This week’s FACT mix comes from Mella Dee,  one half of Mista Men and a UK garage and bassline house disciple making some of the best dance music around.

When it comes to UK dance music, there’s a distinct lineage – or, you know, continuum – which Mella Dee is clearly committed to. Speaking to FACT about garage last year, he explained that “for sure it define[s] our sound, it’s kind of on purpose. I really felt like keeping a distant from the whole ‘future garage’ thing with our sound, just wanted to make it have that rudeness. There’s been a lot of garage or garage-influenced stuff that doesn’t work for me lately, too many dull pads and chords.”

Mella’s also incredibly influenced by Sheffield’s bassline house sound, and has collaborated with Checan in the past as South Yorks Slugs (released on Unknown to the Unknown). His ‘Ctrl’ 12”, meanwhile, released last year on Coyote, looked to 8-bar grime for inspiration. You should get the picture by now, it’s rough and raw without ever losing touch with what makes dance music work (as Mella also explained to FACT last year, “it’s designed for people to dance to … if we cant achieve that then its not really dance music at all for me”), and it’s very UK. Pile in below.

Tracklist:
1. Pedestrian & Jasperdrum – Kalakuta
2. Palace – Astral
3. Steve Huerta – Adrift
4. Funk Butcher – Blue Drop
5. Squarehead – Curve Appeal
6. Lakosa & Rick Grant – Core
7. RS4 – All Around
8. Tony Lionni – Take Me With You Ft Rachel Fraser (Copyright Remix)
9. Trikk – Prime Time
10. Anaxander – My Aniseed Lollipop
11. Catz Eat Dogz – Where House
12. Mella Dee – Cut Em Off
13. Mella Dee – Things Don’t Change (James Welsh Remix)
14. Citizen – Situation (LDN Warehouse Dub)
15. Kry Wolf – Nightmode (Pedestrian Remix)
16. Mak & Pasteman – Brown Bread
17. Mella Dee – Feel It Out
18. Mella Dee – Vibealite