When I Close My Eyes

The kick is clipped and forward, 128 locked tight, and the bass stays low and dry so the voice can carry the top. In A minor the hook sits just sharp of melancholy — bright enough for a main room, with a shadow underneath that keeps it from feeling weightless. Percussion is sparse and functional: a shaker, a closed hat, nothing that clutters the midrange.

At an energy of nine it's a peak-time tool, but the vocal gives it a human centre, so it works as a lift rather than a flat-out push. Drop it after something dubbier and let the hook do the work; it'll hold a room without shouting. The sort of record that earns its place on the third play rather than the first.