Two clear doors into the warm-up: 'Yahweh' by THIERRY VON DER WARTH, Joki and Mugisho, which at 90 BPM in Db major works more as an intro than a dance record, and Dennis Cartier's 'Mi Alma', a 107 BPM bridge toward the working zone. From there, the bulk of the record lives between 120 and 126 BPM, and that stretch is where the compilation shows its real booth value.
The Gb minor ladder
The best trick is in the keys: 'Who We Are' (122), 'Dance' (124) and 'Calling Me' (126) all share Gb minor and climb two BPM at a time — a harmonic mini-set that comes pre-assembled, two clean transitions with the pitch fader barely touched. More pairs sit ready to go:
- 'Vida' and 'Burn Me Down', both 120 BPM in F minor: swap them or chain them in the early Afro stretch.
- 'Make Me Feel' and 'Cry (Just A Little)', a D minor pair at 124: the jump from dance-pop into nu disco with no tonal seam.
- 'Mariha' and 'Samba', both in Db minor: the first at 120 as a ramp, the second at 128 as the punch.
For peak time there are three cards left: RICHIE ROZEX's 'The End', the only tech house cut here, at 128 in G minor; 'Samba' by ZHIKO and Karim Naas, an impact tool rather than a journey at just 1:49; and Cleo Grooves' 'I Don't Depend', which tops the tempo ceiling at 132 from the funky house side. One practical note: almost nothing runs past three minutes, so plan short, frequent blends and keep the next deck loaded.
The context explains such a functional slant: Paraíso is Von der Warth's own house — the Belgian DJ is a Versuz resident and the label's CEO, and the imprint just opened new headquarters in Tongeren after passing one billion streams. Cartier, Belgian as well and a Tomorrowland debutant in 2017, produces right at the latin-afro-funky house crossroads this record runs end to end.
Sources: Thierry von der Warth · Belg.be · Dennis Cartier · Beatport
