Hot Picks: Need 2 Know Shares 10 Essential House And UK Garage Records
A decade after first appearing on Rinse FM with a collection of unreleased tracks, Need 2 Know has finally made his official debut. The elusive producer has launched his self-titled label with ‘So Bad’, a five-track EP rooted in British club culture, drawing together swinging garage rhythms, emotive house melodies and the kind of records that sound just as good at an afterparty as they do in a packed club.
Released on 30th October, the EP moves between different moods without losing its distinctive character. ‘So Bad’ opens with dusty percussion, warm pads and a longing vocal, while ‘Here 2 Stay’ brings a more direct, jacking house energy. Elsewhere, ‘You And Me’ leans into euphoric piano house, ‘Give It Up’ explores deeper, more introspective territory, and ‘Sometimes’ closes with chopped vocals and comforting chords.
The project itself has an equally unconventional backstory. Selected from a collection of 10-inch dubplates during a sunny afternoon in Barcelona, the five tracks introduce a producer who has spent years experimenting with synthesisers, collecting records and developing a sound that owes as much to classic UK garage as it does to underground house.
For his Hot Picks, Need 2 Know shares ten records that have been occupying his attention, including some longstanding favourites, formative garage discoveries and a couple of his own productions. From Kyle Hall and Altered Natives to Joy Orbison, Sticky and a much-loved Âme remix, the selection offers a revealing look at the records behind his approach to making and playing music.
Kyle Hall – Velvet Haze
“I spent 10 years buying, selling and noodling around with synths, making sounds, and when Kyle does it, it oozes style and class! New Kyle, insta cop. I asked him for a YouTube link for you guys; he sent back a 30-second clip. Go buy it.”
Need 2 Know – Bodied (Altered Natives Remix)
“Altered Natives, the legend behind the Semina UK track ‘Rass Out’, did a remix of my track ‘Bodied’. I’ve been cataloguing tracks, fell back in love with this and put it up on YouTube. Signature Altered Natives drums. Banger. Maybe we’ll put it out.”
Taz & Giovanni – Welcome To Dub
“Taz and Giovanni’s ‘Journey To Dub’ on Tsuba. This is my favourite dance track of all time. I think there are only 400 copies, from memory. If someone’s stupid enough to sell you a copy, buy it. There’s a Patrice Scott mix on the flip that draws things out a bit. That first melody. Nuff said.”
Osunlade – Envision (Âme Remix)
“This is proper tech house for me. I want to play it whenever I get the chance. I’m an after-hours DJ. If I’m playing someone else’s tracks, they need to hook me, and this is literally perfect: nine minutes. That bassline, that vocal.”
Need 2 Know – Here 2 Stay
“I’ve included this because, if you knew, you wouldn’t expect me to release or even make it. It takes me back to the summers I spent in Ibiza when I was young, straight-up jacking house. I’ll probably never make anything like it again, as it’s so upfront. I’d made ‘So Bad’ and ‘Give It Up’ on the two previous days, and I just wanted to get some energy out.”
Joy Orbison – Tentative Bidding Demo
“I missed this track when it was released, but it was my favourite dub of his when he first came about on the scene. Fantastic.”
Brandy & Monica – The Boy Is Mine (Architechs Remix, Side B)
“Pretty much my all-time favourite garage track. I think you can hear this influence a lot in my productions. If I ever pull something like this off, I’ll die happy. There’s a Timmy Magic Garage Nation tape that I think was my introduction to garage when I was 11 or 12.”
The Reelists – Freak Mode (DND Remix)
“Another garage girly vocal one. Pure class. Influences me after all these years. Sometimes it feels like the drums are playing in reverse. Never played this and people haven’t wanted to dance.”
Daniele Papini – Church Of Nonsense
“A track that never drops. In my circle, this is legendary. I really think if you can play this at the right time with the right tracks, it’s up there with some of the greatest tracks in house and techno.”
Sticky – Triplets 2
“Influenced me more than I can put into words. I was into garage from my preteens. This is my favourite of the period that started moving into square basses and grime territory. A reason I started sending the likes of Slimzee my tracks.”
Need 2 Know’s selections reveal a producer whose musical tastes have been shaped by years of digging, experimenting and spending time immersed in underground club culture. There is a clear affection for the swing and vocal character of classic UK garage, alongside an appreciation for the more unconventional corners of house and techno.
His choices also offer an insight into the production details that matter to him, from Kyle Hall’s synthesisers and Altered Natives’ drums to the arrangements of records that hold a dancefloor without relying on an obvious drop. Those influences sit naturally alongside the emotive melodies, chopped vocals and playful rhythms of his debut EP.
With ‘So Bad’, Need 2 Know has finally given some of those ideas an official home, introducing a label and production project that draws on years of musical experience while leaving plenty of room for whatever comes next.
