Dim Mak has always had an ear for the bigger, brasher end of electronic music, and Axel Knox’s “Set You Free” fits that lineage neatly. This is a confident, festival-minded track with a vocal hook designed to be screamed back by ten thousand people at once. The build is patient and deliberate, stacking tension until the drop arrives with genuine impact rather than just noise. There’s a euphoric streak running through it that recalls the golden era of big-room without feeling like a stale rehash. Knox clearly knows his way around an emotional payoff, the breakdown lands with real weight before the energy comes roaring back. The production is glossy in a way that suits the ambition, every element polished to a shine. It’s unapologetic main-stage music and I have zero problem with that. Sometimes you want subtlety, and sometimes you want to throw your hands in the air like an idiot. This is firmly the second kind. Press play and feel briefly invincible.
January
Chrome Daydream
Chrome stars, jelly hearts and holographic colour. A nod to the glossy, optimistic graphics of the early web.