A Maltese singer-songwriter based in Berlin has just teamed up with German DJ brothers Santé & Re for a new single making waves in the electronica scene.

Jim Hickey, whose ethereal vocals and melodic touch has given life to a number of killer releases over the last few years, appears on the single Cave from the German DJs’ new album Road to San Rey. The song is inspired by Malta’s coastal caves, and is sung by Hickey himself – but it was pure luck that the collab even came into existence.

“This collaboration is the fruit of a casual introduction to one of the brothers by a mutual friend in the industry,” Hickey, who has been based in Germany for over 10 years, explains.

“We exchanged work and ideas for months, but when they listened to Cave – a song I was meant to release as a single but never got round to due to the pandemic – they contacted me with a version that featured my lyrics and vocals, but set to the House beat they are so well-known for.”

“It’s a real honour to have a song in this album, especially a song which was inspired by my summer in Malta last year, during which I spent many days swimming in and around caves.”

Hickey’s impressive vocals are overlaid on top of some polyrhythms and intermittent synth stabs set to subtle four-four beats, as well as a climax stamped with arpeggiated synthesizers and snares.

Since its release, the song began appearing on some up-and-coming Spotify charts. 

The song, which was released on 16 December, is the second single off of the brothers’ first collaborative album, Road to San Rey, which they will be releasing on their own record label, LSF21+, in 2022.

Santé & Re.You – Cave (ft. Jim Hickey) is available on all streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.