SWIM - Love

Some vocals are so incredibly iconic that they can span decades, genres and all kinds of editing. It seems no matter how I encounter Leona Lewis' timeless classic "Bleeding Love," I'm always left in awe. Of course, the titular lyrics are immanently memorable but I'd venture to claim that the line used in the track below is just as much so.

"Love," from mysterious Melbourne-based producer SWIM, leans into the line "I'm in love with you," giving it a new dreamy analog bed. A triumph I encountered courtesy of Soundcloud's The Upload feature, this five-minute affair creeps quietly through its opening section, applying a cool calm from which Lewis' vocals emanate immaculately. As the crisp, yet inconspicuous percussion pushes "Love" ever higher, the vocal chops and synths really begin to soar, striding brilliantly and confidently towards the climactic final two minutes. And it is this fabulous final combination that makes "Love" such a beguiling beauty. SWIM combines all the best elements of his production in one momentous minute, authoring an utterly euphoric trance. Pair it with the Youtube visualizer and you might get a different feeling, but the immensely soulful strength of "Love" continues to pervade. Stream the seductive single below, get it now via pre-order of Somewhere, Somehow and follow SWIM's socials at the bottom.

SWIM · Love

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Throwback Thursday: Louis La Roche - Peach EP

For this week's installment of my TBT series, it is my pleasure to reintroduce the world to one of the greatest debut EP's ever released, the funky, disco-inspired, revitalized french house Peach EP from none other than Louis La Roche, ironically a Brit named Brett Ewels.

I can still vividly remember sitting in my friend's bedroom listening to his music, while he scrolled through his playlist of new music before he stopped the music dead, excitedly saying "oh shit, you have to hear this, it's so new and fresh, and no one knows who it is." Clicking on a track called "Love," with the artist name TB, who he said was rumoured to be Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk. The thumping bass at the start of the track was quickly overtaken by sultry synths and a Michael Jackson sample. Full of warmth and promise we were overcome by the track's intoxicating and inescapable vibe.

About a month later I got a Facebook message from my friend, saying that "Love" wasn't a Bangalter track, but actually some 17 year old named Louis La Roche, and it was part of a 5 track EP, Peach. I immediately headed to google to get myself some Peach, and what I found quickly became my most played EP of the year, from one of my new favourite artists. Full of funky, nu-disco numbers Peach, and the title track (my favourite from the EP) will forever remain firmly entrenched in my psyche.

I cannot confirm nor deny that I reacted the same way as the people in this video, when I first heard "Peach." But I can confirm that my friends and I did boogie down to Louis' EP repeatedly, gobbling up everything we could find of his. The beauty of the Peach EP not only lies in the radical and revolutionary sounds that Louis brought to the table but the wide range of samples, and sounds he puts to use throughout the EP. No track sounds like another yet each has an intrinsic tie to the next.

Over the years, Louis has remixed countless tracks and released several EPs, always able to maintain his original aesthetic and artistry, while continuing to carve a path of his own. Other standout tracks from that time are his A-Ha remix, his original "Malfunction," his Jean Jacques Smoothie remix, his remix of The Knocks and Fred Falke, his Lemaitre remix, and his two side projects: Paddywaggle "Bash Your Brains"and EWE "Lingo."

If you want to find out more about the story behind "Love" I highly recommend a stroll down memory lane with this blog post from Solid Goldberger, complete with links to download the entire EP.

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