Long-time collaborators Savon and Sango came together once more for their track ‘River City’ this month. The duo have worked on numerous projects in the past, most recently on the 2019 collaborative album ‘Grove’, alongside the rapper Waldo, and as far back as 2014 on their track ‘Tokyo Pt.2’. Premiering their latest track on Soundcloud a fortnight ago, before releasing it everywhere else on the weekend, the description simply reads: ‘dedicated to Michigan house music’, which is an interesting and unexpected creative direction from the pair. Both part of the AOG Music Group in Michigan, Savon and Sango are renowned producers and staples of the alternative hip-hop and future beats scene, featuring regularly on the highly regarded Soulection radio show.

‘River City’ surprises in a lot of ways. With 808s, triplet hi-hats and baile funk samples a consistent part of the duos’ sounds, Michigan house is, to my knowledge, an unprecedented step for either of these producers. The aforementioned characteristics of their music has been replaced by down-tempo, four-to-the-floor drums and side-chained synths. The Michigan influence is clear to hear and, although both producers are known for their impact on modern hip-hop, their environment has obviously had a major effect on them.

At just over a minute and a half, it is unlikely that this is a single for an upcoming project. Perhaps it is a teaser for what is to come. Perhaps they did it for the fans during these hard times. Perhaps they just really love Michigan house and want to show their appreciation. Whatever the case, it doesn’t really matter. If the pair keep making beautiful music like this, who cares how it happened? As far as I am concerned, long may it continue.