The west
London hitmaker is leading a resurgence that’s more than just nostalgia
Back in June, rapper AJ Tracey released Ladbroke Grove, a paean to estate life in his west London home. While it didn’t make a splash as an album track, it went on to become a major chart hit, peaking at No 4 in the
UK at the time of writing. The 25-year-old told Annie Mac last month that he wanted to make a “positive tune” about his area, and what better way to do it than via the elastic 2-step rhythms and summery feel of UK garage? The genre originated in the US, from house, R&B and disco, before being given a
British twist, with its old-school samples, deep sub-bass and ravey feel.
Tracey is not the only artist resurrecting the genre, either; the track was produced by Conducta, dubbed “the Prince of UK garage”, who has his own label, Kiwi Rekords, and promised on
Twitter earlier this month that: “I’m gonna make sure UK garage is back in the charts to stay with a few more hits this year.” Meanwhile, Ladbroke Grove’s featured vocalist, Jorja Smith, is no stranger to UKG, having also featured on grime and garage producer Preditah’s track On My Mind. Elsewhere, Sugababes recently announced that they would be covering Sweet Female Attitude’s Flowers to celebrate their 20th anniversary, a track also recently covered by none other than AJ Tracey and Jorja Smith for Radio 1’s Live Lounge.