visionary Electronic muso Barry Can’t Swim – moniker of Scot JOshua Mainnie – hits the ground running with debut When Will We Land?
Barry may not be able to swim – but he can certainly fly. His colourful amalgamation of house jazz and organic electronica allows him to soar above the mildew of bang-average dance hits and careen into a sort of New Dance Revolution. A term not coined yet, but Barry may be the first to lead revolution into clubs everywhere.
The first song I heard of Barrys’ was God Is The Space Between Us, a late contender to 2022’s outings that actually ended up quite a good pay-off in terms of payouts. Deeply rooted in electronics, it was a dance hit marvel amongst the traditionalists. The second song that I heard upon accident was Deadbeat Gospel. Crammed into my recommended playlist at the time, it personified just how far he had come. A euphoric omen to the ministers of sound, the DJ-techno giants of Chase N Status and Faithless that paved the way for future icons of the game – the Dom Dollas, the Fred Agains, the Overmonos of this generation – If God is a DJ we pray that he plays / Deep basses / Forever and ever and ever and ever, Amen.” Okay, it’s safe to say he’s got our attention now.
Hi I’m Barry and I Can’t Swim. //
The way we listen to our alternative electronic picks is changing. It’s an altar of harmony, community and… serotonin. It’s the people-pleaser appetiser for the start of your summer festival and the end of it. If anything, it’s the Sunday At Glasto. It’s the discotheque waverings, the nightclub head-bops – the true original soundscape of the cat vibing gif. The abstract nature of Barry Can’t Swim‘s debut fits in the crowd of like-minded electronic enthusiasts, but the implementation of mellow house and afro-beat productions makes onlookers stop and stare. Whimsical Sonder is a beautiful portrayal of this – the angelic vocals; the spiralling piano like butterflies. How It Feels is his more organic feel of “traditional” techno electronic; an easy to follow chorus, pulsating bass samples – y’know the sort. Sunsleeper picks up his artistry ten-fold; a soon-to-be house stunner giving off whiffs of Confidence Man‘s own take on things. While Woman is a piano-heavy redux that is ultimately Barry at his jazziest/funkiest. It’s Bonobo-level of ambience, perfect for brain food in concentration.
If you need one song that answers the question – “well what sets Barry from the rest of ’em?” It would be Dance of the Crab. A bold cut of bending club sounds with an afro beat-jazz that very much harks back to his original take first dabbled on 2021’s Amor Fati – folks’ first introduction to the Scottish producer.
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