November: 7 bass releases you need to hear this month

Schwarz 'Everyday Is A Winding Road' (Nina Pop)

American regional club music has only started to get the worldwide attention it truly deserves in the past six years or so, even though most of the micro-genres have been gestating for decades (thank you, internet!). Of those, Baltimore breaks (or Bmore club) is maybe one of the least talked about, perhaps because of its sonic proximity to Jersey club (Baltimore itself is geographically pretty close to New Jersey, too); Detroit ghettotech and Chicago juke also serve as useful references here, too, especially in the way they loop vocal snips into catchphrases. Schwarz is the label head of Nina Pop and ‘Everyday Is A Winding Road’ is his debut EP. Besides the gritty club energy that runs at a hyped 130 bpm or so, ‘Everyday...’ is also notable for the vocalists he enlists. Each of the release’s four main tracks features original vocals from a variety of local Baltimore MCs including M.I.A. collaborator Blaqstarr except for ‘Gimme Cash (I Want More)’, which features Oakland’s Kreayshawn (she of ‘Gucci Gucci’ fame). The result is more fun and varied than you might think, especially with a bit of vocal processing, and Schwarz has a good ear for bangers.

8/10