Song You Need to Know: Juls, ‘Chance’

The discography of ace British-Ghanaian producer Juls is strewn with delicate yet kinetic hits: Try “Give You Love” with L.A.X., “Your Corner” with Nonso Amadi, “Mmayewa” with Twitch 4EVA and Quamina Mp, or “London” with Tomi Agape. Juls often locates a sweet spot between intricate, hand-played grooves — especially sinuous guitar lines and skronking horns — and the programmed ones that zip back and forth between clubs around the Atlantic. His attention to detail sets his work apart from that of more paint-by-numbers producers.

“Chance” may be Juls’ most delicate production yet, so soft and carefully constructed that a strong gust of wind could blow it away. Singers Projexx and Tay Iwar are in whispery seduction mode, delivering a series of pleas and come-ons — “I’m not from the city/I’m not used to angels” — in gaseous falsetto. Juls bathes their voices in resonant bass and click-clack drumming; guitars scoot forward hesitantly and then retreat, like a dancer afraid of commitment. The beat never goes from simmer to full boil, but the vocalists become increasingly agitated. “I don’t want to dance,” one admits. “But you put me in a trance.”

“Chance” will appear on A Fruit of Life, a new set from Juls due out later this year. The album will feature appearances from Wizkid, Fireboy DML, and Oxlade, among others.

Find a playlist of all of our recent Songs You Need to Know selections on Spotify.