There are tracks that make you move, and then there are tracks that make you smile while you move. "Gimme a Piece of Licorice" by Tackendo is unmistakably the latter — a sun-drenched, hip-shaking house confection that feels as playful as its title suggests and as precise as the man behind it demands.
The Concept: Candy as a Cultural Bridge
Tackendo — the Paris-born, Tokyo-adopted DJ and producer — has always threaded the needle between two worlds. But with this track, the inspiration came from somewhere delightfully personal. "Licorice is a very French thing," he has noted in conversations with fans online. "In Japan, people find it strange. I find that gap funny, charming. That curiosity between cultures — that's the feeling I wanted to bottle." The result is a track that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet is executed with razor-sharp intention.
The Sound: 122 BPM and Pure Euphoria
Locked in at a breezy 122 BPM, "Gimme a Piece of Licorice" sits in that perfect house sweet spot — propulsive enough to fill a dance floor, relaxed enough to feel effortless. The groove is anchored by a deep, rolling bassline that nods to classic Chicago house, while bright, staccato synth stabs cut through the mix with a distinctly French filter-house flair. Layered above it all are vocal chops — clipped, pitched, and chopped into rhythmic candy — that carry the track's cheeky, irresistible energy. Every element feels chosen with the kind of meticulous care you'd expect from someone equally at home in Shibuya record shops and Parisian studio sessions.
Who Is This Track For?
This is a record for the person who dances in their kitchen at noon just as comfortably as they move in a club at midnight. It's for the golden-hour rooftop party, the Saturday morning warm-up set, the moment a DJ needs to lift a room without overwhelming it. Happy doesn't even fully cover it — "Gimme a Piece of Licorice" is giddy, generous, and gloriously free.
Tackendo has always told stories through his beats. This one says: stop overthinking, take a piece, and just enjoy it.
