Fronted up by Bristol-based producer and DJ Shosh, 24hr Garage Girls is an ever-growing collective of female garage DJs and devotees, consistently delivering high energy sets throughout the UK.
Set to play the famous Eastern Electrics Festival this August, we caught up with head honey Shosh and spoke about the collective’s influences, the slow but steady shift in the gender divide within electronic music & what we can expect from them in the future…
Describe the collective – who are you, where are you from? how did you meet?
So I would call the 24hr Garage Girls a ‘concept group’, in the sense that we host parties, events and live shows as Garage Girl personalities on stage. Our role is to bring that UK Garage vibe to everything we do; glamour, style and pure lovin’ vibes! I created the brand back in Brighton, with some of the original members, but since moving to Bristol I’ve also become the main DJ/Producer and Manager for the team. I’ve been recruiting new crew from here ever since!
Who are your influences? How do you draw inspiration for your sets?
We have so many influences….UKG has such a rich history from the cheese to downright dirty! As a female producer/DJ myself I would have to tag Flava D as a modern influence. She holds herself well in a very male-dominated scene and has a lot of integrity as a UK Garage producer. Thinking about the Garage Girls brand though, I would say a major influence for our style is the Kurupt fm gang…. We seez ya Grindah!
You’re an all-female collective in a predominantly male industry, how important is it to get women involved and represented behind the decks?
It’s very important… and it’s happening now! We’re seeing more emerging talent on the decks than ever before and Garage Girls is a great platform to showcase this. We’ve brought artists such as A-Bee, Tino, Coxon and Chef-Bozwan to the decks at UK festivals this year, and we look forward to seeing more women step up to the stage in future!
You’re based in Bristol, a city known for its love of bass music – what locals should we be keeping an eye on why? Any particular pioneers/killers in the scene you’d like to mention?
OK, so Cellardore is an excellent UK Garage/Bass producer I work with regularly. He’s been involved in multiple New Garage projects as well as 24hr Garage Girls and I highly rate his musical ear… he does all my mastering so..! My Nu Leng and Bushbaby are also based in Bristol….I feel very lucky to be a part of whats happening here.
There are certain genres that stand the test of time and Garage seems to be one of them, why do you think this is?
This is such a popular question at the moment and I think we all know the answer! UK Garage has great energy… it’s sexy and fun and has so much attitude. My generation grew up to the sing-along classics, but now we have this amazing blend of old-skool meets modern production, richer bass sounds and dance structures that work in the clubs.
So you’re playing at Eastern Electrics festival in August, what can we expect from you ladies on the night?
Well, unfortunately, it’s only me playing… But don’t worry I’ll still bring the Garage Girl vibes to Eastern Electrics! I love variety, so you can expect a bit of old-school, some bassline, bass house and cheesy 90’s remix anthems… all in the mix & blend <3
Do you have any ‘must play’ tunes that you rinse out religiously? What’s your favourite garage/bassline track at the moment/ of all time?
Hmmm! Well I’m a fairly new producer and totally in love with Ableton, so I will always play fresh tracks I’m feeling good about;Rinse & Repeat and Light it Up are 2 recent releases I drop every weekend. I will always drop a cheesy Foor anthem or Mikey B banger too 🙂 I couldn’t possibly chose a favourite track of all time! (sorry!)
Finally, what’s in the pipeline for 2018? Can we expect any more releases?
Yes, I’m currently working on a 4-track solo EP, which I’m hoping to release at the end of summer. Also, a UK tour for me and the Garage Girls is in the works… we’ll be announcing full dates just before our VIP Boat Party at Outlook Festival 2018!
