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CD
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SVT 129CD
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Berlin-based DJ and producer Niko Schwind presents his third album Grippin' World. This album captivates listeners with its versatility and coherence, and kidnaps them to a world of sound, made up of elegantly reduced grooves, organic arrangements and accessible vocal melodies. "Don't Stop Your Love" offers an inviting entrance with its full-bodied broken beats and dreamy chords, while the title's lyric repeats itself to form a mantra. With "Perfect Fit" we are handed an initial highlight, as Heartbeat's warm voice and a simple guitar-loop form a flawless musical symbiosis, accentuated by a synthetically creaking bass-line. Niko thus proves he's more than capable of practicing restrained minimalism with a pop impact. Crystal-clear claps and a stuttering rhythm then introduce "You Can't Stop Me," and provide the backbone for soulful r'n'b vocals, again sung by Heartbeat. Next, "Twenty-Four" surprises as an old-school-leaning hip-hop track -- here, everything revolves around clever sampling, quirky instrumentation and a mildly paranoid lead melody. Niko then ups the tempo on "My Heart Is on Fire," one of two collaborations with the Australian singer Lil' Magdalene. We are treated to classical pumping piano house, which wouldn't have been out of place in early '90s Manchester. Thanks to a healthy dose of the TB-303, "Saturday" initially also nods towards the old school, yet evolves into a grooving deep-house burner. Timeless chords and soulful hooks set the tone, much like on the following track, "Suffering (feat. Sergi)." Things take a turn for the tougher on the title-track "Grippin' World," as a monstrous bass-line wraps itself around Lil' Magdalene's beguiling voice. Niko then presents another slice of hip-hop, which delights with feel-good piano-rolls and a pinch of funk. Next up, "Beautiful Place" is simply hypnotic due to the ominous spoken-word, which rides atop of dub chords and a pressing bass-line towards nirvana. Supported by Serge Erége's wonderful voice, the relaxed groove and sunny synth-stabs of "Higher Love" offer a contrast -- light-footed tropical house crafted for the dancefloor. "Fantasia" bids us farewell with its nostalgic piano keys and sweet synths. On Grippin' World, Niko Schwind clearly emphasizes that music is the emotional extension of the heart.
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12"
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SVT 128EP
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Berlin-based DJ and producer Niko Schwind consistently demonstrates a deeply-anchored love for and close bond to house music, the art form he himself has tamed. Here are some tracks from his third album Grippin' World (SVT 129CD) -- an album which will captivate listeners with its versatility and coherence, elegantly-reduced grooves, organic arrangements and accessible vocal melodies. "Perfect Fit" is an absolute highlight, as Heartbeat's warm voice and a simple guitar-loop form a flawless musical symbiosis. Niko turns in a reduced, tool-oriented club cut, and the hitherto unknown Proud bursts onto the scene with a dreamy arrangement centered around atmospheric synths on his remix.
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12"
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SVT 081EP
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On "All I Want," Niko Schwind lures you into a deep abyss aided by a straight groove, rapid vocal stutters, swampy bass line, subtle piano and a female voice. "We Are the Future" is a Schwind anthem that boils over with positive enegry. While the excellent percussion highlights Niko's craftsmanship, Lil' Magdalene's jazzy voice should enchant even the biggest doubter. "Fellow" invites you to throw your hands into the air, while "Get Down" saturates with dubby chords and wonky synths.
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12"
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SVT 062EP
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Here is the second vinyl EP from Niko Schwind's Good Morning Midnight (SVT 060CD). Two tracks feature clicky tech-house boys Channel X: "Back From The Bar" sounds a little wobbly, a little drunk and a little crazy, but also pretty magical. "Don't Turn the Lights On" is a more straightforward dancefloor track, with a trumpet as the main protagonist. The magical connection between Niko and Oliver Koletzki can be heard on "Master Of Ceremony" and "Good Morning" features singing by Fran.
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12"
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SVT 061EP
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Here comes the first vinyl EP from Niko Schwind's Good Morning Midnight (SVT 060CD). "Midnight" is percussive tech-house that features some pretty wasted vocals, stomping bass sounds and pizzicato strings. "Shine" features an oldschool bassline, some great vocal samples and a wonderful piano melody. "Wake Up" (featuring Staller) is percussive and funky tech-house that includes some vintage organs. David August's exclusive remix features vocals by Fran and is an emblematic, energetic '90s house track that still feels very 2011.
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CD
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SVT 060CD
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For his second album, Niko Schwind has produced ten tracks of house music that follow a musical journey from a pop-infused intro to musical dancefloor anthems. Good Morning Midnight starts out with the vocal house track "Good Morning" that features singer Fran. This collaborative track is a slow-paced house groover with Fran's whispered vocals acting as the perfect starting place for this album. The use of the piano seems central to Niko's productions in this track and it remains a central element on the album. "Shine" is a track that slowly pulsates through a very prolific oldschool bassline, featuring some great vocal samples and, yes, a wonderful harmonic piano melody. Things get a little more technological on "Playground Love," which features the typical "Schwind"-groove that is comprised of some punchy beats and vocal samples on the loop. Then, "People" kicks things off in a deeper direction. The deep and slow-paced synthesizer melody juxtaposes the quite hectic nature of the loop and the bassline on this track. The result is a beautifully deep hit that seems perfect for the start of the peak-time. Aiming for the peak-time itself is the track "Midnight" that is best described as percussive tech-house that features some pretty wasted vocals, stomping bass sounds and pizzicato strings. For the second part of the album, Niko got together with some of his closest production partners. First up are two tracks with his label buddies from Channel X with whom he has produced two melodic tech-house tracks. "Back From The Bar" sounds like the title suggests: a little wobbly, a little drunk, a little crazy, but also pretty magical. "Don't Turn The Lights On" is a more straightforward dancefloor track with the trumpet playing the main part in this. "Wake Up" featuring Staller is another percussive and very funky tech-house affair with some real vintage organs and vocal samples. Things stay very funky on the track that Niko did together with Oliver Koletzki. "Master Of Ceremony" is a chopped-up house track with epic dimensions. When things get to the piano breakdown, they get very musical and colossal before dropping back into a great house track. Last up is "Coming Home," a very slow-moving ambient track that features Patrick Blasa. This almost jazzy and leftfield song with some great vocals perfectly closes the circle of the album that started slow and ends in a similar way. Niko Schwind is a magician when it comes to producing very fine and mature pieces of house music that are sure to work great on the dancefloor.
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12"
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SVT 044EP
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Niko Schwind's Midnightfunk EP kicks off with the title track that features the great Chicago-esque vocal skills of Patrick Blasa. Imagine a sticky slap bass, cowbells, high-pitched vocals and low-pitched male laughing, plus a somewhat jetlagged piano. With "Just A Groove," Niko dips deeply into the world of crescendo tech-house while "Sonderbar" takes a more jazzy approach to the tech-house music of 2010. Weird, slightly minimal, but still very musical.
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