Swindle is an interesting one. 
My first experience of swindle was through his output on Deep Medi. This found him rolling out a set of dubstep bangers that showcased an impressive ability for composition without losing the vibe of the track. 

However, despite being clearly accomplished, I felt that this juxtaposition of melodic introduction and full-fat bass banger was something’s grating.

As both his sound and notoriety developed we saw Swindle release his first full-length album – Long Live The Jazz. Clearly jazz-influenced, these compositions leaned toward the multi-instrumental side whilst providing tactical tracks (Start me up) to let everyone know he can cut the mustard on the dance floor. 

The next few years saw Swindle move to release his own album Peace Love and Music. Which, reminiscent of Tom Misch’s 7 day Mischon, saw Swindle globe-trotting and collaborating with artists across tempos and time zones. 
A great bit of work; however, it felt like a sketchbook to me. A collection of well executed and tracks and ideas, a testament to collaboration and music production itself.

For my money I felt it didn’t have structure, lose themes and ideas which wouldn’t necessarily stand up on their own. Though Swindle is definitely one to watch and following a few EP’s on the Butterz label I was keen to see what form his next .

Swindle – No More Normal

There comes a point after following an artist where everything just clicks. with 11 tracks and clocking in at just over half an hour, this is a tour-de-force of UK-based hip hop and bass music. Even as I type this sentence I know that I’m criminally underselling it.

When I listened to this, I realised what Swindle had been cooking up. Essentially establishing himself as a DJ Khaled style fixer – putting together a swathe of the UK artists and selflessly showboating production that captures the mood and flips the script on typical the expectations – Take it Back being a notable example of this.

Following on from Children of Zeus, it feels like the UK has developed confidence to support artists that do something a little different. Music is one of our biggest exports however people seem to reserve the praise for indie bands or pop superstars.

‘But Jimmy’, you say as you alternate between wagging your finger and shaking your head knowingly ‘the uk scene has been fantastic for years, we’ve got all this great grime and techno and drum and bass and don’t you remember Disclosure? They saved house music!’

Yes. I remember Disclosure. What I’m getting at here is that we’re starting to see a new age of music, which shows the silo’s of genre and tempo being broken down, with some fantastic collaborations coming out of the wood work. It’s always an exciting time for UK music, this record just makes me feel like everyone’s involved.