jay-s
scarface
Reg.: Jun 2001
Location: on road
Posts: 378 |
 UK Garage 2002
Based on "10 Highs And Lows In UK Garage" in RWD magazine
HIGHS»:
1. DIZZIE RASCAL
A one-man renaissance. The hottest production and lyrical talent in UKG. Is it even garage anymore? Who cares. Anthems like "I Love You" are tip of the iceberg. Mercury music prize winner 2003 anyone?
2. WILEY
Proof that garage can rival heyday-jungle as innovative music for the masses comes from MC, producer and DJ Wiley Kat. His deep-string anthem "Eskimo", in all its mixes, is a future classic, today.
3. HORSEPOWER PRODUCTIONS
Love 'em or loath them, they've pushed the boundaries of what constitutes UKG, producing an exceptional album - "In Fine Style" - that won fans inside and out of garage.
4. EL-TUFF
No one expected the combination of Ghost's El-B and Karl Brown. But they took the 4/4 Todd template and pushed it further, with quality tunes like "Deep Deep Love," "Music in The Night" and "Summer Breeze." Will an album drop in 2003?
5. REFIXES
Proof of a vibrant, evolving scene is the "Refix" culture, where everyone's a producer and every DJ has exclusives. "Refixes" give life to rinsed classics, usually without the artists' permission.
6. EZ & THE VOCAL REVIVAL
Every year is EZ's year, just like the Todd Edwards' he canes so much. It was arguably EZ that kick started the 4/4 revival. It now bears the hopes of everyone: will vocal 4-beat save the scene?
7. RINSE FM
Like a beacon from the east, London's leading Rinse FM have risen above the competition with their own "East Beat" sound and amazing line-up [Pay As U Go, Narrows, More Fire and at one point Roll Deep]. Sidewinder Award winners: we salute you.
8. 1XTRA
Ignore the haters, a publicly funded black music station can only be a good thing and that's what happened in 2K2. Richie Vibe Vee, Heartless Crew, Femme Fatale and the mighty Jay Da Flex: big it.
9. SIDEWINDER
A rave institution, Milton Keynes' Sidewinder is home-from-home for half of UKG, not least DJ Slimzee. They successfully hosted the people's choice awards and pack the crowds in. Sidewinder run tings.
10. FORWARD
It survived the closure of the Velvet Rooms [cheers Railtrack!] moving to Old St's bassy Plastic People. Always rammed with industry insiders checking the freshest dubs, Forward>> is the Metalheadz of our generation.
LOWS»
1. VIOLENCE
One man’s violence in clubs is another's "biased media coverage," but the fact remains: promoters and club owners are less open to garage promotions than they were a year ago. 2003 is fix-up time.
2. PREFAB KID GARAGE BANDS
It's not right, it's not OK, and it's barely garage, but this year has seen the emergence of manufactured urban girl and boy bands. They quickly recoup their label advance by selling covers to under-11s. But if this is what outsiders think UKG is, we're all doomed. End this hell now!!!
3. BIG MISSES
Just For Jokes' “Jump Up”, Sticky & Tubby T's “Tales Of The Hood" and Jaimeson's "Selecta" all missing the top end of the charts. Major label panic sets in and suddenly the whole of garage is affected. It's storm-riding-out time.
4. 6-BAR
Musical Mob's "Pulse X" was a massive, simple and effective tune. It was also a musical dead end, which made it acceptable for new producers not to push themselves further than beats, bass and handclaps. Did Tuff Jam work in vain?
5. UKG AWARDS
The cancellation of the UKG Awards ceremony this year was bad for the scene as a whole, but the punters still voted in droves and hopefully it will return bigger and better next year.
6. R&B
OK, so DJs playing R&B brings the girls to the 'floor and vibes to a club, but how long can this go on? Can British DJs survive indefinitely on US hand-me-down dubplates? Brits need their own homegrown b-line culture!
7. GARAGE QUITTERS
Wannabe's spend five years going "yeah I'm down with the garage scene" and five minutes with a major label and it's "my music is beyond garage." And what exactly is wrong with garage? Mis-teeq, Romeo, ...The list goes on. We'll let Ms Dynamite off when "A Little Darker" drops.
8. PLAYSTATION PRODUCTIONS
Yes it's a good thing that newcomers get a chance to make cheap beats. No it's not a good thing when they get released. Time to wait for the MJ Cole album instead.
9. WACK MC'S
MCs -yes. Wack MCs - no. Now the whole crew thing's lost its novelty factor, hopefully the good will out [while the wack simply shout?]. Maybe B-Live & co should give lessons?
10. BOOTLEGS
A "Refix" is one thing, a bootleg another. Taking classics, pressing them shoddily and selling them without the artist's permission might meet demand with supply, but the scene as a whole suffers.
Jay-S UK Garage Top 10 2002:
1) Ms Dynamite & Menta – Ramp [Bigger Beats]
2) El-B – Hooligan [Uptown]
3) Pay As U Go – Champagne Dance [Sony]
4) Double Take featuring MC Kie – Love Come Down [W10/Incentive]
5) Zed Bias featuring Juiceman & Simba – Ring The Alarm [Sidestepper]
6) Darqwan – Said The Spider [Texture]
7) Elephant Man – Log On (Horsepower Productions Remix) [Greensleeves]
8) Naughty – Pussy (DJ Hype Dark Mix) [Naughty]
9) Tubby T – Tales Of The Hood [Go Beat]
10) Jameson – True [V2]
More cool stuff:
2 Digital – Bad Riddim [Longtime]
Artful Dodger featuring Richie Dan & sevi G - Ruffneck Sound [London Republic]
Artful Dodger featuring General Levy - Ladies [Urban Gorilla]
Big $hot - Nutcracker [Southside]
Daluq – Supafine [Soulja]
DBX Presents Dub Techniques 3 – Magic [Mint Condition]
Dizzy Rascal - I Love You [White]
DJ Luck & MC Neat – Irie [Island]
Dj Shortie & Dj Brownin – Friction [Locked On]
El-B featuring Juiceman – Buck&Burry [Ghost]
El-B – Deeper Feelings [Uptown]
EZ - M.I.3 (Made In 30 Minutes) [One]
Hazard - Killahertz [Heatseeker]
Heartless Crew – The Superglue Riddim [Warner]
Horsepower Productions – To The Beat Y'All [Tempa]
Horsepower Productions – In Fine Style LP [Tempa]
Jameson & Viper – Selecta (Urban Heroes) [Soundproof]
Jammin – Tonka [Bingo Beats]
Kosheen – Hungry (Zed Bias Dub Mix) [Moksha]
London Dodgers – Down Down Biznizz (Darqwan Remix) [Locked On]
MC DT, Rhino & Tubby T – Music Is 4 Life [Longtime]
Menta - Snake Charmer [Road]
Missy Eliot – 4 My People (Basement Jaxx Vocal Mix) [Elektra]
More Fire Crew – Oi! [Go Beat]
Musical Mob - Pulse X [MMR]
Nude – Digitize [Shelflife]
Outlaw Breaks featuring Gemma Fox & Sweetie Irie - Dutty [Left Recordings]
Mark Ruff Ryder – Do It Now [Strictly Underground]
The Streets - Original Pirate Material LP [Locked On]
$tush - Dollar Sign [Social Circles]
Tubby T – Tales Of The Hood [Social Circles]
Urban Shakedown - Some Justice 2002 (Menta Remix) [Public Demand]
UK Garage 2002 Mix (mixed by Jay-S) coming soon.
commercial break
This Saturday
Garage Sessions
UK Garage & Breakbeatz @ Jester’s, Obergrafendorf (bei St. Pölten)
Alex Is My Bro (Shade Recordings, Wien)
Jay-S (Hyperfunk, Wien)
DJ Jesta (SDC, London)
MC Gigalo C (SDC, London)
Dancehall warmup: O$$ Bo$$ (Jah Power Sound, Wien)
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09-01-2003 - 15:48
