I would consider this song to be one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded.
That might seem like a strange accolade to give a mid 90s Garage song, but it is one of the most unique and lovely songs to come out of electronic music, with its buttery blend of smooth garage sub bass and live instrumentation of trumpets and keyboards provided by Peven Everett, as well as his capable vocals.
The lyrics are about the archangel Gabriel, which explains the reverential vibe.
The drums are not as fast and congested as many garage house songs, with a casual step to them. The trumpets ring out triumphantly, with an instantly recognisable hook.
The track has such a warm feeling, flowing slowly in the way that you might expect melted chocolate to flow out of a mug next to a gently crackling fire, as the wind howls outside.
I’ve probably said this about other songs, but this is 7 minutes of pure hygge. There’s a certain rawness to proceedings, no doubt due to the live nature of this version, with the beats sometimes becoming slightly syncopated, and the notes coming into tension with each other. But this is part of what makes it so nice.
The song was released in 1996 in the U.S., but was probably more success in the U.K. garage scene, which it entered in 1997 via a release on XL recordings.
Truly timeless!