Synopsis

Adam F's "Circles" uses an atmospheric, image-led approach rather than a conventional narrative. Urban landscapes, changing skylines and time-lapse-style views are cut together with abstract, rhythm-driven imagery, creating a sense of constant motion and repetition. The video's cool blue palette and minimalist presentation complement the track's jazz-inflected drum and bass, while the recurring city imagery gives the piece a distinctly late-1990s electronic feel. It functions less as a story than as a visual counterpart to the track's restless, looping momentum.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Circles" was first released in 1995 and became a bigger commercial success after its 1997 re-release, when it reached No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart.

• The track was the first single from Adam F's debut album, "Colours", a landmark release in the jazz-influenced, melodic side of 1990s drum and bass.

• Adam F built the original track in a bedroom studio using period equipment including an Akai S1000 sampler and an Atari 1040STE computer running Notator, an early predecessor to Logic.

• The delicate piano element comes from Bob James' jazz-funk track "Westchester Lady". Adam F has said he discovered the sample almost accidentally after hearing it alongside "Circles", which happened to be in the same key.

• Other recognizable ingredients include a vocal sample from Blackstreet's "Physical Thing", a vocal passage from Tameka Starr's "Going in Circles", and a break associated with Kurtis Blow's "Do the Do".

• The song's long afterlife includes its use as a central sample in PinkPantheress' 2021 track "Break It Off". That connection introduced "Circles" to a new generation and contributed to Adam F revisiting his classic material.