"With tastes of UK breaks, electro, bassline and 90s happy hardcore, ‘Swamp Circuit’ remains headstrong in its focus throughout - with no punch withheld, nor emotion unexplored."
Following releases on Shall Not Fade, Seven, and Big Trouble Records, Canadian producer Andre Zimmer steps up to deliver his debut on Craigie Knowes – ‘Swamp Circuit’ – a compact 4-track EP predominantly conceived during time spent in London, and originally deriving from hardware jams that instinctively blossomed into fully rounded tracks.
With flavours from across the cuisine of UK dance culture, Zimmer quickly “felt as though the EP would sit perfectly on the Craigie Knowes’ catalog”, complimenting the wonky yet hard hitting rhythms that have been associated with the Perth-based label since its inception. With tastes of UK breaks, electro, bassline and 90s happy hardcore, ‘Swamp Circuit’ remains headstrong in its focus throughout – with no punch withheld, nor emotion unexplored. This balance provides a well sculpted journey through a versatile sonic landscape, as well as distinctly measured pace and story-telling behind the record.
Opening the affair with ‘Pushing My Buttons‘, Zimmer immediately states his intentions, with snappy, transient-heavy percussion paired with eerie synth ostinati and mazy bass sequencing, demanding attention right out of the gate. The meat of the EP sub, so-to-speak, consists of two impeccably crafted breaks-centred tracks, ‘Swamp Circuit‘ and ‘Flashing Red‘. Both ripe for use during anytime of night – each encompassing riveting high-energy required for the dancefloor, whilst simultaneously making room for the dreamy liberation of an after-hours number.
Closing track ‘Broken News’, however, sits even more firmly within this double-life, principally thanks to the infectious dose of electro that jumpstarts the piece. This sets the tone until a rhythmically synced dial tone joins the fray, introducing swelling pads that underpin the work, and leading into a voicemail message of just the right amount of sultry content.
All that’s left to complete a delicious sonic cocktail is a swirling hypnotic 303 sequence, which arrives subtly undercover of its renowned lowpass filter. With each appearance the acid almost instantly takes over, building a sense of apprehension which is consequently dissipated by the reintroduction of lush atmospheric pads and the occasional breakdown, before being abruptly snapped back into euphoric mania by the electro-infused funk of the rhythm section.
As with all great acid tunes, the bassline resides in the goldilocks zone of filtering, never straying too far beyond the confines of its sound yet always demanding attention with just the right amount of resonance at a given moment. All whilst being neatly complimented by a wash of dulcet tones from the harmonic padding, and an eccentric groove that punctuates the mix in all the right places.
‘Swamp Circuit’ is out now via Craigie Knowes. Order a copy from Bandcamp
TRACKLIST
1. Pushing My Buttons
2. Swamp Circuit
3. Flashing Red
4. Broken News