Sampling “Soul Makossa” in 2026 takes some nerve, given Manu Dibango’s original has already been looted by everyone from Michael Jackson to Rihanna. Melé’s version earns the theft by treating it as a proper house workout instead of a lazy interpolation — that famous “mama-ko” chant gets chopped, pitched, and ridden over a stripped kick that Defected could bottle and sell. The groove is deceptively simple; there’s maybe four elements in the mix at any given moment, and the space between them is where all the swing actually lives. It hit its stride for me around the three-minute mark when a second percussion layer sneaks in and the whole thing tilts from “nice” to “why am I standing up.” Melé has always understood that a good house record is about restraint, about knowing which one thing to add next and when. This is peak-time material that never once tries too hard. The kind of track a DJ drops at exactly the right moment and gets a knowing roar for. Ancient hook, brand new legs.
1 min read
Melé - Soul Makossa
1-min read. About as long as a Coldplay key change takes to ruin a song.
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📼 From the vault
Andrew Bayer & Vancouver Sleep Clinic - Burn For You
Aug 2026 —
Andrew Bayer lets Vancouver Sleep Clinic's falsetto carry a 2am comedown record home. Patient, pretty, and it never wears thin.