If you have a few seconds, study the picture. Which element sticks out? How much of the insect’s beauty has been lost?

When I was about 15, and already falling for dance music, my family went round for Christmas drinks with another family we knew nearby. I recall them having 4 kids. At least 2 of the 3 boys were prodigious: one could climb up nearly flat walls and went on to set extraordinarily difficult climbing routes at the indoor wall in Gloucester; the other was precocious and played the cello. (The other was into sports too.)

Although I had anticipated a nice conversation about the shared love of music with the latter, that’s not how it turned out. He had a dim view of electronically made music, and imagined that its production was about as creative as completing a jigsaw. Sure, he thought, there were skills to learn, but once a basic knowledge was acquired, you just line up a few different parts and you’re done.

This week’s track is my testament to him, a couple of decades later. I do not view it as complete, and although I like the hooks and arpeggios, there are little things I’m not happy with.

It’s true that sometimes parts seem to work together right away, things feel effortless. Mostly, though, they don’t. I shall not list all the particulars that I wish were different, but I count over 20. That’s well over a dozen elements that deserve more polish, more time, and a gentle caress. I’ll leave you to find them!

Each of these stick out a little to me. And while the track is feels more rough around the edges to me – each of them decisively rule in favour of my childhood friend’s ignorance.

Having said all this, although aiming for perfection is foolish, and although 95% is fantastic, 85% can still move the heart.