Latest news with #UKGarage
The Guardian
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Someone compared it to Bohemian Rhapsody': Wookie on making UK garage classic Battle
People say Battle reminds them of some really good years for Britain as a country. We were entering a new millennium, everyone was running their own business, making money and the underground record industry was thriving. I wanted to do a UK garage version of Southern Freeez, by the 80s UK funk band Freeez. Initially, Battle was going to be another instrumental, and then Lain, the singer, came in the room and goes: 'Let me put something on this.' I was like: 'I'm not sure it's really a vocal song.' But Lain stacked the vocals, and someone compared it to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, with all the harmonies. At the time, some people believed that I had copied a dubplate by [UK garage figure] DJ EZ. It is similar – his bassline does something like that. But I know I didn't copy him, because I didn't go out that much! So I'd never really heard EZ at that stage. I didn't know Battle was going to be as big as it was or have the impact it did – it was just another tune. Then it started to float around: a few DJs had it, the A&R people. Ears started to prick up. I think we added a level of sophistication to garage, even though people like MJ Cole and TJ Cases were already doing that. When we were trying to get Battle on the radio, one station said it was too intelligent for their listeners and they wouldn't play it. Battle eventually reached No 10 in August 2000. Louise Redknapp got the No 9 spot by 2,000 copies. It allowed me to appear on a TV show that I had watched my whole life as I was growing up: Top of the Pops. A lot of people say: 'Oh, garage is on the comeback.' But for me, it has been for the last 13 years. I started DJing in 2012 and every year I'm working. It's been well received by a wider audience ever since, younger and younger. Jason Chue, AKA Wookie, was knocking about in jungle, drum'n'bass, trying to siphon off that whole energy and then putting songs to it. I remember him saying about Battle: 'I've done something strange with the intro.' I was like: 'No, just play it.' He was almost apologising for it – but it was like a godsend. That intro had such an urgency. It felt like it was piercing your soul. I said: 'Give me a minute.' Then I walked out and I don't even know if it was half an hour, but I came back and I had written all of the vocal. That's divine. For the song title we wanted one word. There are a lot of three-word titles, but one word is strong. Whether it's bringing up three kids on your own, or addiction, everyone's battling through something, every day. People call Battle a gospel song. Back then I was doing a lot of regular R&B but I really wanted to do something that involved my faith. When Jazzie B [founder of Soul II Soul and mentor to Wookie] called me about working with Jason, I thought he was going to say: 'No, we don't want that.' But he said: 'Just go for it.' We had all these record label bosses trying to sign Battle – one guy had a Maserati and he blew out his speakers playing it. Months later he said: 'I didn't realise I was blowing out my speakers to a gospel tune.' I first realised Battle was going to be big at [seminal UK garage night] Twice As Nice. Jason said: 'You should come down to Twice As Nice because I think this tune's going.' I was a bit worried because I don't really go out. So they played the tune and everyone started going: 'Booooo!' OK, that's not a good sign. But Jason was like, 'No, no, no – that means they really like it!' Battle has endured because of what it means to the person who hears it. Back then, we would do PAs and people would say: 'That song – my mum was going through cancer and that helped me.' And, 25 years later, someone said: 'While I was in prison, that song got me through.' That's everyone. That's anyone. I remember Jason sending me a picture of someone who tattooed the middle eight of Battle on her forearm: 'I can always rely / On my faith to get by.' Wookie's new single Back 2 Us (ft Kyno) is out now
The Guardian
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Someone compared it to Bohemian Rhapsody': Wookie on making UK garage classic Battle
People say Battle reminds them of some really good years for Britain as a country. We were entering a new millennium, everyone was running their own business, making money and the underground record industry was thriving. I wanted to do a UK garage version of Southern Freeez, by the 80s UK funk band Freeez. Initially, Battle was going to be another instrumental, and then Lain, the singer, came in the room and goes: 'Let me put something on this.' I was like: 'I'm not sure it's really a vocal song.' But Lain stacked the vocals, and someone compared it to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, with all the harmonies. At the time, some people believed that I had copied a dubplate by [UK garage figure] DJ EZ. It is similar – his bassline does something like that. But I know I didn't copy him, because I didn't go out that much! So I'd never really heard EZ at that stage. I didn't know Battle was going to be as big as it was or have the impact it did – it was just another tune. Then it started to float around: a few DJs had it, the A&R people. Ears started to prick up. I think we added a level of sophistication to garage, even though people like MJ Cole and TJ Cases were already doing that. When we were trying to get Battle on the radio, one station said it was too intelligent for their listeners and they wouldn't play it. Battle eventually reached No 10 in August 2000. Louise Redknapp got the No 9 spot by 2,000 copies. It allowed me to appear on a TV show that I had watched my whole life as I was growing up: Top of the Pops. A lot of people say: 'Oh, garage is on the comeback.' But for me, it has been for the last 13 years. I started DJing in 2012 and every year I'm working. It's been well received by a wider audience ever since, younger and younger. Jason Chue, AKA Wookie, was knocking about in jungle, drum'n'bass, trying to siphon off that whole energy and then putting songs to it. I remember him saying about Battle: 'I've done something strange with the intro.' I was like: 'No, just play it.' He was almost apologising for it – but it was like a godsend. That intro had such an urgency. It felt like it was piercing your soul. I said: 'Give me a minute.' Then I walked out and I don't even know if it was half an hour, but I came back and I had written all of the vocal. That's divine. For the song title we wanted one word. There are a lot of three-word titles, but one word is strong. Whether it's bringing up three kids on your own, or addiction, everyone's battling through something, every day. People call Battle a gospel song. Back then I was doing a lot of regular R&B but I really wanted to do something that involved my faith. When Jazzie B [founder of Soul II Soul and mentor to Wookie] called me about working with Jason, I thought he was going to say: 'No, we don't want that.' But he said: 'Just go for it.' We had all these record label bosses trying to sign Battle – one guy had a Maserati and he blew out his speakers playing it. Months later he said: 'I didn't realise I was blowing out my speakers to a gospel tune.' I first realised Battle was going to be big at [seminal UK garage night] Twice As Nice. Jason said: 'You should come down to Twice As Nice because I think this tune's going.' I was a bit worried because I don't really go out. So they played the tune and everyone started going: 'Booooo!' OK, that's not a good sign. But Jason was like, 'No, no, no – that means they really like it!' Battle has endured because of what it means to the person who hears it. Back then, we would do PAs and people would say: 'That song – my mum was going through cancer and that helped me.' And, 25 years later, someone said: 'While I was in prison, that song got me through.' That's everyone. That's anyone. I remember Jason sending me a picture of someone who tattooed the middle eight of Battle on her forearm: 'I can always rely / On my faith to get by.' Wookie's new single Back 2 Us (ft Kyno) is out now
Daily Mirror
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Duffy eyeing up return with 'new music' after terrifying kidnap and rape plot
Noughties star, Duffy, is preparing to step back into the spotlight after she quit fame when she was tragically raped and kidnapped in a harrowing ordeal, which she first revealed in 2020 Welsh songstress Duffy is making a comeback, according to reports, following the Mercy star's harrowing kidnap ordeal. The beloved hitmaker, 40, amassed a legion of loyal fans in the noughties, however Duffy ended up shunning the spotlight after she was heartbreakingly abducted and raped, which she first publicly revealed in 2020. The singer has kept a low profile for almost a decade following the terrifying attack, which she claimed happened over a four week period after she was drugged at a restaurant before being kidnapped, taken abroad and raped, and then flown to the UK where she was held captive in her own home However, in March, Duffy made a surprise appearance on TikTok, lip-syncing to her hit track, Mercy. It's now been reported that the star is back in the recording studio as she gets set to make her long-awaited return to music. The Warwick Avenue songstress is said to have reunited with ex-Suede musician Bernard Butler, who was the producer of her debut album in 2008. A source told The Sun On Sunday: "The time is right for her to make a comeback, she has done enough healing and is ready to make music. She has a great working relationship with Bernard, and they trust each other." Duffy disappeared from the limelight after her harrowing kidnap ordeal in which she explained she had been raped, drugged and held captive following her rise to stardom, which saw her bag a Grammy Award in 2009. In the TikTok video from March, the star, whose real name is Aimée Anne Duffy, sang along to her famous lyrics: "You got me begging you for mercy, why won't you release me." She was sporting her infamous baby blonde hair in the clip posted on Emotion HQ's TikTok account, which teased that a garage remix of her classic track will be released soon. The caption read: "Some of you asked if Duffy was really doing a UK Garage remix with us… #duffy #newmusic #ElectronicMusic #ukgarage #dancemusic #remix." Taking to the comments, excited to hear of the star's return, one of Duffy's fans replied: "'Duffy! Where have you been?! We missed you" while another exclaimed: "OMG it's so good that she's back." Duffy has been silent on social media for more than a year after she returned to share a positive post with fans in March 2024 for the first time since 2020. Giving her take on the 'secret to happiness', her quote read: "You're going to realise it one day - that happiness was never about your job or your degree or being in a relationship. "Happiness was never about following in the footsteps of all of those who came before you; it was never about being like the others. One day, you're going to see it - that happiness was always about the discovery, the hope, the listening to your heart and following it wherever it chose to go." The Mirror has contacted Duffy's reps for comment on this story.
CairoScene
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Tales & Ahlam Drops Eclectic Dance Remix EP for ‘Boussa'
The album features remixes by global and regional producers including Moving Still, Dimitri from Paris, Sara Dziri and more. Mar 18, 2025 Tales & Ahlam, a collaborative musical project between French DJ/producer Bab and Lebanese singer Celinatique, has released a remixed version of their debut EP, 'Boussa', a patchwork swinging between 90s house, EBM, and UK Garage. The album features remixes by global and regional producers, including Dimitri from Paris, Moving Still, Sara Dziri, Hayk Karoyi, and Tales & Ahlam's Bab. French record producer and DJ Dimitri from Paris kicks off the album with a remix of 'Dakhilo', updating the 90s house sound reminiscent of his early career. The track is featured on Musique de Fête Vol. 4, a compilation curated by KasbaH on Nowadays Records, exploring the intersection of traditional Maghreb and Middle Eastern sounds with electronic dance music. Saudi-born maestro Moving Still delivers a Hi-NRG edit of 'Tabiaa', infusing the track's original instrumentation with his signature grumbling Italo-esque basslines and groovy house beats. Belgian-Tunisian producer and composer Sara Dziri transforms 'Love You' from a classic 90s synth-pop track into a club-ready cut imbued with ambient textures, effortlessly transitioning between introspective stillness and floor-shaking moments. Bab, meanwhile, chops up the vocals on 'Saabe', turning the track into a blend of skewed house and UK Garage, driven by solid shuffled drum patterns.
