How UK Garage Music Became So Popular

London is known as a multicultural urban centre, a melting pot of many cultures and ideas. In the early 1990s, the music scene in the UK was dominated by the global house music trend. Todd Edwards developed a sub-genre called speed garage in the mid-1990’s. DJ EZ from a club in Greenwich, London, took Edwards’ tracks and further sped up the tempo significantly, creating a brand-new genre, called UK Garage music.

The Distinctive British Style Of Rap

Early tracks of UK Garage put European twists to the speed garage with distinctive techniques and production styles. These tracks had soulful vocals, deep bass grooves and house-inspired rhythms, with relatively fast tempo at around 135bpm. Some tracks also contain the distinctive British style of rap. Sweet Like Chocolate arranged by Shanks & Bigfoot was the first UK Garage track that scored the number one position in the United Kingdom. The UK garage music had its brief moment of popularity in the early 2000’s, especially on the pop charts and pirate stations. However, it didn’t last for long. UK garage music became infamous for the violent reputation, due to a shooting in So Solid Crew’s gig. The commercial success of UK garage music largely ended around 2003.

The Popularity Of Dubstep

In recent years, Burial and various artists have resurrected the genre and brought UK garage music back to the audience. The popularity of dubstep, an offshoot of UK garage, sparked a new interest in the relatively forgotten genre. The Internet has also had significant contribution in the resurgence of interest in UK garage music. Artists and producers are returning to the scene with UK garage tracks. A new sub-genre, called future garage also appeared and it’s often linked to the UK garage. Its popularity has given more prominence to the old school UK garage.

Pirate Radio In The United Kingdom

Each year, the upbeat sound of old school UK garage music is getting bigger and bigger, thanks to the contributions of Artful Dodger, M.J. Cole, Grant Nelson, Goldie, The Streets, Craig David, and others. Pirate radios in the United Kingdom are massive contributors to the current resurgence of the UK garage music. This genre is still filling the radio airwaves in the UK. Fresh producers like Jessie Ware, Naughty Boy, Mosca and Disclosure continue to inject new life to the genre. Many more new artists like Tuff Culture, Wookie, Skream and Kurupt FM are joining and contributing to the genre.

Contact Horizons Music

To learn more about UK garage music, contact Horizons Music today and shop a wide selection of new and vintage vinyl.

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to share it on your favourite social media sites.