The Sky Has Never Been As Beguiling As It Is Today

Pure Love is what happened when DJ Koze found himself standing next to Damon Albarn in the Maras salt mines in the Sacred Valley of Peru.

Now, Stefan Kozalla (for it is he) may be talking about something deeper than the "cosmic spark" that ignited their meeting. Certainly, he writes in florid terms about this serendipitous encounter.

But when the result is a song as wonderful as Pure Love, you can hardly blame him.

Pure Love nods to Albarn's alias as Gorillaz genius 2D, lots of intertwining guitars and beats, Autotuned vocals, gently weaving in and out of each other.

Two further versions - Day and Night - emerged at the weekend. The Day Version is all about the samba, a carnival feel and most evocative of Kozes recent work with Róisín Murphy on Hit Parade. The Night Version is less club, more cabin, log fire burning, insomnia refusing to relent.

And the video features a polar bear. What more could you ask for?

DJ Koze's album, Music Can Hear Us, is out in April 2025. I am suitably intrigued.

 

 

I told you I was okay
But that was not true
I told you one day
I would come back for you

 

Autonomy is the ground we hold on to

In the kingdom of my ends
The maxim is clear
Pure love loves purely
And the stream comes back

 

Autonomy is the ground we cling on to 

 
I told you I was okay
but that was not true
I told you one day
I would come back for you

 

Autonomy is the ground we hold on to

In the kingdom of my ends

The maxim is clear
Pure love loves purely
And the stream comes back

Autonomy is the ground we cling on to

I told you I was okay
But that was not true
I told you one day
I would come back for you