Tuff Jam was a U.K. Garage duo formed of Matt “Jam” Lamont and Karl “Tuff Enuff” Brown. They were instrumental in the formation of U.K. Garage from its older American cousin, making the sound harder and bassier.
The U.S. Garage House was always 4 to the floor, and they keep with that tradition. However, the drums are more rhythmic, with the trademark skipping hi-hats, and syncopated snares.
The low end weight is perhaps what is truly distinctive about the U.K. iteration of Garage music, with a range of heavy basslines ranging from simple subs to warping rollers!
The original “Catch The Feeling” is a much more House orientated affair, with a focus on the vocals. It’s still Garage, but not nearly to the same extent as the Tuff Jam dub mix.
That version uses the vocal hook but not much of the other vocals. The bassline is solid as a rock, with a wonderful organ-y sample delivering a good deal of the catchy melody. It’s a great example of 4×4 U.K. Garage.
The track was released in a 4 track E.P. on Catch records in 1997.
Banger!