SANTIAGO DIGITAL, the genre-crossing producer and DJ from the rich underground of Northern Italy, returns with a track that's seemingly untamed and intentionally planned. His new single, "Perry," is a reflective daydream about a relationship that never immensely blossomed, recounted with bittersweetness, groove, and the clarity of hindsight.
Written, performed, and produced by Dimitri Rusich (aka SANTIAGO DIGITAL), "Perry" was inspired by a demure piano intro he'd had moldering away on the shelf for a while. The sound of that fragment recalled for him immediately the keyboard textures in classic roots reggae, hence the title tip to the great Lee "Scratch" Perry. But this song doesn't remain anchored to reggae. Instead, it drifts naturally into something warmer and melodic into guitar lines that gently nod to a pop tradition ensconced in Santiago's production signature.
Along the ride with him are Simone Piccinelli on guitar, who also mixed the record, and Marcello Daniele on bass, two comrades who help round out the spacey, thoughtful atmosphere Santiago aimed to achieve. The song was laid down at La Buca Recording Club and mastered by Shawn Hatfield at AudibleOddities, capping its clean but hazy vibe. "Perry" isn't a song of longing or regret but of a breezy reckoning acceptance of what might have been without getting marooned in what wasn't. The emotion is respectfully slung under the layered groove so we can reflect without drowning.
"Perry" has a visual counterpart, an accompanying stop-motion short film, which SANTIAGO DIGITAL created first in 2009. A song used unofficially from The Strokes meets and digitally restored via the wonders of AI couldn't be more fitting for this new music phase. The result is a seamless fusion of the old with the latest, reflecting the track's origin story.
Best known for his work behind pestilent nights such as REHAB and MLKSHK, SANTIAGO DIGITAL brings to "Perry" the same crate-digging fervor and rhythmic sensuality that colors his DJ sets. Funk, hip-hop, soul, and Latin grooves will always simmer in his DNA, but with "Perry," he opens a soft, melodic door that invites you through to dance or reminisce. "Perry" is at once a short story in rhythm, a shrug at missed connections, a warm nudge to remember that even fleeting feelings can produce lasting art.