On the B1 of his “Repeat Offender EP“, Irish producer and DJ JJ Fortune delivers one of those slow-burning club statements that lingers long after the needle lifts. Released vinyl-only via London’s Late Night Superglue, “What Is Classic!” feels like a question posed to the dancefloor – and answered over the course of eight hypnotic minutes.
The track opens in the shadows. An almost-Acid line snakes through the intro, restrained but unsettling, before giving way to the main synth motif – haunting, slightly eerie, and beautifully persistent. Deep, sleepy pads settle underneath, creating a sense of weight and space without slowing the momentum. Despite its spooky atmosphere, the groove never falters. It rolls forward steadily, confident in its own repetition.
Around the midpoint, JJ Fortune shifts the tone with a worn, almost vintage-sounding piano passage. It introduces a fleeting jazzy touch – unexpected, slightly nostalgic – before dissolving back into the darker framework. When a male vocal enters, reintroducing the central synth line, the track regains its tension with renewed clarity. The return feels deliberate, almost ceremonial, like stepping back into a fog you’ve just briefly escaped.
“What Is Classic!” thrives on patience. It doesn’t rely on big drops or obvious peaks. Instead, it builds through atmosphere, repetition, and subtle shifts in texture. It keeps going and going, not out of excess, but out of trust – in the groove, in the mood, in the listener.
Haunting, shadowy, and quietly commanding, this is club music that understands endurance. If the title is a provocation, the answer might lie right here.
Words by Holger Breuer
Torture the Artist 