Got Garage? GrooveTop Is Taking Over Another Waterhole For A UK Garage-Themed Affair

Any UKG fans out there? (Credit: All images courtesy of GrooveTop)

Do you really like UK garage? Is it is it wicked? If you’re lovin’ it after all these years since its emergence in the ’90s, then you might wanna sit up. Pop-up party promoters, GrooveTop, are kicking the choppy, syncopated rhythms of garage into high gear, thwacking ravers in the face with a slap of nostalgia. Get bumpy with old-school UKG anthems from the likes of Artful Dodger and MJ Cole, or stay on-trend with fresher bangers plucked from the genre’s revival in recent years. Either way, it’s a sound you’ll adore. Gun fingers at the ready.

GrooveTop is an event concept that throws pop-up parties at F&B establishments

GrooveTop has a cheeky habit of bouncing around between venues, much like a scene treasure you gotta keep hunting. For this debut edition of GrooveTop Garage on 22 April, the roaming event series heads to not-so-average hip-zakaya, Neon Pigeon. Selected as your soundtrackers of the evening are A/K/A Sounds, the bass-inclined honcho of ATTAGIRL!; and the inimitable Joshua P, a veteran tastemaker who’s been shaping vibes for the likes of Mandala Club and A Phat Cat Collective. Aside from garage, this DJ duo will be spinning UK funky, bass music and hip-hop, genres linked to the UKG phenomenon.

GrooveTop Garage isn’t the first time these promoters have zeroed in on a specific sound. Past GrooveTop events have included All Things Afro that rinsed the speakers with genres like Afrobeat and Amapiano. Funk, disco, r&b and house have also had their time in the spotlight in GrooveTop’s nomadic affairs that’ve popped up in venues like Raw Kitchen, Barbary Coast, Moonstone and Catfish. It’s even showcased a rotational ensemble of local selectors spanning the likes of Candice B, Aurora, Ya5th and KFC; and regional contenders like Cristal No.5, Roshan, Daffabedamned and Maggie Tra.

“At the heart of GrooveTop's ethos is the desire to create a sense of community, centred around our shared love for music,” shares Sophie Wee, who runs GrooveTop together with Amanda Scully. “We collaborate with our favourite bars and restaurants in Singapore to throw parties that celebrate funky and soulful sounds in a friendly and intimate setting; where the focus is the dance floor – but you can still connect with friends and make new ones.”

“Our music philosophy is: as long as it’s funky and got soul, we want to play it.” And judging from the shifting tides of the scene, the soul of UK garage is ‘bound 4 da reload’.

GrooveTop Garage, 22 April 2023, 8pm-late, Neon Pigeon, 36 Carpenter Street, Singapore 059915. Get your tickets here, and follow GrooveTop for more information.