‘I Reflect Thee’ sounds like a phrase from Victorian England but Portable’s latest single actually only looks back to the birth of house 30 years ago. With a thick bassline reminiscent of Mr Fingers and vocals that combine the passion of Robert Owens with the world-weariness of Youssou N’Dour, it’s a modern take on a classic formula, updated by Portable’s modern production. Gaseous synth chords wrap themselves around chunky booming drums while warped keys and mournful flutes play a disorientating melody – the kind of dance track easy to get lost in on a dark, sweaty floor.
‘I Reflect Thee’ is no mere 3am dancefloor monster, though – at its core, it’s a love song, about finding peace and joy. “Dreamlike worlds we’ve come to know,” goes the hook, but whether it’s a result of love or other forms of club culture’s chemistry, one thing is clear: Portable sits alongside DJ Koze and Steffi as a producer who understands how to create moments of tenderness and warmth and mesh them into the framework of dance music.
