Dam Swindle

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
1 of 2 WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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 T om 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.