Dam Swindle’s Heist label is surely one that has many fans out there. For me two reasons are key here: First it`s the quality of the output-pure class characterize most of the releases. Secondly the release strategy, as the team behind Heist serves a clever mix of Vinyl and digital releases of the year-with a certain highlight at the beginning of the next year.
We are of course talking about ‘Round Up’–their annual compilation in which artists from the past twelve months remix one another in a joyful, blind-draw exchange. Now returning for its twelfth iteration, the much-loved series brings together Dam Swindle, D Stone, Demuir, Tesfa Williams, Cinthie, Ossie, and GOME for another wide-ranging collection of future favourites.
Dam Swindle open the compilation with a tender reinterpretation of Ossie’s ‘Are U Still Smiling?’, injecting warm melodic colour and lush synth infusions to make for a loved-up gem with an effortless flow. Fellow Amsterdam talent D Stone then reshapes Cinthie’s ‘Deep Inside Love’ into an uptempo deep house burner, full of timeless chord work and vocal touches that tug at the heart. Chicago-based producer Demuir follows with his Playboi edit of ‘Move Over’ feat. ELY, softening the edges into a soulful groove where an instructional vocal and vamping chords bring the heat.
Tesfa Williams then channels his unmistakable UK energy into Dam Swindle’s ‘Open’–the title track from their acclaimed third album–fusing gritty shuffle, signature bass pressure, and no-nonsense grime vocals. Berlin house queen Cinthie transforms ‘House Music’ into a sleek, timeless anthem driven by deep chords and a killer bassline, before Ossie flips ‘Get It Together’ with trademark true school flair, R&B vocal hooks, and punchy drums.
Finally, Hamburg duo GOME deliver a smooth, soulful lift to Demuir’s ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’, layering silky chords over supple percussion while letting the original samples shine. The twelfth ‘Round Up’ once again captures the creative and collaborative spirit at the heart of Heist, adding yet another essential chapter to the series while affirming the label’s place as the quintessential “house of house”.
Verdict: Predictable-in a very nice way!
MANNIX 4.5 / 5
