Origin & Denim – Tax Jackers EP

Bootlegs have become a somewhat tedious trend that the UK Bass scene has been at the mercy of this decade. That being said, there’s one more niche side of bootlegging that I really do enjoy when it’s done well. I know it as “reworks,” although people might call it different things. Within a UK Bass music setting, a rework is when a producer takes a track of a certain style or genre and reimagines it (usually without permission) in a new context as something completely different. You’d like an example? Well, the 4-track EP by Origin & Denim I’m reviewing today is the perfect one.

The first track of the project is a super charged bootleg/rework of Warriors by Alias. Origin & Denim have taken this absolutely classic Grime track and transformed it into a monster of a 160 track. With its great arrangement, thumping drums and bone crushing basslines, I can personally attest to the fact this is a dance floor damager. A wonderful first track, setting the tone for the rest of the project correctly.

The second track to get the Origin & Denim treatment is Bassboy – Why So Serious. Here the assignment was simple: taking a great bassline track and adding the magic ingredients necessary to morph it into a relentless 4×4 16BPM slammer. The pair understood what needed to be done, and they delivered without compromise.

It gets complex with the third track to get charged up, DJ Q – Sonic. That’s right, this is a bootleg of a bootleg. The bootlegception is real, and it is beautiful. While DJ Q created a classic Grime instrumental by sampling sounds from the Sonic video game, this rework turns the track into something you didn’t know you needed, a 160 track with heavy Jersey club influence. What more could you possibly want?!

The final piece of music on this EP does what it says on the tin. NJ Dubz – Pressure gets flipped into, yep, you guessed it, a beast of a 160BPM belter. The original version is an underground bassline track, and I must say this bootleg is totally awesome. Keeping the original vibes and injecting speed is really up my alley. What a killer track to round off a killer EP.

The last thing I want to bring to your attention is that artwork! Splendid stuff. Thank you Origin & Denim for putting such a beautiful project out into the world. Go check this EP out on Bandcamp if you haven’t already.

Posted on April 7, 2025