Speed Garage Music: A Guide to Speed Garage

Speed garage is a subgenre of electronic dance music and house music known as UK garage scene. Speed garage is known for its sped-up tempos, rolling snares, and reverse-warped basslines. Speed garage takes four-on-the-floor rhythms and elements from other cultures, such as R&B.

UK garage, sometimes referred to as UKG, originated in the early to mid-1990s, with clear ties to garage house. Garage house has a soulful, R&B influence that was popular in the 1980s in the United States and took great inspiration from the 1970s disco-era. When garage house expanded to the UK, British musicians incorporated elements of jungle and dance-pop to create speed garage. The genre peaked in popularity in the mid-2000s, often being played alongside bassline, grime, and dubstep.

The United Kingdom passed the Entertainment Act in 1990, which made raves illegal and caused house music to increase in rotation at clubs. There is some debate over whether speed garage grew out of the underground raves or the club scene, but it would be another few years before the sound became mainstream.

• Beginnings: In 1993, DJs began using a device known as pitch control to play UKG at 120–130 beats per minute (BPM). These faster speeds also led to the alternative name “plus eight,” signifying the increased disc rotations.
• Pitching up: The DJ group Dreem Teem helped popularize speed garage, playing instrumental (or “dub”) versions at high speeds. These higher speeds increased the pitch of singers’ voices—often referred to as “chipmunk voice” after Alvin and the Chipmunks.
• Early speed garage: US producer and DJ Armand van Helden led the British music movement. Van Helden created one of the earliest examples of speed garage, remixing CJ Bolland’s “Sugar is Sweeter” in 1996. He also is often credited with breaking speed garage into the mainstream the following year with a garage remix of Sneaker Pimps’s “Spin Spin Sugar.”
• Sampling: US producer and DJ Todd Edwards used sampling technology to pick vocal phrases from house music, adding them to new or remixed tracks as percussive instrumentation. These samples could even replace traditional full verses and choruses.
• Popularity: Speed garage remained popular through the early 2000s, thanks to consistent airplay on pirate radio, with garage anthems like 187 Lockdown’s “Gunman” and Double 99’s “Ripgroove.” The genre declined in popularity in the mid-2000s, alongside the rise of grime, dubstep, and the UKG-influenced UK funky.

Recently, speed garage and other garage house genres have gained nostalgic attention as fans and DJs share “old skool” or “anthem” garage mixes.

Speed garage tracks have significant overlap with other house music genres, but there are a few characteristics that set this genre apart, including:

1. 1. Four-on-the-floor rhythms combined with breakbeats: This drum pattern was popularized with the rise of disco, with a uniform bass drum in 4–4 time. As disco died, the 1980s saw four-on-the-floor evolve into NY house, which paired gospel-inspired piano riffs and female vocals. The style of New York house informed UKG.
2. 2. Snares over the second and fourth kickdrums: Kick drums are a distinct type of bass drum and set a clear 4-4 tempo with a low sound. The snare brings the lighter beat over top of the second and fourth kickdrums, which emphasizes the sped-up mixes.
3. 3. Warped and heavy basslines: Speed garage is heavily influenced by basslines in reggae and jungle house, another subgenre of UKG.

Additional signatures of speed garage include sweeping bass, a breakdown, time-stretch vocals, and heavy use of jungle and dub sound effects.

In addition to many speech garage tracks from Todd Edwards and Armand van Helden that helped define the genre, many other artists have also contributed to speed garage:

1. 1. Armand van Helden: “Sugar is Sweeter” (1996), “Spin Spin Sugar” (1997)
2. 2. Todd Edwards: “Dancing for Heaven” (1999)
3. 3. 187 Lockdown: “Gunman” (1998), “Kung-Fu” (1998)
4. 4. Serious Danger: “Deeper” (1997), “God is a DJ” (1998)
5. 5. Reach & Spin: “Hype Funk” (1997)
6. 6. Double 99: “RipGroove” (1997)
7. 7. Industry Standard: “Vol. 1 (What You Want What You Need)” (1997)
8. 8. Somore: “I Refuse (What You Want)” (1996)
9. 9. The Fabulous Baker Boys: “Oh Boy” (1997)
10. 10. Scott Garcia: “A London Thing” (1997)
11. 11. Loop Da Loop: “A Something Goin’ On” (1997)
12. 12. Groove Armada: “Superstylin’”(2001)
13. 13. MJ Cole: “Sincere” (2000)
14. 14. Nu-Birth: “Anytime” (1997)

Become a better musician with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Armin van Buuren, St. Vincent, deadmau5, Usher, Timbaland, Sheila E., Tom Morello, and more.