Blackpool Boulevard by Anish Kumar & Barry Can’t Swim

Edinburgh born, London based producer Barry Can’t Swim teams up with rising artist Anish Kumar for a nostalgically euphoric new single titled ‘Blackpool Boulevard’, out now on Ninja Tune imprint Technicolour. A cinematic piano-house odyssey built around jam session-esqe chords and orchestral strings, ‘Blackpool Boulevard’ is inspired by the lively, fluid energy of Northern Soul music. "It was important for Blackpool Boulevard to invoke the feeling of a live session despite being crafted entirely digitally", commented Anish.

Blackpool Boulevard was born out of an idea Anish had back in 2019, which he then shelved, marking it an unfinished demo. Nearly 2 years later Barry heard the demo, after the pair connected online over a mutual appreciation of each other's music, and instantly fell in love with it. “I knew immediately what I wanted to contribute to it,” he added. From there they went back and forth sculpting the track, an organic process which marks the first collaborative projects for both Kumar and Barry. "Over summer we moulded the track into a recording that brandishes hallmarks from both myself and Barry that meld together into a lively production,” Anish adds, “with the intention to strike a balance between groove and grandeur."

Movement and energy lie in all aspects of the track for Anish and Barry, inspired by Northern Soul music and dances at iconic venues like Wigan Casino. “It's very cinematic music but also loose, you can dance to it and that's what we wanted when creating ‘Blackpool Boulevard” Barry commented, “We wanted it to nod to the past but with a modern twist”. The track has already received amazing Radio 1 support from the likes of Danny Howard, Sarah Story and Pete Tong who selected it as his Essential New Tune and described it as “an utterly infectious modern dancefloor classic”.

On Barry’s debut EP this year he received impressive radio support from the likes of Elton John, Pete Tong, Jaguar, Danny Howard, Lauren Laverne, The Blessed Madonna, KEXP and Annie Mac who named him as one of her ‘New Names for 2021’. Press support has been seen from Mixmag, Clash and Dummy to name just a few. Alongside recording a recent Triple J mix, he also performed at FLY Open Air this summer, who then announced him as club resident for 2022 and has been in writing sessions with Biig Piig and Laurence Guy.

Upcoming producer Anish Kumar, based in Cambridge where he is currently a veterinary medicine student, is most certainly one to watch. His production style (the synthesis of an early interest in hip hop and later immersion in all forms of dance music) caught the attention of Annie Mac, Jaguar and Jax Jones, who all supported Anish’s self released track ‘Little Miss Dynamite’ earlier this year.

‘Blackpool Boulevard’ is out now on Technicolour.

Hi, I'm Barry, and I Can't Swim