Amsterdam duo Detroit Swindle is the type of act that makes house music look deceptively simple. Back on Dirt Crew after a successful outing on Jimpster's Freerange and Huxley's Saints & Sonnets, they kick off this EP with a title track that showcases their command of vocal samples—in this case a classic piece of gospel testifying—massaging it for maximum emotional impact. It sits atop Rhodes-style pulses, brooding synth swells and ice-crisp snares that are detonated by a thumping bassline dropped after the breakdown.
"John Doe" feels almost skeletal in comparison, perhaps a vestigial example of their love of hip-hop. It shudders to the accompaniment of thudding bass synths and miasmic pads. The prime edit skills of Jonathan Moore/Leftside Wobble get a run-out on his rerub of "Guess What." More emotionally-wrought than the original, Moore introduces miaowing analogue keys and percussive synth tics and straps them to some Jersey-esque drum patterns. Back with the Swindle boys, "Nova" goes a bit samba with chunky, vibrant organ chords and whipcracking percussion.
