Heist House | Deep House 32 Items

It’s that time of the year again: we’re finishing our 6th year of Heist Recordings with our annual potpourri of remixes with this year’s artists on ‘The Round up part VI’. This year, we’ve got a few really cool newcomers on the label like Demuir, Perdu and Makèz, as well as label mainstays Fouk and yours truly delivering a great collection of remixes.

Listen to this if you want to hear last year’s best tracks on Heist by Detroit Swindle, Alma Negra, Kassian, Adryiano, Pitto and Hugo Mari in 1 big remix package. Release info: Rounding up five years of Heist also means we’re releasing our fifth version of the Round Up. Last year’s edition was full of highlights with Fouk remixing Nachtbraker’s anthem ‘Hamdi’ and Alma Negra going all tribal on Nebraska’s ‘Big plate chicken’. This year, we’ve seen a lot of new faces on the label, which has brought us a fresh set of combinations and a couple of really nice revisions of the tracks that made our year.

The Dam Swindle curated compilation Heist Classics Vol. 02 delivers even more of the label’s biggest hits in a beautiful limited-edition package.

It’s safe to say that in it’s 10 years of existence, Heist Recordings has given us plenty of amazing music and has cemented itself as one of the key labels in today’s house scene. The first 3 compilations of this year have had an amazing response with radio and club tastemakers (re)discovering some of the best music that has come out on Heist. With support from Paul Woolford, Luke Slater, Antal, James Zabiela, Nightmares on Wax, a 10/10 in Faze Mag and various radio plays on BBC R1 with Pete Tong, Annie Mac and more, it’s safe to say that everyone has been loving these releases. Now, Dam Swindle conclude their 10-year anniversary releases with Classics vol. 2: a limited-edition collection with hits from Crackazat, Andy Hart, Kassian, Makèz and Nachtbraker.

The release kicks off with ‘Alfa’: Crackazat’s biggest hit to date (and that’s saying something, coming from a producer that has delivered jam upon jam in his career). It’s a signature Crackazat song with an off-kilter live key loop, shuffling percussion and pumping low end.
Andy Hart’s ‘Epsilon Girls’ was originally released in 2014 and has helped cement the artist and label’s position in the house music landscape. A vintage Barbara St. Clair loop gives the track a lovely human touch, which is countered by layers upon layers of glimmering electronics.

Different Planets is the track that really kickstarted the career of the talented duo Makèz. Released in 2019, the track has everything we’ve come to love from their recognizable sound: lively drums, catchy hooks and warm & jazzy chords. UK duo Kassian are represented on this package with their track ‘8th Movement’. Their sound has progressed towards techno in recent years which has given them support from artists across the board such as Ben UFO, Special Request and many more. Their Heist classic ‘8th Movement’ - still housey in its core - already has hints of their newfound style in its sound design and rolling energy.

We end the record with what might be Nachtbraker’s biggest track of his career: ‘Hamdi’. You’ll find him currently at work with artists such as Shanti Celeste where he recently released his Capichone EP, but the sound he developed in the early part of his career had Heist written all over it. ‘Hamdi’ is a proper anthem, with African drums, an ecstatic vocal sample and a killer groove.

The vinyl release of Heist Classics Vol. 02 is printed on colored 180grams heavyweight vinyl and is limited to 1000 records with a special design by our Art Director Bas Koopmans (Wellness.)

Enjoy the music and play it loud!

Lars & Maarten

Over the years, the sonic world of Heist has grown into a place where energetic house, live instruments and worldly electronics move together in the most natural way. We’re very proud of the fact that we can showcase artists that cross boundaries or simply create their own universe, while keeping a strong connection with the identity of the label. Our next release, the ‘Exposures EP’ by Teleseen, fits perfectly into this aesthetic.

Pitto is not one to flood the scene with new music considering he’s only released two ep’s in the last three years. He takes the time to let ideas evolve and it’s clearly noticeable on last year’s EP on ‘Something Happening Somewhere’ sublabel ‘Ooshaa’, where his feel for an almost poppy hook is perfectly combined with his love for darker electronics.

This release comes on 180g vinyl. Heist is first and foremost a label dedicated to quality house music with an eccentric angle. Promoting great music from the Netherlands comes as a close second. After presenting a lot of notable artists from our country, it’s great to showcase another young Dutch talent with our latest release: Perdu. You might know him from his solo debut on Let’s Play House or the follow up on Optimo Music last year.

We're back from hibernation after releasing the third Roundup at the end of 2016 and we're starting off with a new signing. Milan based Parker Madicine joins Heist with some high tech funk with a serious nod to the “D” and we've got Byron the Aquarius delivering a great jazzy remix. You'll be more likely to find Parker Madicine browsing through boxes of old jazz and soul records than you'll see him showcasing his social media skills. He's a real vinyl junky and moreover a hip hop fanatic and probably loves his synthesizers more than his mother. Apart from promoting funk and soul oriented parties in Milan, he founded CT-HI records, short for “Contemporary Theories of Hip Hop Influences". A few years back he teamed up a.o. with his buddies Veez-O and Turbojazz to create some Dilla and early 90's inspired hip hop and these influences are clearly present in his EP for Heist. With Heartbreaker, he lays down a dreamy but heavy groove for the first minute or so, arpeggiating its way to the moment where the airy pads make room for a looser than loose groove where synth stabs and bass line dance around each other creating a killer vibe. Zawinul starts in the same manner, rough kick, loose and degraded hi-hats and dreamy Rhodes chords. The tracks build further with some lovely brassy hits and arps, whereas Placebo is the most stripped back but high tempo track, where an airy and delayed bassline does most of the work to set the mood. We're really happy to have Byron the Aquarius reworking one of PM's tracks. He's been on a roll with his releases on Sound Signature, Wild Oats and recently remixed Max Graef on Ninja Tune. It was in Placebo where Byron found the most fruitful ground to showcase his magic on the keys, flipping the contemplative origina

Orlando Voorn is back on Heist after his 2022 ‘Heist mastercuts’ EP and comes in with a heavy dose of soulful machine funk. ‘Heist mastercuts part 2’ has the techno & house veteran showing his eclectic style with the vocal cut ‘Soundsystem’, Midwest inspired sample jam ‘High’ and his Boo Williams collaborative drum workout ‘909’.

On the first Heist mastercuts, Orlando dove deep into his archives and presented a collection of old and new tracks, showing us that his music has aged well and reminding us that he’s a producer still on the top of his game. He kept busy in 2022 with releases on our own label Transient Nature, Kompakt, a handful of Bandcamp only tracks, and a self-released album. Somehow, he found the time to work on his follow up ep on Heist and managed to completely blow us away with the music.

The EP kicks off with Soundsystem: a masterclass in simplicity. A steady and minimalistic groove guides you through the track, where silky vocals and woozy chords take you on a trip through Orlando’s sonic universe. Orlando moves into freak mode with a trippy lead and dubbed-out keys to add some playfulness to an already outstanding track.

‘High’ is Orlando’s take on what could easily be an old Andrés track. Here, he samples a female vocal (I get high, I get high, I get high), and cleverly adds his own vocals to add depth and originality to the track. The percussion on high grooves in an effortless way and underlines the feel of this track: It’s fun, cool and incredibly funky. There’s a bit of Dam Swindle sauce on the mix to make sure this track hits the right spot on any dancefloor.

On the flip, there’s ‘Day by day’: A classic Orlando Voorn cut with a live bassline, plenty of chopped samples and a Rhodes loop that could have come straight from a B-roll of a ‘First Choice’ recording session. The b-side ends with a collab with Orlando’s close friend Emil and legendary Chicago producer Boo Williams. The producers take a monologue from Boo Williams about working the 909 and deliver a drum workout -yes with the 909- that keeps on building energy, showing exactly what Boo is talking about.

The digital package also includes an instrumental mix of Soundsytem and an alternative mix to 909, just for good measure. This is the first artist release in our 10 years of Heist anniversary year and this EP perfectly encapsulates the Heist Sound: varied, deep, soulful, and banging.

Yours sincerely,
Maarten & Lars

Heist welcomes, late 80’s DMC World DJ Championship contender, Techno veteran, and house royalty Orlando Voorn to the label with his ‘Heist Mastercuts’ EP.

Orlando Voorn is a man who needs little introduction. He’s played a pivotal role in the development of the electronic music scene in the Netherlands, as well as in the USA where he now lives. With countless aliases, he has released everything from old school hiphop to sample heavy breaks, to banging Detroit techno to soulful house music. His recent outings as ‘Frequency’ on Clone, as well as his latest EP on our sublabel Transient Nature, are proof that even after 30+ years, the man is still very much on top of his game.

The Heist Mastercuts EP sees Orlando dig deep in his archive for some of his undercover hits from the nineties that have been remastered for this EP. On top of that, he delivers a new track in the form of soulful house bomb “Be with you.”

“Be with you” starts off with a hazy groove and distant pads. The steady beat and funky electronic chops set a steady foundation for a rush-inducing string sample that works together with looping diva vocals for maximum dancefloor excitement. No heavy drumrolls, FX or other tools necessary here: It’s clever sampling and Orlando’s soulful touch that make this track tick.

Next up is the vinyl only track “Love Feelings” – originally released in ’96 on Urban Sounds of Amsterdam-. Think 130+ BPM vintage house grooves with hazy pads and you’ll get an idea of what’s coming. Love Feelings is an up-tempo dreamhouse track that, even though it’s almost 25 years old, still ticks all the boxes of a contemporary festival groover.

On the B-side you’ll find 2 versions of “Tenderness”: The original mix and the Late nite dub, both originally released on Clubstitute records back in ’95. The original has a 90’s garage groove with male vocal chops, old school house keys and strings. The late night dub is exactly that: a dreamy ethereal deephouse groove with warm synth hits, introverted percussion some very on point sax loops.

The Heist Mastercuts EP is the first EP of Orlando Voorn on Heist Recordings but considering the connection we’ve built with him over the last year and having heard the music he’s shared with us, we’re sure you’ll see much more of him on Heist in the future.

The Organ Grinder / Detroit Swindle / Max Graef / Frits Wentink / Nachtbraker

The Roundup part 1 is the first part of an annual recurring event: the big Heist family remix EP, where all artist names get put in a big bowl, and by luck of the draw, find themselves remixing (and remixed by) another Heist artist.

We’ve had our eyes on Obas Nenor for a while and after his disco-meets-Detroit affair on ‘Mahogani’, and some great releases on his newly started own label ‘Nenorian music’ and ‘Sol Power’, we’re happy to share his work for Heist with you. ‘The Ceaper Bui

Heist welcomes rising star of the French House scene Marina Trench to the roster with a stunning release full of classic house cues across 4 warm & deeply grooving house cuts. With only a handful of releases on DJ Deep’s Deeply Rooted (2019) and Wolf Music (2020), the young Parisian producer is only just getting started. And as far as starts go: This release on Heist will definitely open some eyes & ears across the house scene. With her elegant and soulful sound both firmly rooted in classic deep house as it is contemporary, Marina showcases a mature sound that’s rarely seen with emerging producers. With a smart choice of samples, beautiful original vocals and smooth pads, Marina layers her tracks effortlessly into warm compositions that work just as well in your living room as in any sweaty club.

Makèz deliver the perfect follow up to their hit ‘Downstream’ with L.A. artist Life on Planets.

Dutch Duo Makèz had their big break when we released their first record on Heist in 2019, but it’s safe to say that ‘Downstream’ (on No Art records) has taken things to the next level for the talented Amsterdam duo. With support from pretty much the whole of Radio 1 (Pete Tong, Jaguar, Sarah Story, Danny Howard and more), and club DJ’s across the board ranging from ANOTR to Louie Vega, their fall 2023 release has really been a dream collab with vocalist and producer Life on Planets. It’s only fitting that the duo comes home to Heist with their follow up EP: ‘Midnight time’.

This new EP is a perfect blend of the intricate, soulful songs and punchy club tracks we’ve come to love from Makèz, On the A-side, we’ve got the jazz cut ‘Closer’ with AVA LAVÁ, who fans will remember from their Holy Sun EP on Heist. ‘Closer’ is equally laidback, full of textures and rich musical elements and a perfect mood-setter for the EP.

Next is ‘Running from the noise’ with Life on Planets on vocals. This is the follow up to Downstream that simply had to happen. It’s just as breezy and effortless as the duo’s biggest hit to date, but goes even deeper and minimalistic, taking you on a vibe that resembles the sound of that classic 100% Galcher mixtape/album from 2013. There’s definitely something in the air when these artists get together in the studio; The music is warm, fuzzy, and inviting, but most importantly, just about as sexy as can be.

‘Midnight time’ is another collaboration with AVA LAVÁ, and takes the EP into the club realm, while still keeping things jazzy. Lush Rhodes chords and a rolling live bass form the basis, while the young vocalist seems to freestyle her way through the track, much in a way an MC would do to get the crowd going. Everything about this track is infectious and you can just feel this go off in a club.

That club is exactly where we end up on the B-side, with ‘The Answer’ and ‘Gratitude’. Both have their own direction; ‘The Answer’ is a Chicago-inspired jam with acid licks, a powerful male vocal and clean 909 drums, where ‘Gratitude’ goes deeper with its haunting strings, clever vocal chops and loops and synths that somehow resemble static noise from an old radio. With their ‘Midnight Time’ EP, Makèz treat us to a gorgeous journey through their sonic world, a place we’re happy to hang out for a long, long time.

As always, enjoy the music and play it loud!

Lars & Maarten

Makèz have come a long way since they first sneaked into Amsterdam’s studio 80 at the age of 17 to hand over their demos to Dam Swindle. Those demos led to their debut EP ‘Different planets’ on Heist in 2019 which gained major support from artists like Seth Troxler and Chez Damier. Quickly after, they signed two records on New York based label Let’s Play House. Fast forward two years, and here we are: the release of their debut album “City of all”. “City of all” shows an admirable level of sophistication and matureness and effortlessly bridges genres across its 13 tracks. You can feel the amount of thought that has been put into this record, with songs happily blending into each other as Makèz submerge themselves in their concept of accidental encounters, inclusiveness and what it means to live in a city like Amsterdam. On “City of all”, Makèz bring together all the musical influences they’ve picked up in their life as music fans, clubbers and art students. The jazz-funk of opening track “The entrance” feels breezy, casual almost, like the freeform rhythms that are played in a jazz club during soundcheck. That energy also oozes from “Not so different”, which features the smooth vocals of Lyma. There’s a hint of the house-meets-R’n B vibe that made Anderson .Paak the star that he is now. The song is brilliantly funky and shows the songwriting and arrangement talent of Makèz, who cleverly use pop & soul cues to create one of the album’s highlights.

The name Hugo Mari might not ring a bell just yet, but we’ve got a feeling this is about to change real soon. He’s released a handful of EP’s under his former alias Books on Omena and XVI including his own edit series on the latter label (check out his killer track ‘in the groove or his jazzy deep house collaboration with Zodiac called ‘Feel it in my Bones’).

Label mainstays Fouk just dropped the perfect dancefloor Bomb with ‘Mirage’ paired with a high-octane Elisa Bee remix

We all know Dutch duo Fouk from their soulful, bouncy take on house music. They’re also responsible for some of Heist’s biggest tracks like Kill Frenzy or their Lil Louis inspired 2021 release ‘Blue Steel’. On their new EP, the talented duo shows us a fresh side of their sound: the main-room hands-in-the-air-going-wild side. To top things off, Italian producer Elisa Bee made time in her busy schedule of DJ’ing and releasing for artists like Ben Sims on his Hardgroove imprint and Unknown to the Unknown to deliver a killer remix of the title track.

Fouk’s return to Heist after 3 years is a welcome one and with ‘Mirage’, they might just have given us their biggest house track in their decade spanning career. The track is built around a stuttering synth loop and a seductive female vocal chanting ‘What made you wanna…” The real star here is the bassline, which propels the track into a seriously infectious groove. Add some lush strings and moody changeovers and you’ve got yourself a full-blown dancefloor weapon. Mirage has been a staple in Dam Swindle’s sets for the past months and has been one of their set highlights ever since.

“Coffee” is one for the classic Fouk fans. It’s got lovely Rhodes, a joyous combination of whoo’s, snare-rolls and synth hits grooving on top of an infectious orchestral background loop. “Tapioca” is a hybrid latin-electronic groove that builds on punchy synths, live percussion and drunk keys to balance the energy of the track.

Elisa Bee’s remix of ‘Mirage’ is an intense percussive workout that builds on a breakbeat loop and a rave-bassline. The tempo is turned up a notch or 2 and that stutter synth and vocal of the original make this remix a wild warehouse affair.

Closing track of the EP is ‘Abalone’; A lovely bleep-house affair that still has a bit of that warehouse vibe. It’s got the perfect amount of distortion the drums while keeping things dreamy with some face-melting pads throughout the track.

As always, enjoy the music and play it loud!

Lars & Maarten

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.

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.

Heist Recordings has been pushing the envelope for house music since day one and we’re always on the lookout for artists that represent our vision on electronic music. Our next guest on the label fits that profile and more. He is the embodiment of modern-day electronic funk and a true wizard on the keys: Atlanta raised cool guy Byron the Aquarius.

Byron has a solid history on the label: He remixed Parker Madicine back in 2017 and did a mad solo on the 2019 released Dam Swindle track ‘The life behind things’. We’ve done some shows together and stayed in touch while Byron was working together with Jeff Mills on his 2020 jazz crossover record ‘Ambrosia’ on Axis. Now, after a solid string of releases on labels like Shall not Fade and Purveyor Underground, Byron is making his solo appearance on Heist. His ‘Akira’ EP goes from dark basement grooves to dreamy broken beats and features a remix by New York dance music wizard Kush Jones.

The Akira EP kicks off with ‘I love yo’. In this track, Byron decides to leave his keys at home and goes in deep with a moody club workout. ‘I love yo’ is a track that juxtaposes dreamy samples with rough percussion and vocal chops with a clear nod to the work of Mr. G. The melody is mellow, but don’t be deceived; clever drum programming and plenty of sub take this track into the club vibe just the way Byron likes it: warm, hazy and sexy AF.

Byron is not known for delivering straightforward house tunes, but when he does deliver them, he does it in style. Enter ‘Get up’; the A2 of the EP. There’s everything we love about house music: smart vocal chops, driving percussion, classic house keys and a booming sub to get you bumping to this beat.

The B-side sees Byron up the tempo and take a deep dive into bass territory with ‘Love’. In this track, there’s lush pads running over a percussive broken beat and chopped R ’n B vocals to add some serious sex appeal. It’s deceptively simple and clean but ever so catchy, which clearly shows Byron’s prowess as an electronic music producer.

Going back to classic house mode, we’ve got ‘Success’: A spoken word house track that fits right in with the classics. Byron sets the mood with some bumpy key-and synth work while brainstorming about originality and blackness throughout the track. Even though the message underneath might be a serious one, Byron succeeds in delivering this in a fun, uplifting way that never gets pretentious or divisive.

The EP finishes with a remix by New Yorker Kush Jones. This is an artist who understands how to build a groove. He could take you anywhere from house to juke, footwork and techno, which is exactly why he’s been getting so much love for his music recently. Kush is an artist who sees no boundaries in his music and still manages to create his own sonic universe. His remix of ‘I love yo’ takes a dreamy approach with soft chords running over an electronic groove with a pure and improvised feel. All elements fit together perfectly and it’s the clever ad-hoc programming and arrangement that suck you into his unbounded world from the first beat.

As always, enjoy the music and play it loud.

Amy Dabbs puts her heart and soul in the breaks anthem ‘Everything Alright feat. Aika Mal’ on her Heist debut EP.
Bonus: A tantalizing 140BPM Dam Swindle remix

Amy Dabbs might be one of the hardest working artists in the game right now. Making it in the current electronic music landscape is not an easy thing, which might be why this talented artist is so heavily invested in her musical output. With releases on Aus Music, Shall not Fade and her own Dabbs traxx, a monthly residency on Rinse FM and a tour schedule that seems to get busier by the minute, we’re happy to see her hard work is paying off. Add to that some support by artists such as Special Request, The Blessed Madonna, Jaguar and Cinthie and you know this Berlin-based artist is right where she belongs: in the spotlight.

With a love for all things high energy – including, but not limited to house music and breaks – Amy knows how to set fire to a dancefloor (or record for that matter). Her music has been described by Resident Advisor as “Elegant and soulful drum & bass, that’ll still catch the ears of house heads.” So here you go, house heads: Amy Dabbs on Heist. The ‘Only breaks can love your heart’ EP is packed with feelgood energy and comes with a Dam Swindle remix that has the duo laying down some pleasantly unexpected breakbeats on an altogether rush-inducing record.

Right from the start, you know you’ve got an anthem on your hands with ‘Everything alright’. The gorgeous vocals by Aika Mal give you that right amount of emotive, ravey energy and come wrapped in a package of solid breaks and mesmerizing chords. With a hint of acid and a couple of meticulously crafted breakdowns you’ll be singing along with this track before you know it.

The Dam Swindle remix drops the tempo a little bit, but with its 140 bpm, warm broken beat and UK bass, the duo delivers a curveball of a track with a lot of crossover appeal. They went for a more stripped back approach that combines introverted percussion with bouncy keys that complement the vocals perfectly for an altogether irresistible remix.

‘Crush’ is a signature Amy Dabbs tracks, with driving 909 percussion, female vocal chops, ethereal pads and classic strings. It’s a warmhearted affair laced with Amy’s feelgood DNA. On the flip you’ll find ‘Eleven eleven twenty two’; a classic deep house track with subtle hints of UKG in its sampling and bass. The pads and leads are moody and the skippy percussion gives this track the kind of energy you’d welcome when pulling an all-nighter.

Rounding off the EP, we’ve got the ep title track ‘Only breaks can love your heart’; another showcase of Amy’s knack to make house aficionados dance to drum and bass. There’s a certain contrast in pace – raging drums versus dreamy chords that makes you feel at ease listening to a fast-paced track like this. The vocals are equally hazy with a subtle 90’s and 00’s RnB feel. Bassface guaranteed on this one!

We’re extremely happy we get to call Amy our friend and proud to share her music through Heist. As always, play it loud and dance, dance, dance!

Yours Sincerely,
Maarten & Lars

Alma Negra – Dakar Disco EP When your roots have a broad geographical diversity, it’s very likely this will resonate in the music you make. This is certainly the case with Alma Negra and their new release on Heist. It seems they have embraced all their cultural influences more than ever in their new ‘Dakar Disco EP’. The whole record oozes class and musicality and feels like a carefree collage of the rich musical lives they live. The three originals on this EP vary in tempo and energy, giving you something for each moment of the day or night. They are accompanied by a remix from none other than the Japanese master of cosmic funk: Kuniyuki.

Alma Negra are back on Heist! After their much applauded 2017 release with that great Soulphiction remix, they’ve been rather busy taking over the scene. They started their new label “Alma Negra records” where they released 3 ep’s in quick succession, with new as well as older material that showcases their tropical roots and keen ear for clubby reworks.