Biography
Based in London, the House & Garage Orchestra reimagined early-2000s U.K. garage classics through fully organic renditions delivered by a complete live ensemble that included brass and strings. The project originated in 2015 as the vision of production duo A.I. (Audio Intuition), formed by DJs Shy Cookie (Alex Mercier) and Ormshi (Ishmael Hamilton). Mercier had helped shape the UKG sound back in the day through his collaborations with DJ Luck & MC Neat, yet he stepped away from production in 2004 after feeling insufficiently credited and instead opened a studio. Drawn to live performance, he began exploring the possibility of rendering garage material with a full band. Joining forces with Ormshi—an old acquaintance and promoter who had lately turned to production—Mercier assembled skilled session musicians to establish the House & Garage Orchestra. The group first appeared on Rinse FM in 2016 and launched touring soon after. Their concerts drew strong audiences, quickly leading to bookings at events, festivals, clubs, and parties. The live format added fresh depth to familiar dance tracks while highlighting UKG’s connections to R&B, soul, and jazz. Although the ensemble composed and performed original material, audiences were especially drawn to their versions of UKG classics, which always featured the original vocalists, among them MC Neat (“A Little Bit of Luck”), Sweet Female Attitude (“Flowers”), and Camden Cox (MJ Cole’s “Sincere”). Following a sold-out U.K. tour of major venues and theaters in 2018, they issued their debut album, Garage Classics, toward the close of the year.