Running Back

Some tracks don't need fixing. They just need a bit more room. South African composer and keyboard wizard Don Laka has been quietly sitting in DJ bags for years, especially with people who like their synth music warm, slightly mysterious, and impossible to date properly. Somewhere between jazz funk, township pulse and studio electronics, but really just its own thing. "Stages" was an obvious candidate for extension. Prins Thomas did what he does best here: opens the arrangement, lets the synth lines breathe, stretches the groove until it starts floating a little higher off the ground. "I Wanna Be Myself" gets a gentle nudge from Gerd Janson. The idea was simple: keep the personality, and give DJs a version that lands naturally in a modern set without losing the original charm.