Naples duo Shokë return to Cécille Records with “After You”, a wonderfully warm slice of summer house built around soulful vocals, trumpet melodies and an effortlessly rolling groove.
There are certain records that seem designed for a particular moment, and “After You” feels made for that point in the evening when the heat is beginning to disappear but nobody is quite ready for the sun to go down.
Naples-based duo Shokë return to Cécille Records with the lead track from their forthcoming “Chiamami EP”, delivering a house record that’s uplifting without ever needing to force the issue.
At its heart is a beautifully tight groove. The bassline is relatively subtle, but rolls underneath the track with just enough movement to keep everything locked together, allowing the warmer musical elements to take centre stage.
Those trumpet melodies are particularly effective, adding splashes of colour throughout the arrangement and giving “After You” much of its summery character. Add a soulful female vocal that feels destined to be sung back from the dancefloor and you’ve got a record with plenty of personality without becoming overly complicated.
And that’s perhaps its greatest strength.
There’s no enormous breakdown or unnecessary attempt to manufacture a big moment. Instead, Shokë allow the groove, vocal and instrumentation to gradually do the work. It’s warm, soulful and incredibly easy to imagine drifting across a terrace or open-air dancefloor with a few hundred smiling faces in front of the booth.
Cécille Records has long had an ear for house music that balances club functionality with genuine musicality, and “After You” sits comfortably within that world.
A lovely summer groove from Shokë and one we’re expecting to hear plenty more of while there’s still some sunshine left in 2026.
Release: After You / Chiamami EP, buy it here.
Label: Cécille Records
Format: Digital