As part of Dreem Team, Spoony helped to catapult garage into the wider public consciousness in the UK with their Sunday morning BBC Radio 1 show. Becoming somewhat of an ambassador for the genre over the years – and a long-running resident for Twice As Nice, the epicentre of the garage scene – he continues to fly its flag loud and proud.
With a live show in the works with his new act The Madrigals and mixes this year including a live set on Mistajam’s Radio 1 show, he’s as busy as ever – and perfectly positioned to launch our new feature where we take a look inside the boxes of DJs from the MN2S roster. We asked him for five of his biggest tracks of the moment, and here’s what he picked.
El B – With You Girl [Fraction House]
Former member of the acclaimed and legendary Groove Chronicles, El B shows here that he is more than capable of making bangers whilst on his own in the studio. By design, this sounds like an early Tuff Jam production. The bass line is distinctive but not overpowering, adding energy and never becoming tedious. The vocal hook is heavily reggae inspired. This track will be played for a very long time ‘cause it’s simply brilliant.
Richard Earnshaw – Inside And Out (Rob Hayes Sax Dub) [Duffnote]
If you love your UKG pre-2000, pre 2-step and groovy 4/4, then you’ll love this. There used to be a prolific label at the start of the scene called Nice ‘N’ Ripe – this would’ve sold thousands on that imprint. As the remix name suggests, there is a lot of sexy ‘sax’ on here. It’s a musical garage offering, a track that sits in that area between traditional house and UKG, the area that actually cause the birth of the scene. I’ve not heard the original but I can say that Rob Hayes has absolutely delivered here.
Olivia Louise and DJ Q – Physical [Q Recordings]
Huddersfield’s finest, DJ Q, lends his excellent production skills to this sultry 2-step vocal featuring Olivia Louise. Known more for his ‘bass’, Q shows here that he is a producer for many occasions and this has chords, strings and LOT of Olivia. And to great effect may I add. Looking forward to hearing more of her and DJ Q on this tip…..see what I did there? Haha…
The Madrigals – Higher [TBC]
[19 minutes in]
Any DJ/producer will find it hard to resist putting his own track in a current Top 5. OK, excuses out the way. I’ve team up with Leroy Williams (formerly of R ’n’ B production outfit The Ignorants) to form The Madrigals and this is our first offering. It has 4/4 drum pattern, snapping snares a musical bassline and an EXCELLENT keyboard riff (I can say that because Leroy was responsible for it). There is a lot of energy in ‘Higher’ as the vocal sample keeps reaching for new… heights. Look out for the second breakdown – and drop DJs, you won’t be disappointed.
Junior UK, Martin Carr & Sharky P – Be The Same (B1G PR0J3CT Dub Mix) [Southstar Records]
A track that just appeared out of no-where and has has a permanent place in my ‘box’. Featuring Martin Carr and Sharkey P on vocals, this is bumpy, roller. Words used to describe tracks that almost force you to dance… the beats are skippy, relentless and then halfway through, without warning, it gets dirty. But I love it. Vocal gets dropped and it’s then all about the baseline that is the backbone throughout. This is a big track. Something for the ‘heads’ and the ‘freshers’ alike.
Click here to enquire about DJ Spoony via the MN2S booking agency.