As Bristol’s music scene continues to pioneer new sounds and styles across the world of music, the labels that house those sounds must be celebrated. When it comes to innovation, there aren’t many places with it in more of an abundance than Time Is Now (UK), a fantastic sub-label of the Shall Not Fade imprint. Since launching with two releases in April of 2020, they have been on a fantastic streak, welcoming artists such as Wilfy D, Soul Mass Transit System D Jason, Baby J, Interplanetary Criminal and more to showcase their unique approach to garage music. The experimental side of UKG can safely be described as their speciality zone, with their releases continuing to grow in popularity and allowing the Shall Not Fade team access to an outlet for the more “outside the box” styles of production they receive. The quality levels have continued to rise since the labels inception and we can’t see that pattern changing any time spoon.
Review: As always, the Time Is Now banner is riding high with this top quality six track collection from Nitework providing all the energy a dancefloor needs. We open up with the old school vocal & chord combinations of 'Desire', before the choppy vocal melodic grooves of 'Be There' and colliding percussive underbellies of 'This Ain't Love' take the lead role. Next, a more stripped back outing as 'Lose Control' gives us a moogy drift of a bassline to play with, with the glittering synth work of 'All Night' then arriving for an additional punch of nostalgia. Finally, 'Falling' gives us a killer closer, rounding off this top quality collection with more vocal chopping magic.
Review: The legendary Jeremy Sylvester is back in fine form with this fiery display, unloading four dancefloor-ready rollers with some real throwback feelings, courtesy of course of Time Is Now. We open up with the nostalgic chord progressions and heavily reverberated soundscapes of '90's Man', which sets the tone perfectly, followed by 'Flashback', a sleeklike roller doused in electronic energy. From here 'In The Morning' arrives to unleash a more subtle bubbling feeling, focussing on moogy basslines and refreshing pad arrangements, before the heavily sampled vocal chops and icey synth sweeps of 'Wickedest Sound' close off the EP with a bang
Review: The Time Is Now train continues to roll from station to station, with their latest drop coming from legendary Bristol native: Daffy, a long-standing heavyweight in the UKG space, who blesses us with four scintillating original groovers. We open up with the smooth melodic drifts and sharpened drum crunches of 'Organs For Spring', a real party starter, before 'Save My Soul' amps up the subs for a gnarly 4x4 stomp. Next up, we hear elements of breaks, old school garage and soulful house all fuse as 'Holding On 4 U' gives us another hard hitting bop, before the more syncopated sounds of the title track 'Like This Like That' give us a wavy closer. Top work indeed!
Review: It's a rarity that the Time Is Now crew fail to impress us here at JunoDownload, with this vibrant new 3 track collection, welcoming the combined flavours of Nitework, Ell Murphy & Medlar. We open up with the smooth vocal displays and sliding backdrops of 'Lose Control', which through its silky textures and groovy bass designs sets the pace perfectly. From here, the jittering synth leads and sumptuous sub-designs of 'All Night' then roll into play, again upping the energy levels, before the more bubbly chord progressions and stripped back drum production of 'Falling' takes in one final new direction. Each of the three packs a unique punch, making this a great showing from a trio we would love to see in action again soon!
Review: We often wonder if there is anything that can stop the combined powers of both Soul Mass Transit System & Time Is Now in collaboration, but we then remembered, why would anyone want that. This gorgeous collection showcases just how strong this power-coupling is, with 'Nobody Else But U' leading the way in a wash of silky subs and groovy vocal chops. From here, 'Break Ur Heart' continues to have a high energy feel, with more rampant 4x4 energy running wild, followed by 'Cookin Up Yer Brain' for another sumptuous dose of old school energy. We then close off proceedings with 'Stand By Me' venturing into the realms of jungle, amalgamating choppy breaks and booming 808s for a vibrant finale.
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