Daphni - Cherry (2LP)

Dan Snaith’s Daphni project has always felt like the place where his brain goes to dance. Cherry lands right in that sweet spot. Out on Jiaolong on October 7, 2022, it plays like a set of quick, vivid flashes from a veteran DJ who knows that a great loop and a teasing synth line can do more heavy lifting than a dozen grand gestures. If you came in through Caribou’s rich, song-forward world, Cherry is the swift hit of club alchemy that explains why Snaith can move a floor just as easily as he can melt a festival sunset.

Daphni records are often about immediacy. Cherry doubles down on that idea. Most cuts arrive fully formed, hang around just long enough to work their spell, then slip out the side door. The title track is a perfect example, snapping into focus with springy drum programming and a synth motif that seems to tug you by the sleeve. The palette feels simple on paper, yet Snaith shades it with tiny, tactile details. A shaker that edges forward, a bass figure that blinks into a new shape, a filter that opens by a hair at just the right moment. You can feel a DJ’s sense of timing in every decision.

Part of the joy here is how unfussy the record feels. Snaith has a PhD in mathematics, and people love to bring that up when talking about his music, but Cherry doesn’t flex theory. It trusts the ear. The tracks punch, swivel, change temperature, and then leave you wanting a little more. You can picture them as tools in a set at Fabric or in a small, low-ceiling room, where a kick that hits just so is all the argument you need. There are flashes of house, techno, and a bit of disco glow, though nothing sits still long enough to be boxed in. The mood is playful and quick on its feet.

It helps to place Cherry next to the rest of the Daphni story. After the raw thrill of Jiaolong in 2012 and the DJ-rooted Fabriclive 93 in 2017, Snaith issued Joli Mai later that same year, which gathered full-length versions of tracks from the mix along with new material. Cherry arrives as a leaner statement, less concerned with grand arcs, more interested in small, sharp ideas that work in and out of a blend. That economy gives it staying power. You hear how it could slip into a set at 1 a.m., then back again at 4, and still feel fresh.

Critics heard it. The album drew strong notices from outlets like Pitchfork, The Guardian, and Resident Advisor, with praise for its clarity and its knack for making minimal elements speak. Fans gravitated to the title track for obvious reasons, though the deeper cuts reward repeat listens. Snaith’s gift is knowing when to rotate a pattern a quarter-turn or push a sound to the front for two bars, and that instinct shows up again and again. On headphones, those moments feel like someone tapping your shoulder. In a club, they feel like a crowd leaning forward at once.

If you live for this kind of tactile dance music, the format matters. Cherry vinyl on Jiaolong mirrors the album’s clean lines, and it sounds punchy and present on a decent setup. DJs will appreciate how the shorter tracks can bridge moods without bogging down the flow. Crate diggers will clock how neatly it sits with Theo Parrish records, Floating Points twelves, and those Caribou remixes that always seem to turn up in the used bin. If you are hunting Daphni vinyl, it is one of those sleeves you grab on sight.

For collectors, there are easy ways in. Plenty of shops stock Daphni albums on vinyl, and it is simple to buy Daphni records online if your local is tapped out. I even spotted copies of Cherry right next to secondhand Caribou LPs at a Melbourne record store recently, which felt right given how often Snaith tours Australia. If you are ordering from abroad, most outlets that specialize in vinyl records Australia ship this one at a fair rate, and it is not the kind of title that vanishes the minute it hits the wall.

Cherry is a reminder of why Snaith keeps the Daphni outlet alive alongside his songcraft as Caribou. It is a conversation with the dance floor in short sentences, full of color and quick winks, built by someone who knows every angle of the room. If the crate already holds Jiaolong and Joli Mai, this one completes the line, and if it does not, Cherry is a sharp place to start.