Dancin', yeah, real hardcore: The Public Demand Poll

i know so few of these. going with heart-heart-ache

just wanna let u know

So many of these are amazing!

And quite easy to find due to Public Demand's obsessive self-promotion. Check the following comps:

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Underground-Garage-2/release/250822

http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Artful-Dodger-Presents-Re-Rewind-Back-By-Public-Demand/release/917704

I will do a more in-depth overview soon.

I think my top choices here are:

Some-Thing-Else? - Peace, Love & Happiness (New Horizons Remix)
Lenny Fontana - Spirit of the Sun (Steve Gurley Remixes)
Artful Dodger Presents Craig David - Rewind
Artful Dodger - Woman Trouble (Wideboys Pick A Pocket or Two Remix)
United Grooves Collective ft. Shelly - Glad You Came To Me (Remixes)
Nu-Design - Taking Over Me
Wideboys - Heartache
Sticky ft Ms Dynamite - Booo!
Artful Dodger - Ruffneck Sound (Basement Mix)

Well there was 1 thing I don't know about the 2 of us
Whatever 3 words I didn't say enough 4 both of us
But in the 5 years we had, it didn't seem so bad
Well in 6 days I'll mend my way, cos' girl you know you're my...

despite so many other great 12"s it's all about Steve Gurley!

I voted for United Grooves Collective ft. Shelly - "Glad You Came To Me" (Remixes) for the Gurley remix
over Lenny Fontana - "Spirit Of The Sun (Gurley remix)" and NCA feat Robbie Craig - "Lessons In Love (Gurley remix)" (both of which would probably be considered bigger classics).

best value 12" though is probably the 2003 reissue of "Spirit Of The Sun (Steve Gurley remix)" on Old Skool Classics vol 04 http://www.discogs.com/Anthoney--Lenny-Fontana-Old-Skool-Classics-Vol-4/release/198734 , which pairs it with the awesome/bonkers Anthoney - "In The House (New Horizons* remix)" (* not to be confused with their own "It's My House"). really curious about that Some-Thing-Else? remix now - New Horizons get points for oddness.

the poll reminded me of how much I love Nu-Design - "Taking Over Me", beautiful floaty soundsystem vibe from the era of "Neighbourhood".

as for Artful Dodger, by far my fave (and not on Public Demand) is "Something (Skippy [mix])".

"Glad U Came To Me" is one of those records that makes me happy just thinking about, knowing it's there. the vocal gives it a sort of Cocteau Twins gone 2-step feel (also reminds me a bit of Groove Chronicles). it's my fave Steve Gurley UKG moment - and with competition like "Spirit Of the Sun" that's saying something!

I don't know nearly enough of these, but assuming the Black Coffee release by All Saints is the one with those Wideboys remixes, I gotta go with that one. The cut up vocals on the Espresso Mix are amazing. Shivers every time.

..and it is always about Steve Gurley..

has he done anything recently? Out of all the old Garage people making funky now, I'd love to hear his take.

Yes the Gurley remix of "Glad You Came To Me" is gorgeous. Given the Wideboys remix is also one of their best tracks that's a pretty essential 12" (which I don't have of course).

I'm not aware of any Gurley-related funky.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

only five votes..? damn..

It strikes me as significant that interest in 2-step is so low (not just here - across the board really).

An equivalent jungle or grime poll would have attracted substantially more votes I reckon.

dearth of remaining 2-step fans left on ILM? newer/older (music) generation? I bet most ILMers would love the best of these if they heard em at a party!

I missed this poll or there would be a vote for "It Aint Enough" (my fucking JAM). I have so many of these on 12" that it is ridiculous. I'm gonna do a 2-step mix this weekend for a friend of mine's blog now that my turntable is fixed. Wasn't the Dubaholics rmx of Jaheim's "Just In Case" on PD?!?!

Sorry I missed this poll but:

Artful Dodger - "Ruffneck Sound (Basement Mix)"

is a knockout track!

Pipecock I'm glad you like "It Ain't Enough", that's a favourite of mine too (should have included it on myshortlist above).

The Jaheim remix may have been on PD, I had to edit out a lot of the later releases to fit into the 50 poll option limit.

"dearth of remaining 2-step fans left on ILM? newer/older (music) generation? I bet most ILMers would love the best of these if they heard em at a party!"

Yeah, but also I just think there's less of a culture of connoisseurship and retrospective canonisation around 2step, at this stage anyway.

An example of the distinction between jungle and garage is that, to my knowledge, there was never ever an unmixed compilation of garage tracks released on CD (feel free to let me know if I'm wrong about this, peoples).

Despite the deluge of garage comps generally, there was never the sense that these tracks should be preserved in their (unmixed) entirety for the sake of posterity... No equivalent of a Platinum Breakz or a Music Box or a Torque...

there was never ever an unmixed compilation of garage tracks released on CD

Which is a tragedy, really

It's remarkable, really.

But, I think, consistent with 2-step's M.O.

But for Riddim Box the same would be true for uk funky I think (and Riddim Box does such a shocking job at being a uk funky comp that it barely counts)? Probably true for bassline as well?

compare/contrast with dubstep obv.

There's something to be said for the idea that the likelihood of posterity preserving compilations is inversely proportionate to my sense of connection with the music in question... However much I would of course love for such comps to exist regardless.