UK Garage aka 2-step

[erica]

What do you think of UK Garage, are you into it? Have you even heard of it?
I'm interested to know because I've been in Melbourne playing UK Garage for over 2 years at Double O and for this year on Radio 3RRR - both on Saturday nights. I love the music - and it seems as if people like it when they hear it, but the major promoters don't - so it gets no real exposure. Which is a shame, because it sits nicely in between House & Techno - but is so fresh and new, that you feel excited when you hear it.

I play the full spectrum of UK Garage from vocal R&B bump & grind to dark to scary Drum & Bass, dark bassline madness. There is so much more to UK Garage than MJ Cole, Craig David, Artful Dodger and Posh Spice!!!

So what do you think of it...

DJ Erica
every Satuday night @ 3RRR 10pm-12am 102.7FM & from 12.30am Double O, Sniders Lane, Melbourne (doors open 10pm, free b4 11/$5 after)

[Pedro]

I think it's fresh, funky & feel good!!! It will have a much longer shell life than say drum & bass coz it's already pulling the mainstream masses and getting a healthy whack of media coverage via Mixmag, Ministry mag etc
I agree with you about their being more to it than the Craig david's, MJ Cole's etc, but I feel that's all were exposed to in OZ and compilations like Re-wind , Apa Naya etc give the listener a good retrospect, if not slightly commercialy biased take on what the 2 step vibe is all about.
Sounds like a real decent nite Erica, I'm keen to chek it out this Saturday b4 Hardware!
BO SELECTA!!!

[Paul Carroll]

Of course it's good - don't u also play @ Revolver on Sunday nights??? - I haven't been - but I would imagine it would be a really good place 2 have it - u know street sneakers & T-shirt - not all the overdressed crowd that frequent @ certain other clubs. The music itself has a sense of soul which house has but techno doesn't - but most importantly it has total funk & groove with a harder bass that house sometimes has.

[crisp]

Hey Erica. props plus. 2-step is growing and growing and it's cool you're representing it in Melb. I think the vibe of 2 step sits well with all types of music and playing it out, it works. It gets a cafe-crowd involuntarily moving unlike the increasingly stale deep house etc. You mentioned that 2 step has not been pushed by promoters, maybe it is because it is regarded as a clean and accessible sound and the success of Artful Dodger and True Stepeprs etc has scared them away. Of course, as you know, 2 step gets MUCH deeper than that. I know of some people who think it has been and gone, reached it's peak like other "BIG TRENDS" of the music industry (ie. Trance and Disco House). Comparisons are lame with 2 Step because the sound is so FLEXIBLE and I am constantly blown away by the new levels of creativity exposed within the genre, I mean, The Battle - TOTALLY original.
Maybe it will have a long life here in Melb because of this. If the record companies have no more 2 step hits, then it'll be happening here for a long time yet. Once it is commercialised, it will die. (look whats happening to Naked Music!), so the word of mouth vibe of Double O and Revolver is really your best asset.

crisp.

BTW, where can I get that Dr Who tune???? :)

[Nardo]

I have been a big fan of garage ever since I starting clubbing when I went to the UK in 97. I was introduced to it in an atmosphere that was pretty different to what you would get in your average club in an Australian city. Firstly, the clubs were so full of drugs, you were almost swimming in them. It was pretty blatant and the bouncers usually played a key role in getting it out to the masses. The quality over there is much higher, the price is much lower and so more people are on it in a big way. This creates a party atmosphere that is quite unique and pretty hard to recreate without the key ingredients - namely @!#$ loads of drugs.

I used to see people like Karl "Tuff Enough" Brown, Matt "Jam"Lamont and stuff llike that. The vibe was high class, sexy and very very stylish. You could not help but look around and think to yourself "Is there anything cooler than this?". Truly some of the most beutiful people I have ever seen in one place at the one time. 11/10 on the fun scale, that was.

I think that Garage could exist in a pretty limited sense in Australia, but it will never be the same as those club nights they have in UK - particularly London. I really don't think that garage would be garage without huge amounts of high quality pills, powder, champagne, sexy black chicks and fashionable clubbers. These things are all pretty common over there but they are not so big down here in Australia. What I am really saying is that Garage is not something you can just pick up and start anywhere in the world. It is an atmosphere more than anything.

Still, I really hope that I am wrong about all of that - that would be twice as nice! ha ha

[PC]

hey DJ Erica

i often catch your show after Brewster B's. Got to say that I enjoy some of the tunes you play, but not all. Same for Brewster's show. I listen to broaden my musical horizons, so for that I thank you for your show. But I wouldnt go out to a club to listen to 2 step or UK Garage. Not my fav style of dance music.

cheers
PC

[JJ]

I went to Revolver on sunday and can't wait to go back. I think that so far the garage sound has been a bit behind the scenes, but with James Ash & Rob Perello taking their sound to that side bar at Salt.....who knows where it will go. Keep up the awesome work.

PS - I hear James Ash is currently mixing a Ministry Garage compilation?

[brendabilla]

What labels/ producers should i Check out...aint much 2-step in sydney. I like the light bouncy feel it has. It takes parts from all genres and i think that may be why it may be growing. GOOD TIMES