Don't think we're NUKG news-light & reporting on this as a filler. There's plenty we could say about what's going on right now, but the truth of the matter is that some things just need to be said. & something that ought to be said is that: although there's plenty of exceptional Old Skool about &, in equal parts, fantastic NUKG... the music made during Garage's Lost Years simply deserves more credit.
None more so than that recorded by London's MJ Cole & the South Coast's Wideboys. Now obviously it's hard to argue against the respective impact of both artists before & during Garage's heyday. Between them they scored multiple top 40 hits, as well as a tonne of deserved award nominations (& wins). So to say we were frothing at the mouth for the prospect of the two production acts joining forces in the years that followed would be an understatement. &, with none other than legendary Vula Malinga on vocal duties, it's fair to say that the promise of such a linkup did not disappoint!
They started with 'Nothing But Trouble' on MJ's own Prolific Recordings imprint in March of 2005, before following up with equally stellar 'Body Language' on Ed & Jim's Garagejams label in September. Fortunately, Matt's Prolific back-catalogue is readily available on streaming formats...
... though you may have to dig a little deeper to find some of the Garagejams releases. But we can promise you, they're worth the legwork.
MJ Cole & The Wideboys, working side-by-side. 2004-08: what a time to be a fan of UK Garage. Miss this period in time? Head over & check out our Lost Years playlist on Spotify!
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