Novak, Tu Amor

Warm percussion, a low-slung groove, and a vocal that sits right on top of the pulse. Novak's 'Tu Amor' is the kind of track that doesn't need to announce itself, it just settles in, and you're already moving.

A single on Magnifik Music from late February, it's built on that Afro-house-adjacent sway where the rhythm does the heavy lifting and the melody glides over the top. There's a nice restraint to it; the elements are few, but they're all working. The percussion has a lovely organic texture, the bass is round and supportive, and the vocal carries that feeling of warmth without being saccharine.

That said, and I'll flag this, the Novak name is a crowded one. I went digging through the wider catalog after hearing this, and it reads like an entirely different artist: Latin, jazz, hip-hop, alternative rock. No idea if it's a name collision or if Novak has just moved between lanes that dramatically. We're not detectives, we cover the song.