Swindle - Do The Jazz [EP]

Swindle made a name for himself by releasing material and remixes on the UK grime-with-funk label Butterz and others, he now returns with an EP on the massively respected and influential Mala-helmed Deep Medi Musik label. Mala, widely regarded as the lynchpin of the dubstep genre, has slowly guided his label releasing different sounds that manage to fit the ever-shifting expectations of what is considered “dubstep” from Goth-Trad’s sub-bass exercises to the more trance-like elements of V.I.V.E.K . This, however, is a bit different. Artists like Silkie and Quest who have releases on Medi brought forth a more jazz tinged interpretation of the usual minimal dubstep sound and Swindle pushes this further on this EP.

Opening track “Do The Jazz” opens with gentle strums, claps and a simple humming vocal, but then the irresistible drop soon shoves aside any decorum. The prodding bassline and intermittent wobbling synths play host to a catchy drum pattern that persists for a short while before all the introductory components return to close out the tune.

“Under The Sun” is next up, manages to be even more immediate, the starting melody is snatched from your ears almost as soon as you sink into it, which is no bad thing as what follows is g-funk-soaked climbing synths punctuating the same beach bouncing-style drums from “Do The Jazz”. Of all the tunes on the EP, I reckon this will be the one that Butterz loyalists will like the most, as it’s a bit more rough and ready than the other tracks.

The final track, “If I Was A Super Hero” is, simply put, fucking cool. I’m talking Girl Unit – “Ensemble” cool. The funky keys, drum work and synths come together in such a wonderous harmony that it creates what I reckon dubstep would be if produced by Dr. Dre in the 1990’s g-funk era. For me it’s the highlight of an already solid EP. With the consistency of the Deep Medi Musik label recently – with quality releases from Mensah, Commodo and Dub Mechanics – I am really excited to see where Mala will take us in 2012.