1. Uk Garage Lotus

Review: As a label, YosH has quite the reputation for delivering a stacked line up, and that couldn't be truer of this brand new remix compilation from label founders: FooR. They have assembled an incredible roster of remixers, including real heavyweights such as Notion, Original Sin and Jay Faded.

The whole is an undeniable success, with Barely Royal's well thought out, bassy re-think of 'Fired Up' from FooR & MOAD being an initial stand out. Other major highlights include Soulecta's colourful UKG flip of 'Shine' and the wibbly wonders of Burt Cope's 'Right Through You' overhaul. Review: Toy Tonics regular Black Loops (real name Riccardo Paffetti) comes to Catz N' Dogz' label Pets Recordings with a four-tracker operating in that band of the musical spectrum where deep house and garage collide. The opening title cut is a sparse affair, essentially deep house in nature but with steppy, garage-y beats and vocal bites that sound suspiciously MC Neat-ish.

'Unity' is more heads-down with slamming, almost techno-style kicks and otherworldly synths, 'Keep A Secret' has the bumpin' feel of classic west coast deepness and finally 'Born In The 80s' is a pacier cut with more of those freaky-deeky synth sounds. Review: The Sneaker Social Club imprint seemingly have a knack for unearthing real gems, as we can see here with the tasty tonality from Dream Cycle, who arrives with a dash of flavour across four wicked originals. We kick off with the super skippy sunshine delights of 'Told You' before everything takes a more laid back twist on the warm, fuzzy designs of 'Long Time', which lays doused in gorgeous piano melodies. Next, the bubbly percussive thwacks and affected vocal slaps of 'Sensa' arrive on the scene before 'Untitled Dream' finishes us up with some incredible soundscape action.

Review: Now most of us will know of SP:MC for his heavy hitting work within the dubstep scene, always providing either a crispy new vocal assist or punchy original piece of production in the 140 zone. However we here see him expand into a more garage sounding area as we leap into this fantastic new project, courtesy of Sentry. We kick off with the smooth percussive pressures and groovy rhythmic twists of 'Vintage', which packs a serious punch. On the flipside we are given 'Slugfest', another tasty helping of crunchy drum designs and more organic sounding percussive twists. Review: Over the last six months we have seen the Four40 team excel to a different degree with their releases, showcasing one of the best yearly catalogues in bass music with a heavy focus on the rebirth of UKG. This compilation, which goes by the name of 'What You Call It Garage?'

, appears to me a compilation pulled together to celebrate those awesome releases, featuring a bag of heaters from some of the scenes finest, including the likes of Pavv, Royal Flush, ZeroFG, Limita, Moony, MKII, Deadly Habbitz and more! For us, Four40 have been the highlight UKG label of 2019, so this compilation is the perfect showcase! Review: DJ Seinfeld has really upped his productivity since launching the Young Ethics label earlier this year.

'Parallax' marks the Swedish producer's third outing on the imprint and as expected he's served up another strong collection of cuts. Opener 'Please Slow Down' is another ear-catching affair, with dreamy, reverb-laden female vocal snippets and vibrant, trance style synthesizer lead lines jauntily dancing above a crunchy two-step beat. 'Xoul' sees him wrapping more slightly psychedelic, ambient techno influenced musical elements atop an Armand Van Helden style 'dark garage' groove, while 'Parallax' is a deliciously warm and loved-up chunk of breakbeat retro-futurism in his now familiar style. To round things off, the Swede offers up the EP's warmest and deepest moment, the rather delicious, 'Right, What Time Do U Wanna Meet?' Review: This year has seen Southpoint go from strength to strength with their release catalogue, as they continue to combine their original familia with newer faces to generate the hottest bass releases out there. Experiential learning. They here welcome back Inkline for his second full EP, focussing on the darker, techier side of bass music, both themes that can be heard in abundance throughout the title track 'Venom'. Next up, the unusual vocal processing and blippy switch ups of 'Aquila', before we round the project off on 'Carousel', a perfect dancefloor stomper, driven by catchy, high end synth melodies and a tightened low end.

Fantastic stuff as per from the Southpoint camp. Review: There have been few labels that have impressed us at Juno Download more than Strictly Flava this year, primarily due to their incredible levels of consistency. This latest drop is a fantastic way to demonstrate that as they unveil the first of the 'Strictly Flava Allstars' series, with Brenz starting proceedings with a super groovy vocal mashup entitled 'Lingerie Music'. Next, Tuff Culture touches down with a big room roller entitled 'Vibrations', before the colourful melodies of Para's 'Promise' and old school LFO work of Pepe Elle's 'Fresh Pillow' roll out. Finally, we find ourselves with a really original piece as Sensa lays down some refreshing sub work, alongside smart vocal assists on 'Let It Go' to polish this one off with some serious finesse. Review: So it would appear that Soulserious have unearthed somewhat of a gem of a project here as they invite in Louie John across five newly design UKG rollers, the title track of which takes the name 'Just Feel', packing a groovy punch, laced with catchy vocal slaps.

The super spacey tones of 'Have You No More' arrive on the scene next, followed by the high energy percussive convulsions of 'White Label' and more minimal drum arrangements of 'No Escape' a well thought out piece of original UKG material. We finish up with the super clean drum switches of 'Corrections', giving us a super colourful final lap to round everything off. Review: Well what a treat we have for you all here as we see Conducta, Notion and Sammy Virji, three of the biggest names in UK bass music, come together for a super exciting two tracker on Conducta's own Kiwi imprint. We start with a look at Conducta and Notion teaming up on 'Fez Mangal', a smoothly rolling garage original, dripping with sauce as luscious vocal lines and distant key melodies play out in sun-fueled thrill ride.

On the flip, we see another super high profile collaboration as fan-favourite Sammy Virji gets in on the act on the flutey tones and groovy drum designs of 'Whippet'. Both tracks hold a serious contrast, yet balance each other out perfectly. Review: We now land in the Onepuf zone for a look at a brand new release from Bimma, who brings his unique fusion of techy themes and UK bass music to the table with fantastic results. The title track for this one goes by the name of 'Prism' and is a fantastic creation to say the least, forging clicky percussive melodies with dark rolling drum and sub maneuvers, followed by the blend of UK funky rhythms and unusual bass designs on 'Reactor Core'. On remix duty, Murder He Wrote gives 'Prism' a dubwise onceover, before Coldpast delivers a super crunchy UKG refit of 'Reactor Core'. Review: As a label, Crucast have gone from strength to strength, rapidly establishing themselves as one of the premiere platforms for bass music in the UK. This complication marks that out perfectly with an astonishing selection of over 30 original creations, featuring high profile appearances from the likes of Jaguar Skills, Brent Kilner, Pavv, TC4, Inkline, Deadbeat UK and a tonne more.

For us the EP highlights the strength in the current UK bass scene, with favourites being Bushbaby & Hadean's long-awaited collaboration release 'Clean Up', the monstrous swinging synths of Tengu's 'Weapon' and of course the wonky wonderings of SaidWho's 'Voices', a truly original compositional idea, focussing on rawcus bass sounds and scattered drum selections. Review: There aren't many names within the realms of UKG that are making as much noise as MOAD at the moment, and for good reason. This new EP is a perfect showcase of just how creative a producer can get within the genre, beginning with the super drum shuffles and catchy vocal sampling of the title track 'Wheel Up'. Following this, we take a mega punchy ride down memory lane as the nostalgic composition of 'Special' slides into play. To round up we see Prescribe Da Vibe join the party on 'Watching', which strips the drums back and focuses heavily on choppy grooves and unique vocal slices. This one is sure to liven up the dance.

Review: For this latest offering from Mawimbi, we welcome Burland who arrives on the scene ready for action with four super original creations, all rotating around a central funky theme. We kick off with a top notch collaboration with Zongo Abongo who layers his super authentic vocal flows over colourful percussive rhythms with some amazing results. Next up, 'Agbekor' lands with another bag of rhythmic power, driven by it's insistent grooves and sharp drum processing, before 'Riffin' On The Bow' picks up the pace with a quicker yet more minimal approach. Finally, Burland slows it right down with more fabulous vocal work and groovy, irresistible drum maneuvers on 'Me So Love Ya'. Review: Has bassline ever been more influential than it is currently across the UK? I think most people would struggle to argue otherwise. To celebrate this, bassline heavyweights DJQ, Jamie Duggan, Skepsis and Darkzy join forces for an allstar compilation album, including a selection of full tracks and exclusive mixes.

The full project includes exclusive drops from the likes of Champion, Shanti, DJQ, Flava D, TQD, Preditah, Bushbaby, Darkzy, Bru-C and many more. You are going to struggle to find a more comprehensive bassline selection this year!

Review: CruCast are on yet another fantastic run this year, doing what they do best by combining the already prominent fan bases of their more established roster, whilst also using their platform to showcase and introduce exciting new production talent. This latest project sees them put together a very exciting six track selection from some of the hottest up and comers right about now. We see returns for J69 and MPH, along with wicked rinse outs from Reese and Kuto. For us however, there are two clear stand out, with 'Get' from Papps providing a tech-inspired audible edge to the project, along with Cooky's high energy warbler in 'Work It Out'. Review: As Four40 enter into their second explosive run of the year, they here welcome in the ever-ready sounds of Deadly Habitz, who lands with four original UKG scorchers as part of the 'Past North' EP. We kick off with the mellow chord progressions and distant vocal expansions of 'Calling', before sidling into the more nostalgic drum shakes and pulsating bass rolls of the well named '90's Vibe'. This is then chased up by the housey organ sounds and catchy vocal lashings of 'Love It', before rounding the project off with a look at 'The Night', a hard hitting garage skanker from start to finish.

Review: Big props due to the Eglo network for this release, an impeccable EP of Floating Points productions which cannot fail to impress on any level. Musically, it's perhaps Shepherd's most ambitious collection to date, veering through sumptuous deep house, expertly crafted broken boogie from another century and bristling techno. 'Myrtle Avenue' is a dreamlike way to open a release, plunging into vast, widescreen expanses of texture and detail, further cementing comparisons with Theo as the freeform keys align with undulating layers of percussion. 'Realise' and 'Obfuse' are the precursors to the standout tracks on the second twelve, but are in no way filler, with the former teasing out finely placed 808 programming over pensive simmering patterns, whilst the latter is a fizzing, stripped down drum machine workout that is gradually joined by yet more tenderised synths. And thus we come to 'Arp3', a track which will secure this release a place in many a heart, expertly growing into a haunting techno epic and filled with so many production intricacies and rhythmic deviations it demands several repeat plays. 'Sais' rounds off the release, revealing in full detail the track's fuzzy, orchestral glory some time after a Dub version appeared on record store day.

Review: We thought it was going to be the case that Four40 kicked up another storm before the year was out, and we have been proven right as we jump into this top notch compilation project, primarily assembled by the UKG legend that is Smokey Bubblin B. We can see this one's quality just by perusing the tracklist, as we see top names such as Mistakay, Kastle, Mind Of A Dragon, Royal Flush and more all make their way onto the project. It in fact covers such a wide range of garage music it is difficult to define simply, from the minimal, skippy designs of Perception's 'You Make', to the more futuristic bass instrumentation and design of Tuff Culture's 'Carbon', with Doctor Nick's inspired remix of 'Mind Slip' by SMOAD being a particular stand out. Review: Tumble Audio is what you would call a truly 'UK' label.

This is because it deals in just about any strain of British dance music, and from garage, through to dubstep, and post-bass, it always delivers the goods in style. This time it's Archive with five smoking riddims from the depths of underground, and 'Keep Guard', along with 'Ghana Police' are what you would call true hybrids - the beats are harsh and stepping, while the low frequencies dominate the groove. 'Gully', once again, proves that 'bass' music really is a thing by chucking in just about any genre imaginable that falls on the hardcore continuum, and there's even a few remixes of 'Keep Guard', one stripped-down Burial-like reinterpretation by Bromley, and heavy-stepping version by Sly-one. Review: Soundbwoy Killah excels with this release and making the older amongst remember old-school raves, and the younger wish you could've been there. 'Yours' glides into the start of the release with bass shakes and soulful vocal samples, before a refreshing bout of 2-step tumbles out of the swirl and cuts in with a naughty, diving sine bass. 'Come My Selector' takes you back to 2005, in a good way - one for the rude boys and the ravers. 'Abra Cadabra' is packed with eclectic percussion, bumping you along before taking a dive down into the deep, the dark and the dirty, blackish atmospherics providing the backdrop for a non-stop sink into the bass below.

You might recognise the sample in 'Turn Off The Lights' from Mak & Pasteman's 'Oh Baby', but this is a different beast altogether. More punchy kick drums and tight, spinny back ends evoke even clearer notions of the rave. Review: What a fantastic selection we have for you here as we witness four of the most creative producers working within the underground dance music scene come together for a top notch project, courtesy of the 3024 team! We kick off course with the stunning yet minimal production stylings of Martyn, with his memorable original 'Frozen Bread Snaps', which is followed in hot pursuit by Sin/Grezlins & Jesta's tasty junglist roller: 'Door Of Guf'.

Uk Garage Lotus

Next up, Noire dives into the driver's seat for a helping of original funky with some delicious percussive power and chiming leads, followed up by Parris and the super delicate 'Dusty Glass Bubbles', a fantastic way to round this one up! Review: While the ethos behind Bobby Pleasure's Needs (Not For Profit) label is admirable - all proceeds go to carefully chosen charities - the imprint's greatest calling card is the exceptionally high quality of its releases. That's evident once again on EP number six, which begins with a stellar slab of fizzing, synth-sporting peak-time breakbeat house from fast-rising DJ/producer Eris Drew. Her bustling, pleasingly positive 'See You In Snow' is quickly followed by the low-slung dub disco/deep house heaviness of Edward's 'Mind Loop' and the rave era deep house/proto hardcore fusion of D Tiffany's typically dreamy sunrise workout 'Sun Trip'. Best of all, though, is the liquid warmth of Henry Hyde's 'Every Day's a Good Day', where lucid ambient electronics swim around bold, bass-heavy two-step beats.

Review: It's been a very solid year for the team over at the 3000 Network, who alongside controlling multiple avenues for releasing dance music, have established threethousand.co.uk as one of the leading news and premiere platforms for bass music in the UK. This latest compilation sees them return to the 3000 Digital arm of the network to unveil 10 dancefloor stormers, including potent, heavy hitting originals from the likes of Sheppy, Teotek, Ghstghstghst, Nada Deva, KusKa and more. For us, highlights have to include the super catchy vocal swings and hard hitting bass instrumentation of BTW's 'What We Had', along with the high pressure bass designs of 'Pull Up', from Spacegat and MPH.

Review: It's an exciting sight to witness a new Al Wootton drop hit the JunoDownload shelves, with this releasing really living up the expectation as the man himself delivers four bad boy originals, courtesy of Trule. We kick off with pounding sub-lines and subtle breaksy influences of 'Body Healthy', before landing on the incredibly delicate popping percussive brilliance of 'Graver'. Next we dive deeper underground as the minimalist breaksy tones of 'Bad Sound' leap into play, before we round up the project with a peek at 'Prophecy', another super well designed garage-ready roller.