Dabeull just took a 60-year-old jazz standard and gave it a nu-disco makeover. “Shadow of Your Smile,” released in April 2026, is his latest reminder that French Touch’s funkier corner is alive and well.
The Frenchman keeping analog funk alive
David Saïd, better known as Dabeull, has spent over a decade building a catalogue that treats disco, funk and zouk like living genres rather than museum pieces, all filtered through vintage synths he insists on keeping in the mix live and in the studio. Since his 2014 debut EP “Fonk Delight,” he’s released a steady run of EPs and albums, including 2024’s “Analog Love,” and his single “You & I” has passed 25 million streams.
A 1965 classic gets the Dabeull treatment
“Shadow of Your Smile” takes the 1965 standard of the same name and pushes it somewhere groovier, sultrier and unmistakably summer-ready, without losing the melody that made the original a standard in the first place. It’s a good snapshot of what Dabeull does best: taking something familiar and making it move.
Turning a 60-year-old standard into a summer groove without embarrassing anyone involved is harder than it looks. Dabeull makes it look easy, which might be the most French Touch thing about this whole story: taking something old, adding a synth, and somehow making it sound brand new.
Key facts
- Real name: David Saïd
- Genre: nu-disco, funk, zouk influences
- Notable prior release: “Analog Love” (2024 album)
- New single: “Shadow of Your Smile” (April 2026)