PREMIERE : Tigerbalm - Coco Makako

2026 is set to be a stellar year for Rose Robinson, the DJ/producer known as Tigerbalm. In April she will deliver her hotly anticipated sophomore album, Bubblegum Discos – a kaleidoscopic and infectious set, recorded with a while host of collaborators and guest performers, that takes her trademark Afro and Brazilian-influenced nu-disco sound in a variety of thrilling new directions. Tigerbalm has already dropped two teaser singles – Giorgio Lopez hook-up ‘Nayar’ and ‘Pura Vida’, featuring 21st century soul man Andre Espeut – and begins the year with the colourful retro-futurism of ‘Coco Makako’. Inspired by a ten-day road trip along the Piranha River and Alagoas in Brazil, the song was written and performed by Robinson in Portuguese, with the chant-along lyrics featuring words and phrases frequently heard or overheard during her Brazilian adventure – as well as some improvised light language raps. Simultaneously hooky, dancefloor-ready and stylishly synth-heavy, ‘Coco Makako’ delivers instant gratification – in part because the synths, vocals and percussion were performed live by Robinson – with a lightly dubbed-out, futurist finish that lingers long in the memory. It features guitar and keys from guest performer Jim Baron (Crazy P, Ron Basejam, JIM), with nods aplenty to NYC proto-house records of the mid 1980s, and memorable bassline. On this single Robinson has invited Daisybelle - a producer best-known for her work on Future Disco and Nervous Records - to take the track in a colourful new direction. Opting for Latin freestyle inspired synth melodies, sparkling nu-disco electronics, hands-in-the-air piano stabs and rolling house beats, Daisybelle has delivered a club-ready interpretation that sits somewhere between nu-disco, deep house and the vibrant, saucer-eyed tactility of Italo-house. It’s a perfect partner to Robinson’s more stripped-back and propulsive original mix.