Tian - Smooth

Smooth is an earned title. Tian drops something here that lives up to its name without becoming boring — which is harder to do than it sounds in DnB where “smooth” often means “neurofunk with fewer sharp edges and twice the blandness.” This isn’t that. The track has a warmth running through it that feels intentional at every point. Shogun Audio has been putting out releases that sit at the more refined end of the spectrum for years, and Tian fits right in that space. The bass work in the low end here is particularly good — it rolls without being overbearing, which takes more restraint than you’d think. There’s a vocal sample chopped up in the second half that adds a texture the track would be noticeably worse without. You don’t always notice the right choices until you think about what would happen if they weren’t there. This is one of those tracks.

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