garage revival

An extensive and intricate piece on the resurgence of UK garage, by Gabriel Szatan for Resident Advisor

A lot to take in

Came away wondering just a couple of things

- how big is this scene, or scenes multiple?

- it wasn't clear to me, from reading it, if anyone was doing anything new with either the UKG 4-to-floor classic sound or the 2step template... 

if it's just a reiteration of those sounds, then it might well be highly enjoyable (sometimes I find myself in agreement with young Jess Harvell, who once declared that speed garage was his absolute favorite sound to dance to  - to which I'd add only that 2-step, while more formally radical and interesting to the ear, felt a lot tricksier on the moving-and-grooving side... basically you have to be a much better dancer than I ever was to do it justice)

but (and you know what's coming) a replay would be somewhat letting down the original push-things-forward, mutational spirit that led to UKG and 2step coming into being in the first place

from which light, the title of Szatan's piece rings ironic: Like A Battle: The Push For UK Garage's Future

still  - as recombinant repro-antique biznis goes, this choon (via Rudewhy at Dissensus) is really good




whereas this is sort of the ghost of Ghost



freezeframing that darkgarridge moment before Horsepower Productions galloped up a historical cul de sac

lived it once mate! didn't love it that much even then (gimme the rude 'n' cheesy any day... the silly novelty tracks)

yeah as a general principle sort of thing -

even the most bandwagon-jumping, mercenary-minded, shamelessly derivative track from 97/98/99/2000 has more spiritual-philosophical-ontological integrity (for want of a better word)

than

the most scholarly, meticulous, well-informed and well-intended reproduction-antique effort from now

because the former are participating (even if exploitatively) in a real-time wave of innovation as it unfolds, rather than going back and freezeframing that moving moment

which is why you (meaning me obviously) can get a buzz off of a shoddy third-division tune from backintheday, that you simply can't get from the most immaculate recreation

the buzz of historicity, of something happening for the first time, trapped in amber? 

i do believe so

this principle applies to everything

the other garage revival (punk)

but also digi-dub, Detroit-venerators, you name it

Still I expect I will wade my way through many of the names and labels mentioned in the Gabriel S piece, when I have a mo



CCRU fans clearly, if erratic spellers!