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The Soul Of UK Garage, As Photographed By Ewen Spencer

I asked him what dance music was like when it was still sexy.

Over the last few years, it's become increasingly clear that we didn't appreciate UK garage to the extent that we should have. You can't help but think that most of the DJs, producers, filmmakers and fashion designers referencing Todd Edwards and Ben Sherman in their work today actually grew up listening to Coal Chamber and wearing Criminal Damage trousers.

One man who was definitely there, however, is photographer Ewen Spencer. Ewen's done a lot of things over the years, from working with the White Stripes and documenting the halcyon days of grime (if there was ever such a thing) in his book Open Mic, to taking the liner photos for Original Pirate Material. His latest project concerns the increasingly lauded but still somewhat undocumented world of UKG and comes in the form of a new book, Brandy & Coke.

The photos are fantastic, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of those early garage nights all my friends' older brothers claim to have been at. The newspaper-print trousers and YSL button-downs are all there in the forefront, being splashed by open bottles of champagne and any one of the classy drinks. After a good few hours of longingly staring at the photos, wishing I was one of the satin-suited people in them, I decided to catch up with Ewen to talk garage, grime, garms and whether or not ex-Newcastle striker Andy Cole really was one of the "original 50 garage ravers".

Read the full interview over at VICE.com and you can find these images and some words from Ewen in the latest issue of VICE Magazine too.