Rare Garage from Danny J. Lewis & Plastik People

I’ve been borderline obsessive about Danny J Lewis since we did our trio of UK Garage issues. While combing through some obscurities and classics, I realized for the first time just how many amazing records he’d done. You start with “Spend The Night” from 1998 (Locked On) and wind up down a rabbit hole of different versions and remixes of Victor Simonelli’s “Do You Feel Me?” Lewis is still doing it: David Nicol of Closer To Truth counted releasing Danny’s 2016 Never Your Love EP as one of the highlights of his A&R career and a “massive honor.” People who know their shit know this shit.

Plastik People has done a tremendous job reissuing some rare UKG classics in the last few years; the tracks on Totally Dubs (which sounds more like Valley Girl slang to me) continue this with records that, I’m told, were secret weapons scarcely obtainable by any means. “Feel The Rhythm” is the lead track, the heavy ravey bassline manages to add spice rather than imprison this silky smooth record back in the day from whence it came. “Come On” has to be heard on a big soundsystem to be appreciated: the clipped vocal samples and chords and bass hits are almost scientifically calibrated to make dancefloors bounce. “Music” feels the most “contemporary,” in that you could have heard this for the first time today and could believe it had been made yesterday. So much in Danny J Lewis’ catalog that still needs to be heard and this is a great leap into it.

Danny J Lewis: Totally Dubs (Plastik People Collections Vol 9)
A1. Danny J Lewis: “Feel The Rhythm”
A2. Danny J Lewis: “Come On”
B1. Danny J Lewis: “Music”

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