Despite the rather romantic name — it’s pretty similar to being called Morning Stroll or Twilight Drive — Dawn Safari actually makes some pretty good beats. “You Don’t Know” is a prime example of this, laying down an idiosyncratic wave of percussion, slightly wonky lead synths and off-kilter vocal samples. Combined it offers a pleasing listen, kind of like what you’d hear on a morning saunter round your favourite lake…if that lake had a resident DJ that liked playing decent tunes at such an early hour (and was allowed because, you know, restrictions put in place by the council etc. It’s a complicated business).
Back to the name though, I’ve actually been on a dawn safari and I can tell you that it sounded more like the occasional monkey screech interrupted by my African guide saying whatever “Get the fuck out of here you furry shit” is in Swahili before we roared off in a jeep to look at some better animals. It was fun though.
“You Don’t Know” is out now as part of the Mask EP on French label Soigne Tes Oreilles.
