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!

Is this love?

Set It All Free EP
Label - Quintessentials
Released - 25th April 2025
BUY FROM - https://quintessentials.bandcamp.com/album/set-it-all-free

Yessss! Here it is! The comeback we have all been waiting for! Borrowed Identity is back! This classy producer and DJ from the German Black Forest has been making his mark some years ago (well it has been nearly a decade now) with releases on labels like Quintessentials (3 EPs to be precise), Circus Company or Foul & Sunk to name but a few. Now he teams up again with his Sandkastenbuddy Mechanical Soul Brother to present some super groovy, deep yet powerful and uplifting House tunes! Grab your copy and enjoy a hot summer!

Support ➟➟
https://soundcloud.com/quintessentials
https://www.instagram.com/qemusic/

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Bandcamp

PREMIERE: Borrowed Identity & Mechanical Soul Brother - Set It All Free [Quintessentials]

B1. Glenn Davis - True To Yourself

BUY:
https://lisztomaniarec.bandcamp.com/album/savor-expedition

PREMIERE: Igor Gonya - Jazzed Up [Lisztomania]

Tokonoma Fridays

New spirit EP
A1 Ain’t no stoppin’
A2 New spirit
B1 No minions allowed
B2 Whatchu want is all I got
B3 New spirit (Juzz beatz)

House music doesn’t get much funkier than Demuir’s ‘New Spirit’ EP. Whether it’s the classic sampling on the title track – an homage to his mother-, or the rolling funk bass and vocal chops on ‘Ain’t no stoppin’ ‘, Demuir brings an unstoppable groove with his 2nd release on Heist.

The man behind so many great house records has kept himself rather busy with building his own fanbase, openly debating the role that big platforms play and the firm grip they have on talent. Rather than conforming to the standard route, Demuir chooses to navigate the winding road of building his own following through his production classes, engineering and music releases through artist-first channels like Patreon.

His recent move from Toronto to Chicago feels perfectly in line with the sound&nbsp;Demuir is bringing forward on his first record on Heist since his 2019 classic ‘Werq, feel, gruv, vogue’. Those 6 years were well worth the wait: The ‘New Spirit’ EP&nbsp; is a perfectly-balanced mix of creativity, confidence and character. The Demuir sound is instantly audible throughout the release and he’s not afraid to make bold choices. Each track has its own identity, its own place on the record and it’s one of the things that make this record stand out in the best way possible. The forward-leaning grooves, the tight mixing and the classic use of soulful samples are a treat to listen and dance to. There’s hints of the 90s New York sound (New Spirit), soulful disco-tinged grooves his new home-town is known for (Ain’t no stoppin’), lean-back and summery melodic grooves (No minions allowed) and deep, bassheavy dubby grooves (Whatchu want is all I got) to remind everyone that Demuir is an absolute master of modern day house music.

We’ve been playing all these songs for a while and we’re happy to finally share these with you.

As always, enjoy the music and play it loud!

Lars &amp; Maarten&nbsp;

New spirit EP

Buy vinyl here!

Demuir - No minions allowed

Artist: Tree Threes 
Release title: Deep Roots Vol. 5 
Label: House Salad Music
Release date: 14-Jul-25
Buy link:  https://housesaladmusic.bandcamp.com/album/deep-roots-vol-5

Tree Threes:
https://soundcloud.com/treethreesmusic

HSMD123 Tree Threes - Dwone Inside [House Salad Music]

At A Glance Records proudly presents its third chapter, AAG003, a standout debut from rising talent Harre.

As an offshoot of Small Great Things., At A Glance stays committed to curating forward-thinking house music with emotional resonance. AAG003 reflects this ethos, a record made for those who dig deep, whether behind the decks or lost in the music.

BUY:
https://smallgreatthings.bandcamp.com/album/harre-it-s-house-music-ep-aag003-at-a-glance

PREMIERE: HARRE - YOU GOT ME

#hsmpremiere
Artist: Kokode 
Track: The Way You Like It 
Release name: The Way You Like It 
Label: Fri By Frikardo
Buy link: https://fribyfrikardo.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-you-like-it

FRI continues to champion quality deep house with its 42nd release: "The Way You Like It" EP from Glasgow-based DJ and producer Kokode. With a refined ear for groove and mood, Kokode delivers four tracks rooted in classic deep house sensibilities—clean, minimal arrangements with lush chords, airy pads, and carefully placed vocal touches.
The title track, The Way You Like It, opens the EP with a warm pad-driven intro over a thick beat and syncopated bassline. It steadily builds toward a dreamy melodic twist, creating a contrast between groove and emotion that sets the tone for the release.
"Make People Happy" takes a brighter, more upbeat turn. A bouncy bass and sidechained strings provide momentum, while reversed pads give the track a floating, textured feel.
On" Here With You", Kokode leans into tactile, shuffling rhythms. The track features a bubbly bassline and warm male vocal chops, rounding off the EP with an intimate and soulful edge.
"Outerspace" closes the EP on a deeper note—a dusty, late-night creeper built around loopy, wobbly chords that slowly unravel into a mysterious spiral, leaving the listener suspended in a hypnotic groove.

Kokode
www.instagram.com/kokode777
www.soundcloud.com/kokode

Fri by Frikardo
www.soundcloud.com/fribyfrikardo
www.instagram.com/fribyfrikardo
www.facebook.com/fribyfrikardo


PREMIERE: Kokode - The Way You Like It [Fri By Frikardo]

Beggin' to Lose it (Chris Lake x Fisher mashup)

Free Download

CANT DECIDE (CONTENDR EDIT) [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Heist Recordings was founded by Dam Swindle as a means to gain full control over their own releases, and to create a stage for likeminded musicians to showcase their music. From the first release on, Dam Swindle’s “Break up to make up” EP in summer 2013, Heist has been a go to label for proper underground house and electronic music. Now, nearly 40 releases and 5 compilations in, Heist has brought forward artists like Frits Wentink, Nebraska, Adesse Versions, Fouk, Kassian, Nachtbraker and Alma Negra and continues to search for new talent, with Lars & Maarten fully focused on the A&R side of the label. 

Up till 2016, remixes on the label have been solely done by other original Heist artists on the yearly “Round up EP”, where the remixer and remixee get connected by the luck of the draw and a limited edition double pack is put out. After that, Maarten and Lars decided it was time to add remixers to the EP’s as well, which saw interesting collaboration, expanded the label family with names like Matthew Herbert, Tom Noble, Pépé Bradock, Ge-ology and Byron the Aquarius. 

In 2023 we've celebrated 10 years of Heist Recordings. The year showed a whole batch of releases by new artists like Byron the Aquarius, Amy Dabbs and Cinthie and by Dam Swindle themselves.