In the past few years, Chicago born John Summit has gone from bustling accountant to one of the premier house DJs of the modern era. Whether he’s rocking the stage at EDC or playing a marathon set at Club Space, Summit continues to prove that even though he’s not at the peak of his career, he’s still one of the biggest names in tech house.
As one half of the duo, Everything Always, with equally as popular, Australian DJ, Dom Dolla, Summit has played sets at Coachella and cities like Seattle with the next destination being the legendary Gorge in Washington.
Alone, he’s become one of the most beloved DJs/producers of the modern era with his loveable, honest personality and hits like “La Danza”, “Deep End”, and “Where You Are”. He’s also been on Fobre’s 30 Under 30 and Rolling Stone’s Future 25 lists, helping prove that he is one of today’s rising artists that needs to be on your radar.
That’s why the buzz around his debut album “Comfort in Chaos” took the house and EDM community by storm, as the 29 year old Chicago native felt that he was finally ready to release a cohesive album for the masses.
- Comfort in Chaos
Seemingly dreamy, with a soft touch that rises with the piano chords, the opening title track to the album takes you back to EDM territory as it builds up slowly with the snares and synths. Once it drops, the bass and synths mesh to make you feel as if you were levitating, taking you out of your seat. It reminds you of classic house tunes of the past and is a great start to the project.
- Tears
Starting off with some luscious piano chords, this song was made to play in clubs where Paige Cavell’s vocals can be fully appreciated. There’s not so much a crazy drop, but the build up is very ethereal. The switch between the verses and chorus is very well built, going from piano to synth backed drums. Expect the remixes to this track to be incredible.
- Stay with Me
This is a nice summer vibe with the chirping birds and drums making a slow transition into the faster paced beat being a nice change of pace three songs in. This is the type of track you want to listen to at 3AM in a club in Ibiza under some neon blue lights as you slowly move along to the different instruments that Summit puts together on here.
- Shiver
Anthemic at its core, when Shiver was released on Valentine's Day earlier this year and ever since then, we’ve fallen in love with it. The pulsating drums that help build up the drop before the small pause before we hear HAYLA ask us “Can you feel it now?” will never fail to excite you. It’s an energetic track that helps you get hyped up for any setting whether it be the club or the gym.
- EAT THE BASS
Going into a bit of techno territory, Summit’s EAT THE BASS is honestly the weakest of the singles that we got to listen to before the album’s release. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not the strongest on the project. It’s fun to dance to with some fun bass and drums, but it’s nothing special.
- Comedown
The closer on the first half of the album, it’s a nice little interlude vibe of wooshing synths and punchy snares. The way the track is layered makes you feel like John intended for the listener to understand that you are past a certain point on the album.
- Resonate
When John announced that he was going to collaborate with legendary DJ, Kaskade, he sure did deliver. This drum and bass track is everything we could have wanted in this collab with Julia Church’s vocals being the cherry on top of it all. The sonic drums on this song with the distorted, melted synths that sound like they were imported from Berlin just make this one of the stronger tracks on the album. Expect to hear this banger on marathon long raves.
- Give Me Anything
This is probably the only song that I didn’t think much of. Yes, Elderbrook delivers a good performance, but there’s something about the layout of this song that feels misdeveloped. This sounds almost like a David Guetta throwaway track in all honesty.
- Where You Are
Summit’s biggest hit so far and with good reason. Where You Are was released more than a year ago in 2023 and perfectly represents who Summit is at his core. Where You Are was a shift forward and backward for house music as it reminded us of big room songs from Zedd and Skrillex, but changed the formula of what modern tech house sounds like. HAYLA’s vocals will forever be etched into our minds thanks to the crowd pleasing chorus that has made this song a modern club classic.
- Undo
I really appreciated the different sounds that Summit put on this track with tropical-like bongos and synths that sound like they came straight from the 80’s. The whole song is a nice chill vibe that is sure to be a hit at your next pool party.
- Go Back
If this song had been released before “Where You Are”, I think it would be the bigger hit, but nonetheless, with its use of hi-hats and booming horns along with Julia Church’s perfect vocals help make this one of the best songs on the album. It feels like the climax of the whole project and the second break after the chorus is one of the most fun moments on the project as it builds up to reveal the best drop on “Comfort in Chaos”. It’s the epitome of the album's sonic variety and will continue to blow up this summer.
- Palm of my hands
The closing track on the project has Summit making what feels like a house rendition of the bedroom pop/hyperpop sound that we’ve come to know from artists like PinkPantheress. It’s a nice way to end the project as it barely clocks in over two minutes with a chorus that sounds like Summit’s victory lap. “I’ve got the world in the palm of my hands.”
Conclusion:
Summit is at the top of his game and this album goes to show that he can back it up, creating a cohesive project that not only introduces us to new songs, but makes months old singles shine in a new light. He also proves that he’s not afraid to step out of the tech house/house umbrella that he’s been put under, having drum and bass, garage, and trance influences on this project. With his current repertoire and newest project, the future continues to look bright for John. Expect to hear songs off this album in clubs and raves all over the world.
Top 3:
Go Back
Resonate
Comfort in Chaos
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