We literally live every day of our lives with the world in the palm of our hand. In this hyper-globalised and hyper-connected society we’re living in, we have access to every kind of culture at any moment. It’s only up to us to make the effort to get out of our bubbles and start exploring. Easy to say, but in a historical period where recommendation algorithms are predominant, the risk is that we don’t realize that we are, at all times and no matter what, confined within our own comfort zone, basking in the false impression that we “know it all.” The music world is no stranger to these dynamics. While it’s possible to discover thousands of new artists every year, one only has to pay a little attention to see how, despite these fancy numbers, we’re just running in circles instead of embracing new directions. This is precisely why curators are an essential part of our system. Above all, those who go beyond simply selecting tracks in a playlist and are committed to ventures that shine a spotlight on the rich context and culture around the music itself.
‘Steppers Globe’ is the exact kind of project that fits this narrative. In our It’s Time To Get Familiar With The NUKG Movement article back in 2021, Zefer (co-founder of Steppers Club), already told us that “it’s crazy how far [the UKG scene] seems to have gone. It seems it’s becoming increasingly worldwide which is amazing to see.” This January, he and the whole Steppers Club team decided to double down on this claim, launching one of my favorite initiatives to date. Titled ‘Steppers Globe’, the feature comprises a series of four EPs coming out across the four weeks of the month, each of which are collaborative releases with overseas Garage imprints. The labels involved are Krunk Kulture (India), SPRAYBOX (Japan), Fantastic Voyage (USA) and Bubble UKG (Australia).
Each EP consists of two producers from Steppers’ roster collaborating with two producers from the guest label’s roster. “We are doing this to continue our community building ethos on a larger scale than before, giving a platform to artists that are making UK Garage overseas,” states Zefer. “Whilst the genre has made an amazing resurgence in the UK over the past couple of years, culminating in a recent number #1 on the national Single Chart from Interplanetary Criminal and Eliza Rose, artists that are making it abroad have not had the same opportunities as UK-based producers and we want to change this.”
In a recent interview on UKF he added “In the UK, if you end up making good music and getting it in the right hands you will sure enough at some point get noticed. If you’re from overseas where the genre isn’t popular and it isn’t particularly known yet, you could be making insane music, but if there aren’t any promoters putting on events, you’re not gonna get gigs. If there aren’t any labels that are pushing the music you’re not going to get anywhere with that. So we’ve basically felt that we have a responsibility as we’ve been lucky enough to build our own platform over the last couple of years to share the advantages of that.”
Steppers Club x Bubble UKG
Steppers Globe kicked off the past Friday with the first chapter of the series, which sees Stepper Club going back2back with down under label Bubble UKG. The imprint, established in 2020, was founded by Tuff Trax and Coldpast, two Australian Garage producers who are not new to the scene. In the past years, Bubble has built an international reputation for offering a distinctive nod to the original old-school Garage sound. They’ve also been very active on the local scene, pushing the sound in the Melbourne events space with a residency at underground club Section 8. The tracklist of the EP includes, on Bubble’s side, label head Tuff Trax and IsGwan, one of the rising names in the Aussie underground scene. Representing Steppers, we find a very familiar name, Gemi. The UK producer, a FUXWITHIT favorite, and Truff Trax delivered a classic UKG treat, titled ‘Ego’ that delight our ears with its hard-hitting groove and syncopated vocal chops and chords. IsGwan went solo instead, bringing to the table a more spartan cut, that it’s all about the bassline. ‘Cool Down’ is a ruthless stomper that hammers the speakers with a lethal wobbling bass for five minutes straight. A true rave tool.
Steppers Club x Fantastic Voyage
For the second chapter of their tour around the world, the Steppers Club’s team touch down in L.A. to join forces with Fantastic Voyage. Founded by Justin Jay, Fantastic Voyage is not an exclusive Garage label, but since it’s foundation four years ago, it has made a significant and deep connection with the genre. The two Fantastic Voyage’s champions, selected to represent US Garage, are Danny Goliger, a key artist in the label’s roster, and Edward White, a rampant new name in the scene. Following Steppers Globe‘s rules, each one has collaborated with a UK counterpart, respectively Minista and Yemi. The first entry, titled ‘Cause It’s You,’ is a sensual, funky, four-to-the-floor piece. It’s definitely slower and more house-oriented than the stereotypical Garage tune, but this doesn’t affect the track’s potential on the dancefloor. ‘Arrival’, the second feature on this EP, was a total surprise. Its Bicep-esque intro really totally floored me, as well as pretty much every other stylistic choice Yemi and Edward White made. They taught me another phenomenal lesson about the creative possibilities with the UKG sound, and what can be achieved through the art of sampling. Apparently, it wasn’t just me who was caught off guard by ‘Arrival’. Zefer himself declared that “the track actually came out a bit different than what we [Steppers Club] were expecting“.
Steppers Club x SPRAYBOX
This week, Steppers Globe‘s journey continues eastwards. The designated stop this time is Tokyo, home of SPRAYBOX. Although Japanese UKG made a cameo in the last Focus Five, with this EP we get to delve deeper into this scene thanks to the guidance of local talents. SPRAYBOX is in fact a label created and run by Tokyo-based producers Genick, Jacotanu, Nizikawa, and Oblongar. Although launched just over a year ago, the label already has a strong and characterized identity, which does not shy away from very personal stylistic choices. The pairs chosen to celebrate this British-Japanese axis are Jack Junior with Oblonger and Sam Deeley with That Fancy I (new UKG alias of Japanese bass producer Tom-I). The result of the first match-up is ‘Here I Am’. This melodic club cut, which heavily flirts with lofi house, features Jack Junior’s signature 4/4 style, tied in with the darker bass-heavy elements typical of Oblonger’s productions. This fusion turns out extremely effective, as it keeps your feet moving, setting at the same time a soothing atmosphere. The ‘b-side’ of the EP, titled ‘Popping,’ represents instead the least successful experiment so far. Instead of elevating each other, the styles of the two producers have found a common ground that does not allow either of them to shine, as they usually do in their respective solo releases.
Steppers Club x Kruk Kulture
It’s time to dive into the latest chapter of Steppers Globe! The last stop of this world tour takes place in India, where Stepper Club meets the Mumbai-based label Krunk Kulture. Founded in 2020 by the team behind Krunk, one of India’s top live and electronic music agencies, Krunk Kulture is currently making waves in the international UKG scene. Among its major achievements, the label can already count appearances in major media outlets such as Mixmag Asia and Rolling Stone and high-profile releases such as the Flavours of the East album, which featured over 20 unique artists from the region. This latest EP kicks off with Stepper Club co-founder Zefer joining Moebius for ‘Once In A Lifetime’. Trust me when I say the vibe is immaculate. Zefer’s golden touch for the melodies and bass lines fits perfectly with Moebius’ lo-fi and jazz heritage. The EP’s second track is the result of the joint efforts of Kaisui (a prominent name from Steppers Club) and YZYN P of Krunk Kulture. ‘Crux’ is a neck-busting 2-step track, ready to do damage in a club setup. Its off-beat snares and equally skippy stab chops pay direct homage to the late 90s Garage sound.
