Tim: ELEVEN YEARS AGO: iiO released their track ‘Rapture‘ which was massive pretty much everywhere that had nightclubs. Or, more accurately, music in general.
A FEW YEARS BACK: Nadia Ali, who did the singing, split from producer Markus Moser.
ABOUT EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO: she re-recorded the song, got it remixed by everyone’s favourite Swedish bloke called Tim, Avicii, and then re-released it.
IN FEBRUARY: it suddenly started getting radio airplay here, apropos of nothing in particular.
NOW: it’s June and therefore SUMMER(ish), so we’ll listen to it.
Tom: My word, that’s either excellent genes, excellent makeup, or she was ten years old when she sang the original of this. Not that it matters, of course, but, well, yes.
Tim: So, out go the drums and synthy stuff, in come the pianos and tinkly stuff. And then fairly different drums and synthy stuff, because they’re like a legal obligation or something. And to be honest, I’m not sure about this. I first looked it up because Dev, Satan’s gift to Radio 1, talked about it on the radio a while back.
Tom: I do wonder why you listen to Radio 1 if all you’re going to do is come up with witty insults about it. …wait, never mind.
Tim: I never heard Dev play it, and now I’ve listened to it – it’s less of a remix and more a completely different track.
Tom: For those of us who listen to a lot of mashups – in other words, me – that’s not a problem. Let’s not forget Tiesto’s ‘He’s A Pirate‘, which is pretty much the record-setter for how little of an original you can include to still qualify as a remix. I rather like it.
Tim: Oh, I don’t think it’s bad. It’s just that, well, the vocals are there, sure, although I’ve got to say I don’t recognise the second verse she sings. Underneath them, though, is standard ‘hurry up and finish so we can get to the epic breakdown’ piano stuff, and after that, well, like I say, a completely different track.
Like I said, I don’t dislike it – I’d probably really enjoy it if I’d not heard the original, or if it had some other vocals on it. It’s just not remotely was I was expecting, or, I suppose, hoping it would be, and that puts me off it.
Tom: It works for me. And after all, it could’ve been worse. It could’ve been dubstep.