ヴァイブス

A women in Pakistan chose the man she loved instead of the man her family wanted her to marry. That's why she's in prison.

In Pakistan, women can still be sent to prison for choosing who they love

Amsterdam natives Maarten Smeets and Lars Dales, aka Dam Swindle, unveil their third long-player with the release of a new track, the first to be shared from the upcoming album, ‘Open’ - out on 30 May 2025 via Heist Recordings.

The new album sees the acclaimed duo dive far beyond the deep sonic waters they’re most known for, exploring lower tempos, synthwave, hip-house, and ambient across fourteen tracks. With a gestation period that traces back several years, ‘Open’ is their most intimate and personal body of work thus far, birthed during a time of self-reflection away from touring and personal transformation as individuals.

“We felt the need to tell a very personal story through our music as a translation of our personal development in the past years. We also wanted to make music without a specific goal in mind; We simply wanted to create. By taking away the grid of dance music and any expectations of what a Dam Swindle song should sound like, the creativity started to flow naturally with songs in many different styles and tempos. The result is an album that feels refreshing and uplifting and still very much true to the heart and soul of our sound.” - Dam Swindle, January 2025.

While the trademark Dam Swindle four-to-the-floor beats are still ever-present on tracks like ‘The Present Is Always Perfect’, ‘I Need You’, and ‘Is This Love?’, it’s the gentle waves of synths on opener ‘Home’, the contemplative piano chords of ‘Bloom’ featuring Joep Beving, and the lo-fi ambience of ‘It’s Okay, I Can Wait’ that showcase a melancholic, ethereal sensibility previously uncharted by the duo. Collaborations with vocalists such as NYC’s Haile Supreme on ‘Not Enough’ and Neo-soul singer Faye Meana on ‘Girl’ expertly find room in between the dancefloor and home listening sessions, and a clear standout on the LP is the title cut where message-heavy rapped vocals from UK artist Samson ebb and flow amongst iridescent grooves.

Under the helm of Maarten and Lars’ adept A&R, their Heist imprint has become a beloved home for house heads of both schools old and new, platforming some of dance music’s biggest names from Cinthie to DJ Sneak as well as the musical dawnings of artists such as Kassian and Makèz. The Dam Swindle alias has achieved house music royalty-like status across a storied 15-year career that includes two critically lauded full-lengths, collaborations with the likes of Tom Misch and Kerri Chandler, and a globetrotting touring schedule. This album stands as their most profoundly personal work of art to date, and they can’t wait to share it with you.


Open

Buy here!

Dam Swindle - Not enough feat. Haile Supreme

Yeah True is an eclectic alternative pop duo based in Berlin. Comprised of vocalist/multi instrumentalist/producer Owen Ross (Oh_When) and producer/DJ/visual artist Oscar Bernal, the duo draw from a wide range of influences, sonically and beyond. While Ross was honing his craft touring as a guitarist and writing/producing in New York (collaborators include Lucius, The Who, DJ Amir, Murkage Dave, Jaykae, and more) Bernal was building his profile as an international DJ playing at such festivals as Garbicz, Waking Life, and Meadows In The Mountain and internationally renown clubs Club der Visionaere (Berlin), Kaiku (Helsinki) Papaya Playa Project (Mexico/Tulum) and more. The duo synthesize musicality with dancefloor sensibility creating gritty, playful, pop songs centered around Owen Ross’ smooth baritone. Their debut Album Another Stolen Bike is available on all platforms via Haunt Records.

Oh_when & Yeah True ‘Another Stolen Bike’
All music written by: Owen Ross and Oscar Bernal
Lyrics by: Owen Ross
Produced by: Owen Ross
Mixed by: Henning Grambow
Mastered by: Mat Leffler-Schulman
Album artwork by: Amanda Arrou-tea

Another Stolen Bike 

01_Airy_1644_v4

Don't Make Me Fall In Love

Don't Make Me Fall In Love (Timmy Regisford Vocal Mix (Radio Edit))

Don't Make Me Fall In Love (Timmy Regisford Vocal Mix)

Don't Make Me Fall In Love (Timmy Regisford Instrumental Mix)

Download/Vinyl/Stream: https://toy-tonics.lnk.to/FantasyEP

Following releases for the likes of Toy Tonics, Aus Music, Rhythm Section and Kitsuné Musique, Berlin/London based producer Arpy Brown drops the first EP under his own name. Having previously released under the name Athlete Whippet, Arpy is not new to the scene. His music has been supported by the likes of BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Mixmag, DJ Mag and Resident Advisor.

2024 has seen Arpy Brown take his joyful, high energy sets that combine club music’s intensity with the charm and intricacy of non-electronic, organic music, to stages across mainland Europe, the UK and as far as Australia and New Zealand. 2025 is a year of next steps for Arpy, with him launching his new live set alongside his new EP 'Fantasy' on Toy Tonics. On this EP, Arpy has truly found his voice. After having dabbled with adding his own vocals into his productions on recent records, this 4-tracker features present lead vocals by Arpy on all tracks; an element that is also key to the new live show. Kicking the year off with some debut shows in Southeast Asia, Arpy is set to return to Panorama Bar, alongside other legendary venues such as London's Village Underground and Oslo's Jaeger.

Taking a communal approach to music making, Robin co-founded Athlete Whippet together with long-term friend and collaborator Aviram Barath, who he co-ran artist collective and record label Squareglass with at the time. In line with this ethos, he's also been hosting intimate nights with DJs from far across the electronic music ecosystem since 2019. Guest sets from the likes of Seb Wildblood, Jitwam, Rebecca Vasmant, Fouk, Amy Dabbs, Hidden Spheres, Will Saul and some of the scene's brightest new talents have made for some unmissable parties in London's and Berlin's cosiest venues.

Arpy Brown's releases have also come with reworks from Ross from Friends, Baltra and Max Graef.

Released 09.05.25

Don't Make Me Fall In Love (Timmy Regisford Vocal Mix)

Basic Black

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