UK garage has always had two sides: glitz and grime. The current revival spearheaded by Conducta's Kiwi Records emphasizes its sugar-coated aspects, but some other producers look to dark garage for inspiration. They're the saggy joints to Kiwi's brandy and cokes, the tracksuits to their Moschinos.
Among this cast of producers is the Ukrainian artist DiSKOP. His 12-inches for Whiteloops, a sub-label of Kiev's Mulen Records, have sneaked their way into the bags of DJs as removed from this scene as Eris Drew or Ciel, thanks to their knack for giving old sounds—breaks, or in this case, garage—a modern polish. Hefty basslines are his stock-in-trade. The one on "Crasher," the A-side from his debut for Blackloops (also a Mulen Records sub-label) is particularly gooey. Coupled with time-stretched vocals and wailing sirens, it conjures an OG sense of inner-city dread. "Jumbled"'s bassline is more nervous, repeatedly changing its pattern over jittery stabs and stepping drums. This is what a modern take on the darker side of garage sounds like.