Los Angeles-based production duo Michael David and Tyler Blake have built a name for themselves over the last few years as remixers that can turn anything into a slice of summer bliss. Their long-gestating debut as Classixx, Hanging Gardens, is seeing release on May 14 via Innovative Leisure, and lead single &Holding On& continues to refine their yacht-house aesthetic. Anchored by sleazy, lipstick-smeared bass and the kind of four-on-the-floor thump that grabs you by the hand and onto the dancefloor, there's a lot going on here-- strings emerge and then fade, blocky synths gleam from the corners, there's even whistling at one point-- but no matter what elements are added, it's never at the expense of propulsion.
It also helps that the core components of &Holding On& are its most tactile: bittersweet house pianos and the vocal sample from which the track gets its titular phrase do the heavy lifting, providing physical thrills as well as an emotional heft. &I've been holding on,& sings the soulful disembodied voice, ∧ I can't take it anymore.& But in the hands of Classixx, holding on starts to feel a lot like catharsis.