The irrepressible production pair PAX makes their label debut on Factory 93 Records with a celestial groove by the name of “Cosmic Kiss.”
Aaron Taylor and Charles Robinson, together known as PAX, are well past the point of falling into the breakout category. The house and techno duo has been holding onto an impressive hot streak of chart-clenching club constructions that have become staples in the sets of tastemakers scattered out across the map, including Danny Howard, Joseph Capriati, Robert Owens, Martin Ikin and Gorgon City.
The last name from that list has had a particular heavy hand in championing the project—and rightfully so—with numerous signings to their stable, and even going as far as roping them in for their ubiquitous “Alive” collab from last year, which has amassed nearly 8Million streams on Spotify.
The irrepressible production pair is now leaning in to lay a cosmic thumper on Factory 93 Records. “Cosmic Kiss” is a marvelous chunk of melodic techno that manages to lock lips with the dancefloor while simultaneously taking a firm tug at the heart strings.
Pumping with an unshakeable purpose, a relentless rolling rhythm charts a course for the ether. Along the way, pulsating basslines and clap-clack combos work in synchrony with a rotary lead to drag you back into the track’s immense gravitational pull.
The throbbing drive swiftly subsides to make way for an agonizingly intimate vocal that’s made infinitely more sublime through an air of spacefaring pads and weeping strings. After the chanteuse has finished speaking her piece, the plonking percussive pecks loop back around for one final, fateful kiss.
“We couldn’t be more excited to finally be releasing ‘Cosmic Kiss,’ says PAX. “Factory 93 and ourselves have been patiently waiting for the industry to blossom back to life before unleashing it, and this track, for us, is synonymous with what we have all been missing. It underlines a rebirth, a new era and better days ahead.”
For more than a year and counting, PAX has found themselves on an astronomical ascent in which the sky is the limit. The stamp of approval has practically run out of ink at this point, thanks in no small part to a string of club cuts clocking in regular rotation from BBC Radio 1 gatekeepers Pete Tong and Danny Howard.
Consistency is key, of course, and they’ve been stuck on a repeating pattern of success as evidenced by frequent Beatport climbers (including a six-week run at #1 with “Electric Feel”), as well as breaking the 5Million play mark on numerous occasions with the rattling single “Snake,” a nostalgia-laced take on the classic anthem “Touch Me,” and their thudding tie-up with Gorgon City on “Alive.”
In case the impressive track record doesn’t already speak for itself, “Cosmic Kiss” is proof in of itself that the name PAX has earned a permanent place at the tip of the tongue.
