Tchami - 'Proud' / 'Ghosts’

From humble origins as far back as 2013’s ‘Promesses/Shot Caller’ to recent high-profile 2019 partners ‘Aurra/Shades’, French producer Martin Bresso’s project Tchami and the double A-side format have grown to be somewhat undivorceable. Leveraging the traditional viability of a bite-sized EDM single release juxtaposed with a more experimental second, it’s a smart way to accessibly flesh out an artist’s catalogue to a new audience whilst still retaining fans of old. But it’s for the first time here that Bresso’s latest implementation serves simultaneously as an allegory not only of two great dance floor anthems but also a proof of concept for the announcement of his highly anticipated full-length debut.

First single ‘Proud’ immediately introduces us to a familiar Tchami staple of maligned and processed vocal ad-libs and improvisations courtesy of vocalist Deacolm, telegraphing its purpose as the more commercial and up-front of the two. Rhythm and groove are definitely the priority here, with a simple repeating low-cut sine bass a foundation for bright and punchy drum transients, delivering a somewhat reminiscent expansion of Bresso’s 2019 single ‘Rainforest’. An underlying 16th note 909 shaker loop and hi-hat combination stops the four minutes from feeling like it demands too much and instead translates as a joy to nod along – if not simply dance along to. It’s a short but sweet sentiment all but discarded by the time the unmistakably heavier of the duo – the incredibly lush and ethereally deep house heater ‘Ghosts’ – begins to throw some serious weight.

Feeling like something of a modern reprise to the unprecedented reception of emotional 2017 single and fan-favourite ‘Adieu’, the Parisian producer again utilises elements from the Future House genre that elevated him to such heights today, notably the heavy, FM synthesised portamento bass-line and playfully swung 4/4 signature. This low-end foundation contrasted with a lightly plucky yet unobtrusive arpeggio dancing in the background lends a complete sense of celestial harmony in tandem with an impeccable use (and at times abstention) of reverb and delays, filling a tastefully modest composition that allows for each element to purposefully play before modestly melting away. It’s an evocatively perfect storm of deliberate elements that only combine with an absolutely otherworldly performance from songstress Hana that truly makes any possible replication feel as elusive and intangible as it’s title suggests, and one that it’s already almost five-minute journey will still demand instant and multiple replays.

Always one to lead by example, the curtain has finally been peeled back into what to expect from the true-to-name Confession label head’s upcoming freshman effort. With two tantalising lead singles out of the way, there’s not much left to do but simply wait in bated anticipation of more news, details and previews of what is shaping up to be an incredibly varied first full-length offering under the Tchami brand, scheduled to arrive tentatively sometime 2020.