Imagine by Wanderist

Dam Swindle's Wanderist returns to Aus Music with club-ready three tracker, Imagine.

The Dutchman's third EP for the label blends breakbeats and house rhythms into fulsome electronic soundscapes.

Wanderist is the solo project of Maarten Smeets, half of the influential Dam Swindle duo. With that project and their Heist Recordings label, Smeets has spent the last decade-plus touring the world's best clubs and festivals and cooking up timeless house sounds across a wide spectrum of sub-genres. Earlier this year, they dropped their third full-length Open, which was a personal deep dive into a range of melancholic, ethereal sounds that often veered away from the dance floor and into lush home-listening.

This new EP finds Smeets back in club mode and tapping into personal inspirations, from dreamy electro to dubby techno. Following his previous two outings on this label in 2020 and 2021 - which picked up support across the board from tastemakers like Len Faki, Anastasia Kristensen, Josh Wink and Luke Slater plus plays on BBC Radio 1, Ibiza Sonica and many more - he taps into fresh rhythms and a futuristic energy that moves body and mind.

Opener 'Imagine' has shimmering synth work bringing scale to crisp, well-programmed broken beats. Careful, tender synth sequences layer in unresolved suspense while refracted vocal fragments and glitchy textures push into an otherworldly space. 'Wait' is a speedy cut built on deft but kinetic broken beats with a free-roaming bassline leading up to the stars. It's an immersive sound with lush layers of synths and cascading arps all dragging you into their orbit. 'Just a Groove' maintains the momentum with sparkling chords and urgent, cantering drums. Progressive melodies glow while the most subtle of trance chords hint at old school hands-in-the-air euphoria.

Searching for new ways to express himself, Maarten Smeets (one half of Detroit Swindle) has found a new perspective on music in his alter ego “Wanderist”. Here, he shares his unique view on contemporary electronic music with strong influences from dub, electro, techno and ambient in tempo’s that match the intensity, funk and drive of his sound.