UK Garage is the best genre ever

There’s an inclination among the human race to muse on difficult questions. What’s the meaning of life? Would you rather? Should I go out for the third night in a row despite being four figures overdrawn and bordering on coma-levels of tiredness? All are the subject of deep thought.

In the underground dance scene this urge translates into a toss-up between the two leading genres. Pick one: house or techno? They’re the most popular styles, and there’s a weighty crossover in the fan bases. It’s a query that can be posed absentmindedly and then spiral out into a brain wracking analysis that has discussers looking like Charlie Kelly.

House is uplifting, soulful, but techno is gritty, powerful, and each can be left feeling lacklustre or overbearing in comparison, depending on your varying mood. Committing absolutely to one and sacrificing the other for eternity is tough. If this is a question that has ever plagued your consciousness then have no fear because I’ve solved it. Don’t worry, it's not tech-house, which is neither here nor there. The answer to deciding your favourite in the near-existential question of “house or techno?” is: UK garage, which is actually the best genre ever.

“Introducing a third option to answer a question specifically calling for a choice between two determined variables is stupid and nonsensical,” you say? Well, not in this case! Hear me out. As noted, the debates I’ve borne witness to along these lines are often centred on the moods of the music. Could you imagine just listening to the battering-ram force of techno without the warm embrace of something brighter? Could you imagine not having that option while in a hazy headspace in some peeling-walls basement at 8am in the morning?

That’s where UK garage comes in; its power lies in its versatility. It’s a genre for all occasions. This revelation has been building within me for a while, spurred on by a few key experiences. One was seeing Pearson Sound mix ‘XLB’ into Jeremy Sylvester’s rocket-charged speed garage cut ‘Watch Ya Bass Bins’ at The Cellar in Oxford last year. The former stood out among the most explosive club cuts of 2016, with its manic, spring-heeled electronics, yet the reaction for the latter track was just as strong, provoking screwface fist pumps and the packed out, sunken dancefloor to take on the consistency of a whirlpool.

A 1997 garage record matching a ferocious techno track in the prime of its impact for head-spinning floor effect shows that speed end of the spectrum has got that need for more untamed sounds on lock. On a similar tip, seeing Evan Baggs DJ in London last month underscored this. As the early hours drew in, he rotated through an arsenal of dark and murky garage selections that drew the kind of rising whoops you hear directed at monotonous beats in European techno clubs.

The following day it was beautiful outside with the sun shining. I needed some music to accompany my ascent out of post-club funk, but I didn’t turn to the smooth sounds of Frankie Knuckles or Jack J, instead choosing the sweet bliss of Sunship and Dem 2 for an instant mood shot of pure, unadulterated joy. House, techno, who needs them? UK garage, the best genre ever, has all bases covered.

[Photo: Ewen Spencer's 'UKG']

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, and is preparing to two-step past the haters, follow him on Twitter