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Brighton and Manchester-based duo Cortese have burst onto the scene in recent years with an infectious mix of garage, breaks and house. They previously contributed to Sasha’s LUZoSCURA compilation, run their own label Plaza Recordings and have supported superstars such as Bicep and Mike Skinner. From four-to-the-floor to more staggered beats, they know how to work the club with a mix of ever-physical drums and standout synth sounds.
The sumptuous ‘All U Do’ combines Balearic synth hooks with sleek, punchy drums and 90s basslines. It’s brilliantly simple yet effective, with subtle cuts, lush chords and happy little vocal sounds ending this more serene, mellow track in unforgettable fashion. ‘I Wanna Know’ has a darker energy thanks to the menacing bassline that growls far beneath the crisp drums and wood-beats. Liquid female vocal coos blanket the beat as splashy cymbals and progressive chords take you into an Ibizan dream state.
To close, Cortese connects with Edinburgh’s J Wax, a core member of the thriving collective and label Palidrone, who has made his mark on Future Classic and Headroom Records and will soon embark on a tour of Asia. Their collaboration “Can’t Deny” has a bassline reminiscent of classic speed garage with ethereal breakbeats and R&B vocal stabs. Catchy synth motifs and a carefree, fist-pumping beat make this a confident winter anthem with appeal to all audiences.
We had the pleasure of interviewing the duo and this was the result.
It’s great to meet you! What have you been up to recently?
Hello! We’ve been making plenty of new music, working on some interesting collabs, warming up for some sets. And, we just had a lovely time at ADE.
Let’s talk about your upcoming EP, ‘All U Do’ on Sasha’s Last Night On Earth. What was the inspiration behind the EP and how did you approach creating these tracks?
We finished Can’t Deny a while back with J Wax after working on a few other tunes with him, and then wanted to keep the trancey theme going. That’s what you can hear in the other two tunes.
As a Brighton & Manchester-based duo, what’s your favourite thing about the UK’s dance scene compared with the rest of the world?
The fact that the UK scene incorporates sounds from all over the world is what makes it so unique. We’re hearing lots of latin, afrobeats etc. in music today and it keeps things a lot more fresh.
On ‘All U Do’, what led to the linkup with J Wax on ‘Can’t Deny’?
We set about making three tunes with J Wax over a few months last year. The first of these, Underworld, came out a little while ago and then My Mind was one of the singles from our last EP. This is the third of the three.
Is there a dream festival/stage/venue you’d both like to play?
We discovered Draaimolen this year and absolutely fell in love with it. The Pit stage might be the best electronic music festival stage in the world. The lineup, the organisation and the general aura of the festival are unreal.
What are your thoughts about phones on the dancefloor?
Not really worth getting angry about. We’re not sure what the fuss is. People tend to be fairly restrained with their phones in our experience, and there’s nothing wrong with capturing a moment to cherish in the future, or to show mates.
What’s next from Cortese in 2025?
There’s a few more releases on the way with some labels we’re very excited about but not really to talk about! Expect some more experimental sounds and plenty of dancefloor moments. Cheers!
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