Artist: Hisham Samawi
Title: Holding On / Spirals
Label: Native Theory Records
By: Chloe Harris | 25 August 2004
Tracklist:

• A: Holding On
• B: Spirals

Hisham Samawi "Holding On / Spirals"

Hisham Samawi set up Native Theory to showcase his sets and productions, and works with various artists and DJs from around the world. Born in Tripoli, Libya and raised in Switzerland, but now based in New York, Hisham has always had a passion for music. His production group Dirty Gringos have become a staple in tech house sets with their legendary tune 'Cowbell' and now he's out on his own showcasing his own brand of house, electro, and techno infused beats. His tunes and remixes have been found in many DJ boxes, from the "click beat elite" and also that of James Zabiela, who used both of these tunes on his highly acclaimed 'ALiVE’ CD for Renaissance. 'Holding On' and 'Spirals' touch on new found sounds; electro zaps and beeps mix with wafting synth layers, while acid chews away at the insides. Bouncy beats attack crazy vocal snips and spit out full on funk. Give this a whirl, it's sure to stay fresh in your head.

'Holding On' is a sneaky tune that utilizes Hisham’s vocals as the hook. Starting in with cool techy drums, clicky claps and electro pops, zaps and zooms, bouncy percussion sets the tone for two deep stabs that makes the tune swing side to side. The vocals make their way in, cut up and similar to beat box scatting. Trippy effects hide in the background, while wiggly curly sounds and mental beeps roll with a groovy bassline till the end.

'Spirals' has a nice old school breakbeat flavor that starts in with cool zaps and tones that rub the beats feverishly. A stab comes in creating a solid groove, while a wafting synth layer glides in, warming up the beats and introducing a thick bassline. Acid takes charge over the tune, and brings in a girls vocal snip and new techy percussion before it drops into a short break. Electro sounds move in and the song grows into a mellow grooved out acid tune.

The first release for Hisham's label Native Theory is a nice package made for warming up the dancefloor and minds all around the world. Here's to the second release, as it's sure to be a doozy once again.