May brings an eagerly anticipated release as Irelands’ Hammer returns with new music, a glorious EP made up of four club-ready cuts.
Rory Hamilton AKA Hammer exploded onto the music scene with formative releases on Bicep’s Feel My Bicep label. Known for his lush synth-driven grooves that amalgamate Italo House, Leftfield and Techno, Hammer creates ethereal, emotive music for the masses.
Following on from releases on labels like Shall Not Fade, Sulta Selects and Optimo Music, this new EP ‘Swerve’ is set for release on Skylax Records, one of our favourite labels right now. Names like Rennie Foster, Felipe Gordon and St.David are just some of the labels family members and now it’s time for a taste of the Emerald Isle.
Opening up the EP is title-track ‘Swerve’. Driving kicks, glitched effects, rich, melancholic synth lines all lay down effortlessly over bubbling bass lines and raw, forcible leads. Powerful yet touching, this is early Bicep days delivered through Hammer’s perfectly rose tinted glasses. ‘Swivel’ opens up sounding like a basic Ableton type tutorial groove. But, then the bass enters, sumptuous, delving into the pits of your stomach, we are about to hear something special, we can feel it. Ghostly vocals, bright leads juxtapose with a menacing arpeggiated synth melody. ‘Tbilisi’ is a proper warehouse anthem in the waiting. Larger than life percussion drape over a steady 4/4 kick whilst pawing synths try to break through, battered back by layers of vocal ad libs and evolving melodies. Closing the EP is ‘Push Repeat’. This energetic number has a kinetic synth line that dances around building drum lines and garbled vox snippets. That bright Bicep stylised synth lines sound like there sent straight down from the heavens above, this is beautiful stuff indeed.
The ‘Swerve’ EP is out on Skylax Records from May 1st, 2024. Pre order here.
