
From 2009,future garage emerged as artists began using garage sounds in their music.[37] Early 2011 saw the start of a gradual resurgence of 2-step garage. Producers such asWookie,MJ Cole,Zed Bias andMark Hill (formerly one half ofArtful Dodger) made a return to the scene, by producing tracks with more of a2-step feel.[38]
Electronic music duosDisclosure andAlunaGeorge, both successful throughout 2012 and 2013, often use elements of UK garage in their music, and arguably, some of their biggest hits including "You & Me" and "We Are Chosen" respectively, are entirely 2-step with an updated cleaner sound. Shortly following this, "original" style garage had made a return in a big way, with producers such as Moony, DJD and Tuff Culture paving the way. One of the genre's pioneering labels, Ice Cream Records, responsible for anthems such as "RipGroove",True Steppers' "Out of Your Mind",Kele Le Roc's "My Love" and more, opened up their permanent roster for the first time to include DJs outside of the legendary trio that launched the label.[citation needed]
In February 2019,AJ Tracey's UKG song "Ladbroke Grove" initially debuted at number 48 on theUK Singles Chart, then eventually peaked at number three in October 2019 following its release as a single. In September 2019, theBritish Phonographic Industry certified the song as platinum for exceeding chart sales of 600,000. It was one of the best-selling songs of 2019.[39][40][41]
The 2020s saw a resurgence in UKG and music influenced by it, including byFred again..,Interplanetary Criminal, Swimming Paul,PinkPantheress, Disclosure, andBicep.[18][41]Eliza Rose's 2022 song "B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)" is also considered a UK garage song.[39][42]
Before the emergence of UKG,ragga MCs had a difficult time in the music scene but found solid footing through garage.Simon Reynolds wrote inEnergy Flash: "the rude-boy factor of the ragga patois voice in speed garage anthems likeGant's "Sound Bwoy Burial" probably acted to 'inoculate' against the 'effeminate' sensuality of house."[43]
The role of theMC, which is a central figure in UKG, originates from the Jamaicandancehall tradition of 'toasting' and its vibrantsound system culture.[43] Like the Jamaican dancehall toaster, the garage MC is a typically masculine and animated character which evokes responses from the crowd and engages their attention in a gritty, provocative manner. Reynolds provided an example of how the crowd would shout "Bo!" if they love a record which had just been dropped into the mix. The MC would then instruct the DJ to immediately stop the tune, manually go back to the start and "come again".[44]
The dark garage sound that was being produced by the likes ofWookie,Zed Bias, Shy Cookie,El-B and Artwork (of DND) in the late 1990s would set the groundwork for bothgrime anddubstep. Developing in parallel to grime, dubstep would take a mostly instrumental stripped down form of dark garage and with it bring in production values and influences fromdub reggae.[45][46][47]
Some UK garage producers have moved to a different sound calledUK funky, which takes production values from many different shades ofsoulful house music with elements of UK garage and blends them at a standardhouse music tempo, andsoca with tribal style percussion fromafrobeat.[48][49]
Future garage is a genre ofelectronic music that incorporates a variety of influences from UK garage and softer elements from2-step garage, leading to an off-kilter rhythmic style. Characteristic sounds are pitched vocal chops, warm filtered reese basses, dark atmospheres (including synth pads, field recordings and other atmospheric sounds) and vinyl crackle. The tempo usually ranges from 130 to 140 bpm, but can also be slower or faster.[50]