Jahcoozi, “Ali McBills (Robert Johnson 6am X-Ray Italo Rework)” [Careless] (buy)
Ata and Sasse had the right idea in morphing the tune’s iron lung dub into a disoriented mover and shaker, still woozy from drinking that barium & vodka cocktail. Sasha Perera’s dusky pipes are so effortlessly flirty and used in perfect proportion, nonchalantly standing above the moving sidewalk of synth arpeggios and heedlessly warped motifs. Ewan Pearson had the right idea kicking off his Fabric comp with this tune.

Black Science Orchestra, “Save Us (The Jam)” [Junior Boy’s Own]
I doubt I was the only person disappointed by the rather over-hyped “Free Your Mind,” Jay Haze and Villalobos’ most recent collaboration. For a tune that was supposed to embody carefree summer vibes, it lacked zest and spontaneity; and that guitar solo, while well chosen, adds little from so far back in the mix. By contrast, the Black Science Orchestra seem to have written muggy good times straight into the DNA of “Save Us,” and “The Jam” version reminds us where an arcing fuzzy guitar solo belongs: all over the place. Even the (mercifully short) sax solo can’t bog down this track, which will likely appear in as many house mixes as I can record. Leave it to the classics!

Daso, “Daybreak” (Jona remix) [My Best Friend]
A friend and I were talking the other day about how under-appreciated Daso was, which prompted me to browse through his releases and find this. Jona is a kind butcher to the track, more of a parent cutting bite size pieces of meaty synths with boxcutting percussion. A lean cut for a choosy dance floor.