In recent times, UKG has experienced somewhat of a "rebirth" (for lack of a better word). Following its fall from grace after a turn-of-the-century boom in popularity, Garage became a dirty word for many years. Even though a die-hard, dedicated group of artists and fans remained true to the sound they loved throughout its 'Lost Years' ('04-'10) and beyond; those involved with UK Garage at the time clearly struggled to know if or how the music needed to evolve in order to get the mainstream dance community to accept the niche as a valid form of underground artistic expression. As a result the "scene" ™ lacked identity for many moons - despite arguably and somewhat impressively being a fundamental part of the birth of the Grime, Bassline, Dubstep and UK Funky movements in the subsequent years which followed the rise of the "Breakbeat Garage" era (which many cite as a fundamental part of the genre's initial demise).
Fast forward to recent years, and - thankfully - a plethora of creative new talents and marketing masterminds have managed to break the invisible glass-ceiling which held so many back for so long, and have opened the door for new UK Garage (or NUKG, as we like to refer to it) to be heard on a much wider scale - and in venues which never would have entertained it before. AC Slater's work at Night Bass in LA has undoubtedly showcased the sound to a whole new audience on the United States' west coast, who mightn't otherwise have chanced across much of the music we've known-and-loved here in London since the late 90s. That in turn has inspired a huge wave of stateside artists to incorporate elements of the sound into their own music, often with refreshingly new approaches and noteworthy results.
One guy who's a shining example of this is Cali-based Luke Petruzzi, a musically gifted singer-songwriter / producer who incorporates elements of your favourite UK Garage stylings into some clever, topical song-based works to great effect. Often deep and ethereal, sometimes bass-heavy and hard-hitting: Luke's material showcases a high level of engineering and production, coupled with cleverly thought-out song content that also draws inspiration from contemporary popular artists... whilst somehow remaining a specifically underground affair.
Enough text, let's get to the part where you listen for yourself. Piggy-backing off the success of this summer's 'Quiet When I Go', Luke just self-released 'You Do' - a track which commands your attention throughout. Blast it, enjoy it, and put some damn respect on this man's name, at once!
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