- Part of a global project championing UK garage outside of the UK, artists in India, Nepal and Britain showcase the genre’s deadly and lush sides with equal focus.
- 25 Years Of UK Garage, a new documentary launched last month, explores the muscular infrastructure behind the dance music genre that remains one of Britain’s greatest exports. The film shows how dedicated parties, record labels and an entire subculture encompassing everything from fashion to politics underlined UK garge’s growth at home, enabling artists to grow successful careers. Outside of the UK however, garage and its myriad sub-genres remain a niche sound amid a lack of support structures that limit opportunities for local proponents of the style. Fully aware of this imbalance, three year-old UK label Steppers Club has put together a series of collaborative releases with labels in India, Japan, Australia and the US to spotlight advocates of swung and skippy rhythms in those areas.
“In the UK, if you end up making good music and getting it in the right hands, you will sure enough at some point get noticed,” Steppers Club founder Zefer explained in this recent interview with UKF. “If you’re from overseas where the genre isn’t popular and it isn’t particularly known yet, you could be making insane music, but if there aren’t any promoters putting on events, you’re not gonna get gigs.” That’s why he believes it’s so important to shine a light on UKG producers abroad.
The latest instalment in Steppers Club’s global project features Mumbai imprint Krunk Kulture, and balances sweet melodies with harder-hitting 2-step—combining two of UK garage’s many faces. On “Once In A Lifetime,” from Zefer and Mumbai talent Moebius, poignant chords, uplifting vocals and soulful, house-leaning grooves come together to create a sense of gentle rapture. Next up is “Crux” by Kaisui and the excellent Kathmandu-based YNZN.P, whose parties in the Nepalese capital are a crucial lifeline for local heads. A tribute to the late ’90s two-step sound popularised by acts such as El-B and Groove Chronicles, “Crux” goes heavy on swung snares and distorted vocals that are as playful as they are powerful. With its chopped-up breaks, atmospheric synths and Kaisui’s delightful, high-pitched producer tags, it’s easily the EP’s highlight and will no doubt go off on dancefloors.
Steppers X Krunk Kulture is a strong showing of South Asia’s garage aficionados but its sole drawback is its short length. A project of this kind merits a full-length album or compilation that can do justice to the new forms of speed garage, bassline and other UKG variants popping up around India and beyond. As for the future of UKG in South Asia, it’s looking bright with several new parties and labels dedicated to breakbeat, jungle and drum & bass emerging in recent years. The region’s appetite for bass music is massive, so it’s just a matter of time until local infrastructure expands to a larger scale.
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Tracklist
- 01. Zefer & Moebius – Once In A Lifetime
02. Kaisui & YNZN.P – Crux
