PAX – Cosmic Kiss [Factory 93]

Aaron Taylor and Charles Robinson, together known as PAX, are well past the point of falling into the breakout category. The house and techno duo has been holding onto an impressive hot streak of chart-clenching club constructions that have become staples in the sets of a slew of tastemakers, including Danny Howard, Joseph Capriati, Robert Owens, Martin Ikin and Gorgon City. The last name from that list has had a particular heavy hand in championing the project, with numerous signings to their stable and even going as far as roping them in for their ubiquitous “Alive” collab from last year, which has amassed nearly 8 million streams on Spotify.

They are now leaning in to lay one on Factory 93 Records by way of a celestial groove aptly titled “Cosmic Kiss.” It’s a marvelous chunk of melodic tech house that manages to lock lips with the dancefloor while touching on the throes of undergoing a soul-sucking romance. A relentless rolling rhythm pummels through the heart of the track, as pulsating basslines work in synchrony with rotating synths to drag you into their gravitational pull. The throbbing drive swiftly subsides to make way for an agonizingly intimate vocal made all the more sublime through an air of spacefaring pads and weeping strings. Along comes the pecking percussion to kiss all of the pain away.