Rhett Hill returns as Thorgan Wolff with a warm, beautifully played disco cut featuring live instrumentation from Faze Action’s Robin Lee.
There are plenty of records that borrow from disco’s past, but the best ones understand that much of its magic came from musicians actually playing together.
That’s certainly the feeling running through “Never Did I…”, the latest outing from Thorgan Wolff on Do It Anyway Records.
Behind the alias is Rhett Hill, the label boss himself, returning to the Thorgan Wolff project following the “Can’t Lose” EP and once again working alongside Robin Lee of Faze Action.
Lee previously contributed live keys, bass and guitar to “Can’t Lose”, and it’s that emphasis on real instrumentation that once again gives “Never Did I…” much of its character.
Built around lush strings, a wonderfully funky bassline and Lee’s loose rhythm guitar, the track settles into its groove without ever feeling the need to force things.
And that’s really its strength.
At 6:20, there’s plenty of space for the individual elements to breathe. The strings provide the sweep and soul, the bass gives it weight underneath, while the guitar dances around the rhythm with the kind of natural movement that’s difficult to replicate entirely inside the box.
Rather than pushing towards an enormous breakdown or obvious peak-time moment, Wolff allows the groove to do the work.
There’s a warmth to the whole production that recalls the musicality of classic disco without turning “Never Did I…” into an exercise in nostalgia. It’s polished enough for a contemporary dancefloor but still retains those little human touches that give the record its personality.
It’s also exactly the sort of record that should come into its own during those transitional moments in a set.
Early evening sunshine, a terrace warming up, or that point where a DJ wants to move from soul and disco towards something with a little more dancefloor weight.
Nothing overcomplicated.
Just strings, bass, guitar, rhythm and musicianship coming together exactly as they should.
Summer might be drawing to a close, but Thorgan Wolff has managed to squeeze one more beautifully warm disco record out of it.
Release Date: 17 September 2026, pre order here.
Label: Do It Anyway Records
Catalogue: DIA020
Format: Digital
Genre: Soul / Funk / Disco