It has been 30 years since the rhythm and beats of garage music took the UK by storm. The genre has consistently evolved since the 1990s, becoming a party-starting sound and influencing bassline, grime and dubstep. More recently artists including AJ Tracey, Disclosure, PinkPantheress and Rudimental have all released tracks which carry elements of UK garage.
But for some of the genre’s icons, it is more than just music. "Garage is actually a way of life," says MC Bushkin from Heartless Crew, which formed in the 90s. "When I hear garage, I just think of uplift, vibe and fun.
Good music, dancing and fashion," he tells BBC Newsbeat. Neutrino from collective So Solid Crew feels the influence of UK garage is on par with cultural movements from the 1970s and 80s. "From punk rock ska, the New Romantic movement.
.. there’s always something the youth align themselves with.
"If you go back to the late 90s, early noughties, you’ll see the fashion culture where it was Moschino, Patrick Cox, Versace...
you see a lot of throwbacks now where people are taking influence from back then." Though it’s been three decades, those linked with the genre do not believe the sound is fading, but do feel the grassroots needs more attention for the culture to grow. "The music can’t die out," says MC Bushkin defiantly, though he admits garage may not be "as popular as it once was".
"The scene is still thriving, there are still lots of events and festivals." While "festivals are great", DJ Fonti fr.