Where to start with Underground UK Garage
Underground UK Garage is a music scene from London, UK, 1991–2002. Its principal artists include MJ Cole, DJ EZ, Artful Dodger and Todd Edwards. This issue covers 6 essential albums and 12 dated events.
Start here
- 1
It's All About the Stragglers
Artful Dodger · 2000Original release: FFRR · 8573859092 · CD · UK 2000Captures garage's commercial peak, with the Craig David hits that carried pirate radio slang into the mainstream.
- 2
Sincere
MJ Cole · 2000Original release: Talkin’ Loud · 542 579-2 · CD · UK 2000Shows garage could sustain a full album, earning Mercury and Brit Award nominations beyond the underground.
- 3
Cut to the Chase
MJ Cole · 2003Original release: Talkin’ Loud · 9800004 · CD · UK 2003Reveals the genre's darker turn, made as shootings and police vetting scared clubs off booking garage.
Go deeper
- 4
Roots of Dubstep
Various Artists · 2006Tempa's 2006 compilation drew a direct line from dark garage producers, Zed Bias, Wookie, Horsepower Productions, Steve Gurley, to the dubstep sound taking shape around it.
- 5
Pure Garage Rewind: Back to the Old Skool
Various Artists (DJ EZ) · 2007This four-disc set, mixed by DJ EZ in 2007, arrived right as garage's mid-2000s revival was gathering pace and gave it a serious push.
For the obsessed
- 6
The Greatest Hits (Part 1)
Kurupt FM · 2020The comedy collective's 2021 debut, featuring Craig David and a run of grime MCs, peaked at number 8 and introduced garage to a generation that knew it mainly as a punchline or a meme.
The stories behind every record are in Underground UK Garage, a members' issue.