JOHN RICKETTS – REVIEWS – DANCE – ZONE MAGAZINE ISSUE 047

 

Aubrey Fry and Nick Stonyoff – St John [Balance]

– 10/10 TOP TUNE

Aubrey Fry arrives here with a rich back-catalog of expressive work: Out of Focus, Dubbed Out By Design, Like a Crime, WeAreWithYou, Grabbing Smoke, Inconsequential, plus collaborations such as Polaroid, St John, Baller, and Clouds Like Dreams. Each track has showcased his progressive-house artistry, balancing melodic depth with emotional nuance.

But it’s “Clouds Like Dreams” that steals the spotlight, a pumping beast. With its crackling, acid-tinged bass, relentless drums, and trance-fueled energy, it’s an adrenaline rush reminiscent of classic main‑room euphoria. Build-ups swirl cosmic synths, whispered vocals ask questions, and the drop hits with nuclear force, pure dance‑floor magnetism.

The title track St John offers introspective contrast, melding atmospheric pads and warm percussion into a moving, deep‑tech experience. Together, this release is a masterclass in range, intimate storytelling and peak-floor intensity. Flawless execution.

 

Four Tet – Into Dust (Still Falling) [XL Recordings]

– Recommended Tune – 10/10

Four Tet’s “Into Dust (Still Falling)” is a masterful reawakening of Mazzy Star’s dreamy classic. Anchored by Hope Sandoval’s haunting vocals and signature guitar plucks, Kieran Hebden weaves them into a spacious tapestry of skittering percussion and celestial synths. The result is both heartfelt and danceable, a gentle yet euphoric experience.

What makes this track truly shine is its live presence. Four Tet has showcased it multiple times, dropping it “under the bridge in Brooklyn” and electrifying crowds at Glastonbury 2025, a testament to its emotional impact and resonance. Fans first embraced bootleg versions at The Forum, Portola, and Lot Radio, and its official release feels like a long-awaited gift.

By sampling Mazzy Star’s iconic “Into Dust” (1993), Hebden honors the original’s nostalgic core while layering his intricate, rhythmic artistry. This is Four Tet at his finest, emotive, immersive, and transcendent. 

 

DJ Koze, Bill Callahan, Everything Is Recorded, Noah Cyrus – Porcupine Tattoo (DJ Koze remix) [XL Recordings] – 9/10

DJ Koze’s remix of “Porcupine Tattoo” is a stylish, emotive reinvention that honors the original while carving its own path. The original version, with its hypnotic grooves and shimmering melodies, made waves among underground tastemakers and earned high praise for its textured depth and subtle emotional pull.

Koze steps in with characteristic finesse, folding his signature melodic flair into spacious sound design and gentle builds. Drawing on a rich history of standout remixes including his transformative takes on Herbert’s “It’s Only”, Moderat’s “Bad Kingdom”, and Mount Kimbie’s “Made to Stray”, he reimagines Porcupine Tattoo as a warm, evolving landscape. His recent productions continue this line, his 2025 album Music Can Hear Us carries forward that same unshakeable blend of nostalgia and innovation.

Here, Koze lets subtle percussion and lush pads rise and recede, weaving in melodic fragments that vanish softly, leaving a lingering emotional echo. It’s not a dance‑floor bomb, but a deeply moving reinterpretation, intimate, immersive, and impeccably executed. 

 

Samiro – Truth Ruth [Likeminded Music] – 9/10

Samiro, known for earlier club‑floor heaters like “Never Said”, “Right Time” and “Keep It Moving”, raises the bar again with this release on Likeminded Music. “Truth Ruth” is a relentless groove: the drums punch with crisp authority, the bassline swings with funk‑driven bounce, and every detail in the mix is razor‑sharp.

The track has earned serious support from DJs, picked up in key tech‑house sets and prominently featured on BBC Introducing playlists. Its production is impressively clean: dynamic layering, tight mixing, and intoxicating rhythm design.

“Truth Ruth” is simultaneously crafted for peak-time dance‑floor impact and studio-grade clarity. Essential stuff. 

 

Aler – Make Me [Try To Find Sound] – 9/10

Aler returns with “Make Me,” a stunning new entry in his steadily growing catalog of emotionally charged Organic House tracks. Known for previous releases like “In Between Worlds” and “Let Me Go,” Aler continues to refine his emotive, melodic style with precision and soul. “Make Me” is a slow-burning, deeply textured journey that wraps around you with soft percussion, organic atmospheres, and ethereal vocal fragments that feel both intimate and expansive.

There’s a quiet emotional weight here, nostalgia, longing, even a sense of quiet hope, that lingers throughout the track’s six-minute progression. It’s the kind of piece that doesn’t just ask you to dance, but to feel. Aler has crafted another beauty, mature, moving, and unmistakably his.