Dam Swindle House | Deep House 5 Items

We’ve come to the third and final installment of Dam Swindle’s ‘Keep on Swindling’ series and are proud to see them finishing off their 10-year anniversary with a bang. This final ep holds 2 new originals, remixes by Nightmares on Wax and DJ Bone and the long-awaited re-release of their seminal track from 2013: ‘The Wrap Around’.

‘Keep on Swindling part 3’ kicks off with ‘You’; a fast-paced slice of electronic funk that sees the boys dive into heady club territory. With this track, they show a new direction in their sound that combines their vintage sampled-based soulfulness with modern percussive and melodic elements. Whether it’s the moody arpeggio, the techno-ish stabs or the bell-driven percussion in ‘You’; it’s all coming together in a way that is both heartwarming and rush-inducing.

The A side also holds ‘More Love’; a track that takes you back to what has been the center of the Dam Swindle sound in the past 10 years. Conga loops, vocal chops, synth stabs and a simple string to keep the tension; it’s all in there. Add to that a simple funk bass loop and you’ve got yourself a modern-day Swindle classic.

On the flip, you’ll find a special song from the Dam Swindle catalog: ‘The wrap around’. When released on Huxley’s now defunct ‘Saints & Sonnets’ label back in 2013, the release made its way into many record bags and sold out quickly, never to be repressed again. Discogs prices went through the roof, while the title track became one of the biggest tracks for Dam Swindle in their early years. Now, it will be available on vinyl and digital again through Heist. It's had a few touch-ups in arrangement and mixing for the 2022 mix, but the boys worked hard to maintain the rough edges that made the original loved by so many fans.

The B2 is a collaboration with none other than Nightmares on Wax, who delivers a brilliantly creative version of ‘64 ways feat. Mayer Hawthorne’. N.O.W. completely flips the original, opting to use the spoken word intro in a mangled and chopped way on top of a nasty groove and soaring bassline. The main vocal comes in during the second part of the song and adds to the buildup with new Rhodes chords, cowbells, and electronic chops. It was already special when we got together and agreed on the remix, but the result really blew our mind and cemented the position of N.O.W. as a legendary producer even more.

The EP closes off with another special track: DJ Bone’s Doc Ciroc remix of ‘The Wrap Around’. DJ Bone has been living in the Netherlands for a long time already and it was only a matter of time before the legendary Detroit producer and DJ would meet Dam Swindle. It was on one if his ‘Further’ events that we laid the foundation for this collab and it’s an honor to have DJ Bone add his raw soulful techno style to the Swindle’s original track. DJ Bone goes for pacey percussion with a classic Detroit Techno feel. His version is minimalistic and raw, chopping up the vocal and using the original Prophet pad as a base layer of warmth. The track gets even beefier when the bassline comes in: A dirty modded 101 lick with so much electronic funk that makes it impossible not that dance.

On ‘Keep on Swindling part 3’, Dam Swindle showcase a more electronic side of their sound and sees them connect with likeminded artists who have delivered amazing interpretations of some of the most loved DS tracks of the past years. With that, we’ve come to a banging conclusion to 10 years of Dam Swindle. There’s only thing that keeps us up right now: What will their next step be…?

Yours Sincerely, Heist Recordings.

After the chart-topping Keep on Swindling part 1, that included summer anthem ‘All I want’ and the live jazz rework of ‘The break up’ by Emma-Jean Thackray, Dam Swindle are now back with part 2 of their 10-year anniversary series. If you thought the first edition had the goods, you’re in for a treat with this one. Keep on Swindling part 2 includes a new afro-tinged DS original, alongside a never-released remix of an obscure Guadeloupean record and remixes by rising star of the Detroit music scene Ash Lauryn and Rush Hour favorite Arp Frique. To top things off, the boys release their afro-brass dancefloor burner ‘Call of the Wild’ feat. Jungle by Night for the first time on a single.

The EP kicks off with a new original production by DS: ‘Good woman.’ This track has Dam Swindle on their best dancefloor behavior: Powerful live drums with an electronic edge and a big smudge of soul through smart sampling. The track has the feel of a soulful drum workout, taking its warmth from the lovely organ hits played by the talented Tim Jules and lush vocals. It also has plenty of low end with its offbeat sub and heavy kick, which give this track all the beef it needs to make any dancefloor -big or small- move in ecstasy.

The next track is somewhat of a special project. Tipped in 2019 by close friend Vincent ‘Venz’ Reinders who now runs one of Amsterdam’s finest venues Radioradio, Lars and Maarten started working on a rework of the song ‘ A ka titine’ by Guadeloupean band ‘Gaoulé Mizik’. The original release was only distributed from private press in small amounts, and therefore did not reach that many people. Versions of this record are rare on Discogs and unfortunately change hands for large sums of money, which keeps the music in obscurity.

The Dam Swindle rework was first put out as a free download, but was taken offline quite soon after, when we started our path to locate the original rightsholders and get their approval. Fast forward 3 years and we’re here with an official remix of this amazing piece of music where the guys add an electronic twist to the original to bring that classic Gwo Ka music towards today’s clubs.

On the flip, we’ve got the amazing Ash Lauryn remixing the title track of Dam Swindle’s 2018 album: ‘High life’ co-written by Lorenz Rhode. Ash Lauryn has been moving from strength to strength and is proudly representing the city of Detroit and all its musical heritage with her DJ sets, productions, and the content she makes. We recently got the opportunity to meet in person and this woman is about as real as it gets. Her aura simply vibrates when she plays, and she oozes class behind the decks. This remix – co-produced with Stefan Ringer- takes a deep and grooving approach to the original, with new heady percussion to add that original Detroit flavor.

The next track is a remix by of our favorite and colorful Dutch artists: Arp Frique. Arp Frique is known for his multicultural take on music, combining Caribbean and Cabo Verdean styles with classic disco and funk. He decided to write a whole new song around the vocals of the Swindle, Rhode & Tom Misch hit ‘Yes, no, maybe.’ He takes a loose-limbed, tropical disco direction where the live, analog recording lays a perfect foundation for this breezy track. The vinyl release contains the vocal mix, while we also have the instrumental available for download.

The Ep closes with a Dam Swindle original for the 2018 album High Life that really needs no introduction: ‘Call of the wild feat. Jungle by Night.’ It’s a track that seems to keep the dancers happy wherever we play it and hasn’t lost any of its appeal in the past four years. Originally only released in album format, this track now makes its way on a single 12” to round off an exciting new release by the Swindles. Enjoy the music, play it loud and remember…

This single features the album cut “Flavourism” with vocals from Seven Davis Jr. Here, the single is presented with remixes by the amazing Pepe Bradock and Boston-to-NYC house duo John Barera & Will Martin. Flavourism is as much a throwback track to classic Detroit Swindle territory, as it is a look into their contemporary view on soulful deep house.

Detroit Swindle cap off a blazing summer as they return home to their own Heist Recordings and in doing so present a landmark 12″ to add to their blooming catalogue. This is their first addition to the label since the hugely successful ‘In Reverse’ EP and it comes as a package that fans both old and new will relish: a jubilant record melding the most groove­laden strands of Disco, Funk, Soul and House. Oh yeah…and to top it all off, the guys have collared one of the greats for a remix in the one and only Matthew Herbert. 2016 has brought with it a wide range of experiences and subsequent influence for Detroit Swindle as they’ve continued on their ascent. This has certainly added further colour to their musical output as the pair have snowballed through a Heist Recordings Boiler Room showcase, a recent mix for Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide series, a live tour through the USA and dj highlights include sets at Prince Charles Berlin, Concrete Paris and Star Festival in Kyoto. The ‘Circular city’ EP evinces this as it brings together tracks for varying dancefloor moments and comes rounded off with a typically inventive remix from one of House Music’s most extolled veterans. Matthew Herbert’s remix adds a certain poppy flair to the original as it laces Zilla’s sassy croon with mangled synth blobs and hypnotic, circling samples, rounding off a serious coup for Heist Recordings and a fine addition to the catalogue.