What’s Tre Listening To is a series of posts where our host shares highlights of his recent listening habits: old, new or anywhere in between.

Swardy – Palomino

Benjamin Swardlick’s music is tailor-made to make you smile. Perhaps known best as one–third of the M Machine, Swardy’s more recent work is lower-key and more down to earth than the arena-ready bass music he engineered alongside bandmates Eric Luttrell and Andy Coenen — you’re not going to find much in the vein of the drops on “Moon Song” or “Promise Me A Rose Garden” with his solo project.

Paring down the more aggressive elements isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the music, though, as long as the emotional center remains strong. Mechanized name be damned, The M Machine’s work always stood out among the lineup of early 2010s OWSLA signees because it displayed an impressive amount…