Future Garage Guide: 5 Characteristics of Future Garage Music

Future garage is a style of electronic dance music that derives from 2-step and UK garage. It stands out from other forms of electronica thanks to its jittery rhythms and sparse, syncopated beats reminiscent of dub and dubstep.

Future garage is typically performed at tempos ranging from 130 to 140 beats per minute (BPM). This is generally faster than the average tempos in ambient, downtempo, dub techno, hip-hop, Chicago house, and deep house. Future garage’s tempos are generally slower than those found in hardcore and drum and bass. The genre’s tempos are closest to those found in trance, grime, dubstep, post-dubstep, and Detroit techno.

Future garage was developed in the 2010s as an offshoot of the established UK garage and 2-step electronic music genres. Future garage musicians also adopted the syncopated beats of dubstep music while omitting the signature wobble synth basslines that define that genre.

The musician Whistla is frequently credited with coining the term "future garage." He applied the descriptor to producers like Burial, FaltyDL, and Joy Orbison, who stood apart from mainstream UK garage acts by making stripped-down, minimalistic tracks suited for both home listening and nightclubs. The British labels Hyperdub and L2S Recordings are home to numerous future garage acts.

Future garage stands out from other electronic music styles thanks to a few core characteristics.

1. 1. Jittery rhythms: The "future" sound in future garage comes from jittery rhythms and atmospheric sounds layered atop the core beat.
2. 2. No wobble: While future garage takes many cues from dubstep, it stays away from the heavy wobble basslines of that genre.
3. 3. Syncopation: Like many forms of electronica, future garage is propelled by a steady four-on-the-floor, quarter-note pulse, but on top of this pulse is a constant syncopation that often comes from hi-hats.
4. 4. Catchy, simple melodies: Future garage tends to feature clean, simple melodies from a lead instrument, wordless vocals, or a soft lead synth.
5. 5. Minimalism: In the style of intelligent dance music (IDM), future garage uses simple arrangements heavy on synth pads, re-pitched vocals, and square wave bass. It does not overload all sonic frequencies, which makes it a good genre for home listening as well as dancing.

In its short existence, future garage has produced many notable artists.

1. 1. Jamie xx: Famed for being a member of the xx and remixing Gil Scott-Heron songs, Jamie xx has made headway as a solo artist thanks to tracks like "Sleep Sound" and "Girl."
2. 2. Burial: To many, Burial's 2007 album Untrue is considered the first true future garage record. Burial uses elements of UK garage, jungle, and hardcore in his future garage creations.
3. 3. Sepalcure: This duo from Brooklyn, New York, is known for their fusion of 2-step, Detroit techno, and house music.
4. 4. SBTRKT: SBTRKT is a London producer who frequently peppers his electronic music with live instruments and the vocals of his collaborator, the singer-songwriter Sampha.
5. 5. Volor Flex: A notable non-English future garage artist, Volor Flex hails from Russia and records for the Romanian label Dark Clover Records.
6. 6. James Blake: Although not principally known as a future garage artist, James Blake works in a broad array of electronic music genres. Blake's pioneering of post-dubstep music overlaps with the rise of the future garage genre.

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