4KORNERS, the official DJ of the Toronto Raptors, recently linked up with Canadian producer Ashton Adams to form a house music group called 401 WST. Today, they dropped a new single, “Won’t Put U Thru That,” featuring Quebec rapper Zach Zoya. Unlike the gridlock-ridden Ontario highway the group’s named after, the track is a smooth ride all the way through.
Anchored by a classic house groove, replete with synth stabs and a propulsive four-on-the-floor beat, the track sees Zoya make a pledge of real love in an age of fuckboys and right swipes. “Girl, I won’t do that, do that, no/Won’t put you through that, through that, no,” he declares. It’s a heart-on-sleeve summer banger sure to be heard at a beach party near you.
“It’s a love song made for the dancefloor. It’s heartbreak and hope, but with a pulse. The feel of it came out exactly how we imagined and getting Zach on the record just took it to that next level,” 4KORNERS tells Complex.
401 WST formed out of a desire to pay homage to the Black DJs and producers who birthed house music, but were shut out of the mainstream due to racism, classism, and homophobia. It’s an effort to reverse to cultural erasure of the genre’s true origins. “Won’t Put U Thru That” is the first single from the group’s forthcoming EP Our House Vol. 2.
“House music is and always has been a Black genre, but too many people have forgotten or never knew in the first place,” says 4KORNERS. “But when people hear this song, written, produced, and recorded all by Black artists, I hope they feel what we feel.”
Adds Adams about the track: “This is a special record because 1) It is an all Black collaboration, with, to me, one of Canada’s most talented acts currently! 2) It is a song that everyone can enjoy and sing along to whether you are on the dance floor or driving in your car listening to it on the radio.”
Zoya says “Won’t Put U Thru That” was a result of he and 4KORNERS deciding to connect from a distance, and bridge the gap between their cities, while the world had gone quiet. “The song is what I want this summer to sound and feel like—just coming back together, having fun, having a good time,” he says. “This song is basically about the insecurities of a new relationship. How it can be hard to trust someone when you’ve been betrayed in the past. I’m tryna inject hope into it; I think there is beauty in having faith that things are going to work out, that things are going to be alright. I think that’s true in love and in life overall. True for love and life in general.”
