DJ Narrows – Burning Up / Saved Soul

In a response to 'DJ Lioness' on DJ Narrows' twitter/X post (06/09/21 @ 20:21) DJ Narrows replied '... Well. I did press my persy dubplate on there. Saved Soul(GetMashUp) never released b4...'

The remastered versions sound fantastic especially on Burning Up. Nice to have this in my collection again.

As someone who doesn't really know garage well at all, I found "Saved Soul" by chance, in a mixed bundle of records found on eBay. When I was going through them I stuck this on - and I was blown away. Even with my limited understanding I could tell this had to be something of a classic.

It starts out quite housey - but with a weird synth layer floating in the background that hints something darker is coming. But when it drops, that bass is something else - the 4/4 kick is quite light, giving that almighty growling bassline plenty of space. And thenthe minor-key housey riff that s it just sets it off perfectly.

Sometimes a tune is so good it can make you reconsider a whole style you had previously thought wasn't for you - and that was my experience with "Saved Soul". (Although I've still not heard anything that tops it yet!)

This one has just got a repress / remaster with a Get Mash Up Remix on it as well

https://djnarrows.bandcamp.com/album/saved-soul-lp-20th-anniversary-limited-edition

A UKG one that survived the grime/dubstep apocalypse...Very influential in grime & bassline.

There are several versions of this release, all with the same cat number. I have owned 3 different ones. 1st one I bought was from Juno, probably a few months after it came out. It was a very quiet press, particularly on Saved soul, missing a lot of the 'oomph' & drive of the ones I got hold of later. I bought 2 second-hand copies years later, which were much better quality, louder & with much more dynamic. On one press Saved soul was on the logo side of the record, whereas the other press the tunes were the other way round. Maybe this was a fault at the plant & wasn't infact 2 different press runs, but the grooves looked slightly different as well which led me to believe they were different runs. Think there are white labels of this as well, as I seeing Slimzee hand a copy to Geeneus on a PAYG Dvd FROM sidewinder.. Either way, it is a monster of a track. hearing this for the first time on an EZ TAPE FROM SIDEWINDER IN SUMMER '01, & I couldn't believe what I was hearing.. One minute get get down was being played, the next this tune came in like nothing I have ever heard before.. Or since.. Would love to know what kind of stuff Narrows is making these days, hoping he is still producing coz he only seemed to be around for a lil while leaving a trail of killer releases in his path of destruction