It’s hard to keep track of UK 2-step garage and its countless permutations. New terms seem to crop up every few months—future garage, nu-garage, post-garage, post-dubstep—and all this change is making us want to re-rewind back to the good old days of classic 2-step. Of course, there’s no turning back the clock, so we’ve satisfied our craving for throwback beats by looking to the handful of new school producers who have drawn inspiration from the genre’s origins. These guys conjure the same feeling of joy we used to get from DJ EZ’s Pure Garage compilations, but they also incorporate fresh elements into their productions, like deeper basslines and new-school vocal chirps. We caught up with some of the artists who champion the 2-step sound of the late 90s and early 2000s in their contemporary productions, and are blazing a trail for UK garage 2.0.

DJ Q

Location

ROYAL-T

Location: Southampton, England
“I first came across garage music probably through my brother and his cassette tape packs. I always heard him listening to them in his bedroom, and, after hearing them for the first time, I just loved the vibe and was excited to seek out more. I remember every other day carefully stealing and replacing one tape at a time, taking them to school and listening to them on my walkman. I didn’t know who the DJs or MCs were, or who the tunes were by—but I knew I was listening to something I couldn’t turn on the TV and see.”

“Garage gives me the means to experiment with whatever I want. It depends on the vibe: If I’m feeling soulful, I’ll drop some Rhodes on the track and just jazz things up. Or, if I’m looking to make something to smash down a rave, I’ll be looking at a whole different palette of sounds to orchestrate it. That’s why I enjoy making it; the groove always acts like a bed for any emotion I really want to get out on the track, and I can still make it work and call it garage. I just want people to feel what I felt like back then, listening to these tracks for the first time.”

“I would really love to take more garage to the USA and across the world. I feel like England is spoiled for choice, at times. I think garage will always be talked about and routed as one of the most important genres in the last 20 years, and I will never fall out of love with it and will continue making it. You can’t hold back the sound.”

STAR ONE

Location SideWinder

CONDUCTA

Location: Bristol, England
“My earliest encounters with garage music were as a child, scrolling through the various music channels—The Box, Kiss, etc.—and seeing videos like Craig David’s ‘Rewind’ and ’21 Seconds’ from So Solid Crew on MTV Base. Then, I remember my god brother driving me round listening to DJ EZ CDs, and there, the foundation was laid.”

“I always try to make my productions melodic, punchy, and bassy. Those three elements make the project well-rounded. Each element is as important as each other. With the melodic element, it enables me to be creative with all kinds of bass, whether it’s punchy, bass-heavy, or sub-orientated and subtle. Emphasis on percussion also enhances the production value of a tune, and attention to detail can make all the difference to whether you’re making a song for the raves or song for the iPod.”

“It’s evident that there has been a renaissance in the garage scene recently, which has been great, and I believe the future looks good. Nevertheless, I think there’s still a large misconception that UK garage is just for Bank Holidays or that ‘Flowers’ and Craig David define the genre. Up-and-coming producers like Moony D and DJ D are pushing boundaries, as are established names like Star One, Spooky, Flava D, and Royal T, so the future looks bright. The support and appreciation from legends like DJ EZ and Groove Chronicles is encouraging too. They’re really supporting us producers in sets and subsequently revitalizing the scene. All of this can eventually lead to eradicating the bias towards ‘old school’ garage and will allow music listeners to embrace the current state of the scene.”

FLAVA D

Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson is a UK-based music writer and radio host. He’s on Twitter: @Jpizzledizzle