When House music remembers where it came from, and still dares to ask what next?, you get something like Tino’s “Set You Free EP”. Released on Garrett David’s Chicago-rooted, future-facing label Global Swing, this is less a nod to the past than a swaggering strut through its remnants — sleazy, cinematic, unbothered by boundaries.
While “Mi Casa” defined the label’s center of gravity back in 2023, Tino sends it spinning into more untamed orbits — playful, raw, and charged with a restless pulse. Four cuts, no compromise, all groove.
The title track “Set You Free” is a front-room flamethrower. It is packed with Tino’s signature monkey hoots, an irresistible saxophone line, and borderline obscene male vocal samples. A cinematic synth theme adds that elusive old-school flavor so many chase – but few actually capture. This one’s a banger built for the long haul and let’s face it, “Set You Free” is one of the highlights of 2025.
The A2, “Tinto!” retreats slightly into the shadows, but not for long. A percussive, tribal groove unfurls beneath nervy synth jolts – a slow pressure build that never fully releases, just vibrates under the skin. This is Tino at his most controlled: balancing tension and release like a juggler with too many flaming pins, yet never breaking pace. It’s Chi-town hypnosis with a side of anxiety, in the best possible way.
“Give That”, the B1, time-travels in Technicolor. Pads swell with warmth and longing, recalling Pacific State or early Italian dream-house, but not through imitation – through reverence. There’s a roughness to the polish here, a sense that beneath the nostalgia is a real pulse, beating in the now. It’s a love letter written on a cracked screen — timeless, but not untouchable.
Then comes B2 “Obsession”, the closer that shouldn’t work, but absolutely does. It’s Hip-House meets freestyle meets broken beat, with male and female vocal fragments volleyed like flirtations across a buzzing floor. The rhythm trips over itself in the best way, stumbling into hooks, falling back into funk. It’s a wildcard, a closer, and a club puzzle all at once.
Across all four tracks, Tino doesn’t chase the past – he drags it onto the dancefloor, dressed in new threads, and lets it sweat. His sleazy synths, chopped vocal shouts, and cheeky sample placement aren’t just style – they’re signature. “Set You Free EP” moves between eras and energies like a DJ cutting between tapes, keeping the edges frayed and the floor on its toes.
This is House music that flirts, that fakes you out, that winks. And on Global Swing, it feels exactly at home.
Words by Pasha Pliskin
Torture the Artist 