Jimpster returns to Freerange with Bassic Rollers, a brand new four-track EP, we caught up with the deep house don for a quick chat.
Thirty years into a career that has quietly shaped the deeper end of house music, Jimpster continues to avoid the trap that catches so many long-standing producers: becoming a legacy act in their own timeline. Instead, Bassic Rollers feels like the work of an artist still refining his language, not by chasing modern trends, but by trusting the musical instincts that made his records timeless in the first place.
Released through Freerange Records, the four-track EP arrives as another reminder that Jimpster’s relationship with the dancefloor has always been less about impact and more about immersion. These are not tracks designed to demand attention. They are built to pull listeners inward.
Opening cut “Out And About” immediately settles into familiar territory with warm low-end, carefully chopped samples, and percussion that moves with the ease of someone who has spent decades understanding exactly how much a groove needs, and more importantly, how much it does not. Inspired by recent performances in South Africa, the track captures that heads-down energy where a room stops reacting and starts moving as one.
“Heads Down” pushes slightly harder. There is a distinctly UK deep house sensibility running through it, subtle, hypnotic, and stripped of anything unnecessary. Rather than relying on oversized hooks, the track leans into tension and movement, the kind of understated craftsmanship that rewards dancers more than algorithms.
On the flip, “Crispy Pancakes” offers the EP’s most unexpected moment. Built around crunchy drums, live bass textures and shimmering synth work, it carries a rawness that nods toward Detroit futurism while never losing its house pulse. There is an emotional lift here that feels earned rather than forced, one of those rare moments where deep house and peak-time energy meet naturally.
Closing track “Far Side” drifts into more reflective territory. Slower, hazier and beautifully detailed, it feels like the final hour of a night when the room exhales. Layers of percussion and soft sample work create something deeply intimate, music that feels equally at home in a club or alone after one.
What makes Bassic Rollers stand out is not simply its production quality, although that remains exceptional, but its restraint. Jimpster understands that maturity in dance music often means knowing what to leave out. Across these four tracks there is no nostalgia, no attempt to recreate former glories, and no need to prove relevance. Instead, there is confidence, subtlety and an artist still committed to evolution.
In an era increasingly dominated by immediacy, Bassic Rollers is a reminder that depth still matters. One of our favourite releases of 2026 already, get it here.
In Conversation with Jimpster
Bassic Rollers feels like a milestone release without being framed as nostalgia. When you look back across 30 years, what have you consciously protected in your sound, and what have you had to let go of?
Jimpster:
“I’ve always tried to project a certain musicality in my productions, soul, groove, texture and a sense that the track breathes rather than just loops. That’s always been a constant. What I’ve had to let go of is probably a kind of preciousness about process. I used to spend ages focussing on small details in quite a rigid way. Now I’m more comfortable letting things be a bit raw or instinctive if it captures a feeling and a mood.”
You’ve remained consistently present rather than becoming a heritage act. What’s the difference, for you, between staying consistent and staying alive as an artist?
Jimpster:
“Consistency can easily slip into repetition if you’re not careful. Staying alive is more about curiosity and keeping inspired. Still being open to new ideas, new tools, new ways of hearing things. It’s less about maintaining a signature and more about keeping your ears engaged with what’s happening around you.”
This EP has had a staggered rollout across vinyl, promos and digital platforms. What does a release mean to you now compared to when you started?
Jimpster:
“It used to feel like a single moment, you pressed a record, it went out into shops, and that was that. Now it’s more of a process. A release unfolds over time, across different formats and contexts. I quite like that as it gives the music a longer life.”
Your productions are often described in terms of warmth. What does that mean to you today?
Jimpster:
“It’s a bit of all three. Technically, it’s about how things sit together. But really it’s emotional. Warmth is about whether a track feels human, whether it invites you in rather than keeping you at a distance.”
Bassic Rollers leans into sample-based construction again. Has your relationship with sampling changed?
Jimpster:
“Definitely. Early on it was more about discovery. Now it’s more about dialogue. Sampling feels like a way of referencing a lineage, but also reshaping it into something personal.”
Freerange has become a buy-on-sight label for many listeners. How do you protect that trust?
Jimpster:
“You have to stay a bit uncomfortable. If everything feels safe, it’s probably not the right move. I try to follow instinct rather than expectation.”
There are clear references to late-90s club culture here. What did that era teach you?
Jimpster:
“It taught me that subtlety can be powerful. Not everything has to be big or obvious. Those nights were about groove, patience and tension.”
On “Out And About,” you mention aiming for a heads-down floor. What are you optimising for?
Jimpster:
“It’s about focus and continuity. When people are heads-down, they’re locked into the groove. You’re optimising for that collective rhythm where everything feels aligned.”
“Crispy Pancakes” carries a clear Underground Resistance spirit. Is that sonic or philosophical?
Jimpster:
“In this case it’s definitely sonic, but all producers can learn from UR in their raw, uncompromising, but still soulful approach.”
If this EP is a distillation of experience, what still feels unresolved creatively?
Jimpster:
“I think there’s always more to explore in terms of space, restraint, and how little you can do while still making music that connects. That’s an ongoing process.”
