Single Review: Zarif - California (Danny Byrd Remix)

We have been waiting forever for this tune to drop and now it is finally available to the masses! Accidentally leaked by Tony Coleman on his Hospital Records podcast (link opens iTunes) 87, I have been anxiously waiting for the day I could get my hands on this track.

California doesn't really do anything that you haven't heard before. It follows the Drum 'n' Bass formula popularized by the likes of Cynatific, Logistics and of course, the song's remixer Danny Byrd. The stuttered voices are reminiscent of Neon Skyline by Cyantific, and chopped with equal skill, while the melody, song structure and samples used come together so perfectly to create a song that just makes you feel good. There's really no other way to describe it. This is one of those rare, mood-altering songs in the company of Call Me Back by Logistics or The Sun by Phetsta & ShockOne that can make you drop what you're doing and bop your head along to the beat in aural bliss.

So, while California may not do anything that you haven't heard before, it doesn't matter, because what California does do, while formulaic, is a perfection of that formula. It is a nearly-perfect gem.

For the love of good music, go buy it now.