IN CONVERSATION WITH DAM SWINDLE
Interview by Samo Šajn
Dam Swindle is a dutch duo, known for their soulful take on house music and infectious live sets. With two acclaimed albums and countless EPs under their belt, they’ve earned a loyal following worldwide. Now, after a seven year break from full length releases, they return with Open, their most personal and wide ranging album to date.
After seven years, you're back with a new album, Open. What made now the right time for a full-length release?
The most practical reason is that the music was finally ready after years of working on it. But on a deeper level, this was the first time since we started releasing music that we approached a project without deadlines or boundaries. The songs came together very naturally. Some were done quickly in raw form, while others needed time, with live instrumentation and vocalists involved. That process took time, and we were happy to give it the space it needed.
You’ve described Open as your most personal and intimate work to date. What personal journey shaped the album?
We started working on Open right after Covid, which was a period of deep reflection for both of us. All our shows disappeared overnight. I was homeschooling two kids with a baby at home, while my wife Roos returned to work as a specialist nurse. Lars was stuck in an apartment, isolated, and figuring out new ways to earn a living. We both started solo projects outside of Dam Swindle, exploring music without any pressure. When we reunited in the studio, we had fresh energy and no expectations. The music we created felt warm, hopeful, upbeat, with a bit of melancholy. In many ways, the album mirrors the emotional journey we went through.
Girl featuring Faye Meana is the first single. How did that collaboration happen?
That song came together fast in demo form and had some vocal samples. We wanted to work with a female vocalist, so we started digging online "artists to watch" lists, our own playlists, stuff we were into. Faye’s track Giving It In stood out, and I noticed it harmonized with our track. I used an AI tool to extract her vocal, adjusted the pitch, and created a demo to show Lars. He loved it. We reached out to Faye and said, “We sampled your vocal and made something new. Want to collaborate?” Thankfully, she was into the idea. We recorded it in London in just one afternoon. It’s a house track, but with strong pop energy from her catchy vocal.
The album spans genres like synthwave, ambient, hip-house. What inspired the shift from your classic deep house sound?
Honestly, none of it was planned. That was the whole point, we just created without limits and let the album evolve on its own. House will always be our foundation, but we’ve always loved experimenting with slower songs, vocals, and live music. We’ve done that before with artists like Tom Misch and Mayer Hawthorne. With Open, we pushed that further while still keeping the Dam Swindle energy at the core.
How did that no-expectations approach change your studio workflow?
Surprisingly, it didn’t change things much. We’ve never had a fixed way of starting a track. It might be a sample, a chord, or just messing around with synths. For example, Bloom with Joep Beving started with a simple piano loop and some synth play. We realized a great pianist could elevate it, so I asked Joep. We recorded the whole thing in his studio on the piano he inherited from his grandmother. It shows how we let each song guide the process, and that approach runs throughout the album.
You’ve worked with Haile Supreme, Ric Wilson, and Joep Beving. What do you look for in a collaborator?
It’s not easy to collaborate on something personal with someone you don’t know. We try to find a shared vision and energy. With Faye and Ric, we recorded together in person. With Haile, it was remote, but we had listened to his work, talked to his past collaborators, and felt confident we could make it work. It helps when there’s mutual trust and good communication. On this album, we were lucky to work with talented people who made it easy to be honest and direct, which really helps bring out great performances.
How has running Heist Recordings influenced your creativity?
Running the label is intense, especially alongside our artist careers. We work closely with both up-and-coming and established artists, helping them make creative and business decisions around their releases. We’ve always tried to balance safe and risky choices, both for the label and our own music. The Heist sound has evolved over time, just like ours, but we try to keep it fresh and unpredictable. We love that some fans buy Heist records just because they trust our taste. That’s the highest compliment.
What do you hope listeners take away from Open?
We hope it gives listeners the same warmth, hope, and positive energy it gave us while making it. Longtime fans will hear a new side of Dam Swindle, but also plenty of the sound they first connected with. New listeners get a broad introduction to what we’re about, and if they enjoy it, there’s a deep discography waiting for them. We’re excited to share this new chapter.
