UKG Pioneer Shy Cookie Celebrates Ten Years of The House & Garage Orchestra

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Shy Cookie swung by to share insights on his The House & Garage Orchestra project amid its ten-year anniversary.

The UK garage scene is thriving worldwide right now, but one artist who’s been there from the beginning is Shy Cookie. The London-based veteran has been shaping the genre for over three decades. In recent years, he’s been reinventing UKG live through his The House & Garage Orchestra project, amplifying the energy of UKG with a 15-piece orchestra and live vocalists and MCs.

In celebration of the project’s ten-year anniversary, Shy Cookie announced a supporting headlining tour slated to touch-down in eight UK cities between February and May 2027. On September 4, he also released the project’s first original studio orchestral mix: “Take Care” with American R&B singer Syleena Johnson, a transatlantic collaboration seamlessly blending the rich soulfulness of R&B with the magnetic energy of UKG.

‘Take Care’ marks a return to the original vision for The House & Garage Orchestra: combining live musicians with my own studio production to create original music that captures the uplifting spirit, soul and energy of the genre… It honors the roots of UK Garage while pushing the music forward, blending the warmth of live performance with contemporary production to create something timeless — music that respects its heritage while looking confidently to the future.

Shy Cookie

Shortly after the release, Shy Cookie gave us his thoughts on the UKG movement, a deeper look into his The House & Garage Orchestra project, and a glimpse of what else is on his horizon. Give “Take Care” a listen on Spotify, and read on for the conversation!

Stream Shy Cookie – “Take Care” with Syleena Johnson

As an influential artist in the house and UKG scene for 30 years now, what are your thoughts on the current state of the scene in the UK?

I love the old school, as do many, so it is nice at my orchestra events to celebrate where the music came from.

I also love the new school. There are some wicked new artists and producers out there along with the legends who are still putting music out, and obviously, I have not stopped producing original tracks.

We do need more unity. There’s not enough in-person studio workshopping sessions nowadays, and I do miss record shopping.

How have both you as an artist and the UKG movement evolved over the past few decades?

In all honesty, I think the scene had its proper experimental phase a long time ago. This is clearly evident by the repertoire of the old school. You could have a set of just ragga-influenced garage, or soulful, bassline, two step, four to the floor, etc. We were producers shaping a new genre, and our influence was other genres as the music didn’t exist when we were growing up.

The new music is a continuation of that, with younger artists taking the lead. I would like to see more of those who make original garage given a proper shot, though, as opposed to artists who only sample old house and garage tunes. But at the same time, the business has changed, so I understand how much harder it is for new artists to be properly heard.

I would like to see more old school heads and new artists collab, be on the same flyers, and really push garage into the future together.

You’re celebrating ten years of your The House & Garage Orchestra (THGO) project. What was your initial inspiration behind the project, and looking back now, how closely does the project reflect the vision you had when you started it?

The project was initially a proposal for my master’s as a part of a label idea I had. It was a little different, as I originally envisioned it as a band mainly due to budget. Long story short, I introduced the idea to [THGO co-founder and manager Ishmael “IESH” Hamilton] at a student event I put on at Jazz Cafe, and we developed the idea into what it is now — independently.

The project has evolved, but this year we have decided to steer it back to our original vision of celebrating the classic but also putting our own new original new music back into the sets.

Shy Cookie and the House & Garage Orchestra

Garage Classics is THGO putting its own spin on beloved garage tracks. What do you enjoy most about visiting these songs?

The nostalgia. Some of the tracks we perform — i.e. “Poison” — are my own productions from back in the day when I was making all of DJ Luck & MC Neat’s beats, so it has been nice revisiting them. I also love the privilege of introducing the music to a new generation of listeners that may not have given the genre a chance — i.e. those that only listen to live music and those that discovered us after being brought to an event by a friend.

After ten years, you and THGO are finally releasing your first original studio track. What caused the wait, and why did now feel like the right time to start releasing original material?

We actually started the project with original music, but just never released orchestra mixes. The very first track was called “Levitation” featuring MC Neat.

I have wanted to focus on original music for a while as this project is only a part of what I have been doing over the last ten years, which is to try and build a legacy. This can only really be done by truly contributing to the music. As much as covers are nice to do, original music is a proper representation of who I am as a producer, and what THGO is really supposed to be about: vibes old and new.

Big up to my strings guy for studio productions, James “Jimmy” Goodwin. — I say strings but he is actually a banging composer and live player of multiple instruments.

The first original release is “Take Care” with Syleena Johnson. How did this collaboration come about, and what does it symbolize about this new era for THGO?

“Take Care” is a new direction for THGO: Original house and garage music that embraces both the classic and the new school sound. It is also an opportunity for me to produce music I love with a sound that may take some that know my previous work by surprise.

I have to give full props to our songwriter, Gemma Fox, as she was the one who approached Syleena and got her on board by sending her the track.

I also have to give props to my best friend and business partner, IESH, for approaching Gemma in the first place to get her on board to write for us!

You’ve described “Take Care” as a “love letter” to the house and garage music you grew up with. Can you elaborate more on that?

I grew up listening to rare groove, disco, and music synonymous with Black households. My parents were of the Windrush Generation, and my home was in New Cross, South London. Unlike many of my friends, I like music that challenged me from a young age, so along with the genres mentioned I also loved — and still do — Lalo Schifrin, John Barry, and other classical composers; Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and other jazz, R&B, and Motown artists who were — for my circle of friends — eclectic.

It is a little difficult to quantify, but my love letter is me allowing the composers, producers, artists mentioned — along with others I love — to truly influence the music I make for THGO, rather than taking the mental approach I do with my other projects. The sound is essentially the soulful side of Shy Cookie — taken way further and elevated considerably with the help of the amazing team I am lucky enough to work with.

The House & Garage Orchestra. Live at Shepherds Bush Empire, London.

You’re also celebrating ten years of The House & Garage Orchestra project with your biggest UK tour to date in 2027. What can audiences expect from this new show?

A freshly overhauled set, delivered by the best Black music-based — but most diverse — orchestra that you can actually dance to (no backing tracks here), and a fantastic vibe. The music production value that only Shy Cookie and IESH can deliver, as for us this comes first. We have never been about the gimmick of having an orchestra — we are the orchestra. We also have a few surprises in store, too.

Big up to our live show composer Ben Burrell! Big up Sina Live and all our partners for the tour!

Where do you see THGO going creatively over the next few years?

More original music, and as we now have partners for the shows, we have some plans, but I like to keep things close to the chest nowadays. The last 30 years have taught me that, the last ten have reinforced it.

Beyond The House & Garage Orchestra project, is there anything else you’re particularly excited about coming up that you can share with us?

The next Shy Cookie EP. The next project with me ol’ china DJ Luck — as soon as we get time to do it! My new DJ set with some of my musicians and artists. It is a lot smaller than THGO, and not focused on the classics, but rather the new material I have been workshopping with those I work with. It is where I get to be Shy ‘Dubplate’ Cookie again as the set will include unreleased music too from me, IESH, and others. And a few other unannounced things to do with my ongoing music teaching projects!