Genre: House

Tracklist 12":
A1 Love Is Always
A2 Love Is Always Dub

Short Info:
Second release of the mountain people white label spinoff. Strictly limited.
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Format : Vinyl 12” (180 gr., Limited Full Cover)

Track list:
A That’s Right
B1 Minor Fools
B2 Soul’s Lament

Release Info:

“Pumping, vibrant, and packed with energy”: Iconic duo Dam Swindle deliver once again with their ‘Minor fools’ EP.

Last year, Dam Swindle celebrated their 10 year anniversary with the ‘Keep on Swindling’ series. The hard-hitters ‘All I want’, ‘Good woman’, and ‘You’ showed various sides of that much loved Swindle sound as well as some steps into a more leftfield electronic area. Now, they’re back on Heist with a 3-track club EP full of that recognizable upbeat energy.

‘That’s Right’ has Dam Swindle in full live mode, not unlike their timeless classic “Call of the Wild feat. Jungle by Night”. Live keys, bass, percussion, and horns (the latter by the Jungle by Night’s trumpet guru Bo Floor) give you the feeling like you’re on stage with a full band, hearing them give their all to record this heartwarming piece of music. Over the course of its 7 minutes, the duo takes you on an electrifying feel-good trip through the Swindle sonic universe.

On The EP title track ‘Minor fools’, Dam Swindle go into classic US house mode. Shuffling hats, a bouncy bass and male vocal chops lay the foundation for some crunchy jazz chords (think Underground Resistance with a Swindle touch). The track builds tension with haunting organs, looped vocals and smart modulation in the keys. Add to that the bouncy synth section at the heart of the track and you’ve got a jam that slaps hard in the best way imaginable.

The EP ends with the dreamy & contemplative ‘Soul’s lament’; A slow burner that builds and builds on a relentless rhythm of bells and skipping hi-hats. Slowly, a massive string section takes control of the track, after which, an acid line takes over that gives the track its driving electronic touch. It’s a welcome deep note to an EP that shows you exactly why Dam Swindle are such well respected and versatile producers.

Grab this record while you can and dance, dance, dance!

Heist Recordings.
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Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

Format Notes: Part of Music De Wolfe Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl


Track List:

A1 Hot Heels 2:50
A2 It's Gospel 2:49
A3 Steam Heat 2:59
A4 Fly Away 2:45
A5 His Name Was 2:35
A6 Swing Over 2:18
A7 Touch Of Warmth 2:40

B1 Voice Force Nine 2:13
B2 Very Fine Fellow 1:58
B3 Shades-Tones 3:27
B4 I'm Feather 2:09
B5 Drifting 2:24
B6 Take Off 1:58
B7 Fly Paradise 2:18


Release Notes:

Vocal Shades And Tones is a miraculous leftfield library classic from the genius mind of celebrated UK composer/singer/vocal arranger Barbara Moore. It's a heavenly groove-based blend of jazz, Latin, soft-psych, folk-funk and gospel soul. Recorded for the legendary Music De Wolfe in 1972, it's an audacious start-to-finish listen, as dizzying as it is dazzling. It's a perfect snapshot of a musical era, supported by Moore's glorious vocal arrangements. Widely regarded among collectors, DJs, and lounge/easy-listening acolytes as an absolute essential it is viewed as the holy grail by many production music heads, rarely appearing for sale and disappearing in a flash when it does. Indeed, originals now go for over £300 and it's easy to see why. Just one of the reasons why this fresh Be With reissue, part of a wider De Wolfe reissue campaign, is so utterly crucial.

Racing out the gate, the driving "Hot Heels" is a bright, sophisticated scat groove which sounds Brazilian, richly produced as if coming by the hand of Arthur Verocai. Yes, *that* good. It's followed by "It's Gospel" which is, er, a wonderfully slow and deeply soulful gospel treasure. The appropriately monikered "Steam Heat" is a darker, breathy gem, one for salacious crates and one of the record's most infamous tracks. "Fly Away" is pastoral West Coast soft rock, very much in conversation with John Cameron and Keith Mansfield's epochal KPM recording, Voices In Harmony. "His Name Was" is a stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks Beach Boys accapella church-organ stunner, whilst "Swing Over" is another carefree, richly produced sun-dappled smasher. The gentle Bossa and sunshine soul of the aptly-titled "Touch Of Warmth" closes out a virtually perfect A-Side.

The B-Side opens with the easy grace and dramatic build of "Voice Force Nine". The jaunty "Very Fine Fellow" may be the only track to slightly grate so we advise heading to the slower, moody "Shades-Tones", eminently more compelling with sparkling, hypnotic piano throughout, underpinning the gorgeous wordless vocals. Just beautiful. It was sampled by Redman for his Method Man-featuring "Do What Ya Feel" on the great Muddy Waters. We're back in Brazilian territory with the cool, uptempo "I'm Feather" before swooning to the warm, relaxed "Drifting", another total highlight which was famously sampled by Koushik on his legendary remix of Madvillain's "America's Most Blunted (Doom's Verse)". The penultimate track, "Take Off" is a bright, organ lounge groove before this remarkable set is rounded out by the beaty "Fly Paradise". It's so so good, it sounds like Rotary Connection fronted by The Mamas & the Papas. As noted in a recent Guardian article on Moore's life, "there is a plushness and electricity in the tight vocal harmonies that spring out, sung with the precision of cathedral choristers decades before Auto-Tune." Amen.

In the 1960s, Barbara Moore was a member of Top of the Pops’ resident vocal-harmony group, The Ladybirds and sang backing vocals for Dusty Springfield’s TV show. Her own outfit, the Barbara Moore Singers, were regulars on TOTP, singing with Jimi Hendrix when he performed "Hey Joe" live in Lime Grove Studios. An important detail for Moore was the shepherd’s pie she bought Hendrix when she found him alone, looking emaciated, near the BBC canteen. By 1970, she was working as a session singer for De Wolfe and, by 1972, was composing her own tracks for De Wolfe and working within their tight creative strictures. Each short track had to evoke an obvious mood and theme, with no significant key or tempo changes. Her response, this very album, managed to stay between the lines while cohering as an overarching artistic masterpiece.

The audio for Vocal Shades And Tones has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue. More

Format: (180 gr., Limited Full Cover)

Track list:

A1 - Dam Swindle - You
A2 - Dam Swindle - More love
B1 - Dam Swindle - The wrap around (2022 mix)
B2 - Dam Swindle - 64 Ways feat. Mayer Hawthorne (Nightmares On Wax remix)
B3 - Dam Swindle - The wrap around (DJ Bone’s doc ciroc remix)

Release Info:

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. More