Dam Swindle return with Open, a rich and deeply musical LP that blends soulful house, broken beat, and live instrumentation.
This fourteen-track album continues that reputation. There’s no curveball hard techno track thrown in the midst, the pair staying true to what they’re good at by resolutely delivering an album of house music with a lowercase h. ‘The Present is Always Perfect’ and ‘I Need You’ are signature dancefloor moments, records that will make as much sense in a Dalston basement as they do on a Tisno boat.
‘Some Day’ sees them teaming up with Chicago rapper Ric Wilson for a hip-house cut that feels closer to Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince than the Jungle Brothers. The collaborations also bear fruit with Haile Supreme’s falsetto on ‘Not Enough’ and the early Disclosure vibes of the Faye Meana team-up ‘Girl’.
In fact, the only semblance of disappointment is working with the composer and pianist Joep Beving on ‘Bloom’. That’s because the gorgeous track is arguably the standout moment, and, sadly, only three minutes long. Perhaps it’s the start of more collaborations, as there’s potential to mine sonic greatness from that tantalising hook-up. Another worthy release.
Dam Swindle’s ‘Open’ is out from May 30th, 2025, pre order here.
