V/A

Revivalist garage

DJ Cosworth’s Hardline is one of the most industrious labels in modern UK garage, surrounded by a community of devoted young producers. NOSMOKING03 is pure revival, with Simmo turning in a neat and tidy 4×4 re-rub of KMA Productions’ seminal ‘Cape Fear’ after Captain Wallop’s version of DJ Paleface’s 2000 classic ‘Lighter’. They might not have the ruffneck spark of the OG versions, but they’re precision tooled to work in the club. Elsewhere, THIERRY’s ‘Once More’ locks into a techy strain of garage house built for the blend, while Babyface’s boisterous ‘Don’t Stop’ piles hook upon hook, from acidic bass in the first drop to chunky organ vamps in the second. It’s nothing you’ve not heard before, but anyone looking for punchy, current UKG to play out will be more than satisfied.

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Pretty Girl

Dreamlike club journey

Pretty Girl’s sets share the qualities of an impressionist painting. She strokes sounds with soft edges, blending bright-toned auras that evolve a dreamlike reality. It’s unclear whether the Melbourne-born, London-based artist is a Monet fan, but she’s well-aware her latest contribution to the fabric Presents mix series is a heightened sensory experience. “It’s kind of like a plate of food — you want lots of colour, and everything to go well together,” she says. Indeed, Fabric Presents Pretty Girl is a nourishing listen, woven by the producer, DJ and vocalist’s effortless musicality, and with melodies stripped straight from her subconscious.

From an intro of lush, slow-building synths unfolds a selection of left-of-center selects crafted by names like Clarian, Sleep D, RONA. and SWIM, making for an auditory trip that’s simultaneously deep and effervescent, as well as energizing and emotional. At its apex sits ‘Innadream’, the warm and lilting new single from Pretty Girl with an origin story that begins in deep sleep — what started as a bleary-eyed melody penned upon departure of a dream has become the cornerstone of this mix, Pretty Girl’s crystalline voice floating atop a minimal, chord-driven beat that eventually crescendos into a flurry of clubland bliss. Her other inclusion, ‘Hahaha’, is another high point, offering a glimpse into her creative sampling for joyous effect. Given the depth of her own productions, we’d welcome more Pretty Girl originals sprinkled throughout this hour and change.