The whispered “touch me” hook on this is equal parts seductive and slightly menacing, the kind of vocal that works precisely because it’s a little uncomfortable. Shiba San has been moving floors since “Okay” became inescapable a decade ago, and teamed with Zack Darza he still knows exactly where the pocket is. The groove is classic Shiba San: deep and minimal, a bassline doing an enormous amount with very few notes. There’s a swing to the drums that a lot of tech house misses entirely, that human, slightly-behind-the-beat feel that makes you move instead of just nod. The track opens up around 2:40 with a filtered build that resolves into the meanest version of the groove, and that final stretch is where it earns its place. It never overplays its hand: no big breakdown, no drop reaching for the cheap seats, just a relentless, hypnotic push. This is a DJ’s tool made by someone who’s clearly still a DJ first. It sits in a set like it was always meant to be there.
January
Chrome Daydream
Chrome stars, jelly hearts and holographic colour. A nod to the glossy, optimistic graphics of the early web.