UK garage is the sound that absolutely, resolutely refuses to admit that the party is over.
It's the raver stood by the stereo at 7am, it's the mate who just has to finish that story – it's the sound of a flame being kept alive.
SCALES may reside in a leafy London suburb but the producer came of age through listening to UK garage. Soaking up the soulful sounds of 2-step and the genre's more aggy MCs, the youthful beat maker seemed to discover part of himself in those system sounds.
Agreeing to craft a special mix for Clash, SCALES rummaged through the racks for some impeccable UKG titles. Expect old favourites, lesser heard cuts and some absolute curveballs…
SCALES explains:
"Doing this mix for CLASH was a massive throwback for me. All the tracks included in this mix not only started me out DJ'ing but also played a massive part in shaping the SCALES sound in what it is today. Most of the vinyl was bought in my early days from Uptown Records in Soho, London. I would travel there on a weekend to get all these records. Tracks like Kartik, Ramsey & Fen, Double 99, Sunship and DJ Zinc were all little gems and used to smash the floors back in the day and still do. Pirate radio was a massive inspiration into sourcing these tunes, too… You would usually hear the big DJ's dropping these on their shows and I'd have the cassette player set up to record them – I'd always take the tapes or write the song names down for when I'd travel up on a weekend to try and source the same records."
"It was so amazing when you would find a tune you had been after, you'd get home and keep playing it over and over. For instance Kartik's 'The Way We Freak' was one of the first garage tunes I'd heard. I remember going to a friend's house and hearing him drop this – I'd write the song down and try and source it myself! If it wasn't for all the songs in this mix my sound wouldn't be what it is. I'm so glad I grew up in the 2-step Garage era, simply for the bangers and the influence it had on me."
Check it out now.
Tracklisting:
1. Colours & Stephen Emmanuel – Hold On (SE22 Mix) [feat. June Hamm]
2. Kartik – The Way We Freak
3. Ramsey & Fen – Love Bug
4. 24 Hour Experience – Together
5. Double 99 – Ripgroove
6. Once Was Nice – Messin Around (Wideboys Remix)
7. M-Dubs – Bump ’n’ Grind
8. N'n'G – Right Before My Eyes (The Remix) [feat. MC Neat]
9. Sunship – Try Me Out (Let Me Lick It Mix) [feat. Anita Kelsey]
10. Brandy & Monica – Boy Is Mine (Architects Bootleg Remix)
11. Bizzi – Bizzi's Party (Booker T Vocal Lick)
12. F.U.N – It's The Way (99 Remix)
13. Cleptomaniacs – All I Do (Bump & Flex Dance Floor Dub) [feat. Bryan Chambers]
14. Jaheim – Just In Case (Dub-a-Holics Roller's Revival Mix)
15. DJ Zinc – 138 Trek
16. 702 – You Don't Know (Reservoir Dogs Vocal Mix)
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Catch SCALES online HERE.
