Tuff Jam

In 1997, Karl "Tuff Enuff" Brown and Matt "Jam" Lamont rose to prominence among Britain's most talked-about producers by championing speed-garage, a style rooted in classic garage yet heavily shaped by ragga influences drawn from jungle and drum'n'bass. The pair first crossed paths in 1996 while both were spinning garage sets at spots such as the Arches, after which they shifted into production work at the Catch Productions studio, handling remixes for Rosie Gaines, En Vogue, Brand New Heavies, TJR, and Kim English. At clubs, Gaines' "Closer than Close" and TJR's "Just Gets Better" began circulating alongside other speed-garage staples like Double 99's "RIP Groove" as well as U.S. remix efforts from Armand Van Helden and Todd Edwards. The Tuff Jam outfit issued its debut collection, Underground Frequencies, Vol. 1, toward the end of 1997. A follow-up volume appeared in 1998.