“I Want You,” a hotly anticipated follow-up single for Insomniac Records by London’s house music maven Sam Divine and previous collaborator and Aussie producer Kormak, is an unequivocally soulful, strutting anthem that has been a few years in the making.
Most of the world has worked hard to erase the agonizing loneliness we felt on a global scale during the height of lockdown orders. However, there was something truly magnificent about how dance music fans were able to establish a connection (albeit a virtual one) with their peers via an endless stream of live streams that brought the world closer together one set at a time. There was one ID, in particular, that emerged during that surreal stretch of time, which helped ease the pain ever-so-slightly, while also speaking to the insatiable desire for human interaction defining those dark days. A byproduct of quarantine, the cross-continental collab between Sam Divine and Kormak touched a soft spot for at-home viewers when the former dropped it into her ‘We Dance As One’ broadcast hosted by Beatport in 2020. Since then, fans have been clamoring for its release, and the two co-creators are finally ready for their creation to see the light of day.
“I Want You” reigns supreme in the category of upbeat house music. The soulful vocal croons are brimming with unbridled passion, with each syllable sounding as if it’s willing to risk everything to win over the heart of a special someone. Sashaying drums and circular piano phrases push the passion through the ceiling, building its way up to a string-laden climax complemented by the delightful single string pluck that accompanies the defenseless, looped refrain: “I want you // Now I’m losing control.” It’s everything anyone could want in a classic house groove, and then some.
Sam Divine reflects on how the collaboration came together:
‘I Want You’ is a pure passion project. Kormak played it to me in the car when I was on my Australian tour and I loved the vocals. We jumped in the studio in Sydney and got to work. The record is made with pure love, blood, sweat and tears, and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as we did making it. Both our inboxes have been blowing up for it for over two years and Insomniac is definitely the best home for the record.
Kormak shares his side of the story:
A few years ago, I received the vocals from Paul Brandoli, an incredible vocal engineer. Around the same time, Sam happened to be touring Australia when I played it to her on the way to grab dinner. She fell in love with it and had some ideas to take it to a level where she felt it could be at its highest potential. I’m excited to see this track coming out, especially on Insomniac. I’ve been a fan for a long time and it’s definitely the right home for it alongside my dear friend Sam.
Sam Divine and Kormak originally put their heads together back in 2019, joining forces for the first time on their low-slung and slinky club tool, “Feelings.” From the start, it was clear that they needed to keep pulling on the thread to see where their shared love of house music (and more than a quarter-century of experience between them) would take the two seasoned veterans next.
More than two years in the making, “I Want You” is a timeless gem that proves the best things in life are worth holding out for. Let’s just hope the wait isn’t too long before Sam Divine and Kormak return with their next crowd-pleaser.
The new single “I Want You” by Sam Divine and Kormak is out now on all platforms via Insomniac Records.
