MDC.299 Customs

London’s Customs duo are connoisseurs of finely crafted garage music, two life long devotees to the sound’s deeply swung rhythms and unifying dancefloor vibrations.

Finessing their take on all things garage (not garage) through their regular spots on Kiosk Radio and at London's Giant Steps, the guys join us with a swinging smorgasbord of 90s and early 00s records from the UK, dabbling in top notch garage and some of the sounds that anticipated broken beat and early grime productions.

@customs_ldn

Q. What inspiration did you draw upon when combining for this mix, and what kind of setting might you imagine it being enjoyed in the most?

Guy:

Firstly, thank you Myles so much for sharing this mix. Longtime fans of MDC! Both of us answered “driving” as the best setting, which is funny since neither of us drives. So maybe “riding” rather than driving. Lots of thoughts percolated for me on night drives to inner city Manchester a few months back. Definitely inspired by the All Bad Boy & All Good Girl archive work of Death Is Not The End, resurfacing the sound of Moss Side blues parties like Soul Control. Reading Ed Gillett’s new-ish book Party Lines also gave a push further into alternate UK dance histories, specifically Black club scenes and music that ‘swings’.

Tom:

I’ve been bingeing on a bunch of old club recordings from the ‘speed garage’ era lately - sets from places like Club Koo and The Colosseum - and I think some of the energy from that early blend of UK and US sounds has definitely bubbled over into this mix.

Q. With the mix showcasing your shared appreciation for deep garage music and its many adjacent styles and offshoots, could you give us a brief insight into your journeys with the sound, and what years, artists or labels have you found to be responsible for the most timeless cuts in your record bags?

Guy:

It was a nocturnal radio sound for me as a young teenager I guess, largely mysterious, coming largely from London when I was growing up in the north west. But the sampling of R&B vocals from stuff I knew made it immediately accessible. In more recent years, digging in London, I’ve tended to get most excited by either one-off/ white label riddles that are sometimes garage-not-garage, and also alias stuff from bigger name producers across bigger labels in the genre - G-Spot Records, Nice ‘N’ Ripe, Unda-Vybe etc.

Tom:

I actually started out as a bedroom garage DJ, so it’s a bit of a full-circle moment for me. I had a mate at school who wanted to be an MC, and on Saturdays we used to hit up Music & Video Exchange to pick up whatever white labels we could find before heading back to his flat in Ladbroke Grove to practice a set that nobody would ever hear. Shout out to Nick The Greek, wherever you are! Twenty-something years later, I’m still finding exciting stuff from the same producers we loved back then - guys like Jeremy Sylvester and Mike Millrain who have these unfathomably deep back-catalogues.

Q. Are there any songs in the mix that are especially close to your hearts, and what is it about these tracks that resonate with you so much?

Guy:

I’d call out 2. Artist Formerly Known as PP - When I’m Down, from 1998. Bit of a private press oddity from a producer who’s prolific but mysterious (the PP = ‘Persian Prince’). It’s a kind of rolling, morphing megamix type cut that samples Brandy - Best Friend but also features raw toasting style MC bits the likes of which you hear from the live party recordings in All Bad Boy & All Good Girl. The other is Colour 3 - La Femme, a beautiful, melodic white label that’s been so versatile for me since I picked it up from Crazy Beat in Upminster. Has worked a treat on sound systems like Giant Steps and after parties alike.

Tom:

The penultimate track, Drivers Anthem, is a special one for me. Super deep and melodic production, but with that trademark UK bump on the bottom end.