Boys Noize drops turbo-charged rework of Bananarama classic ‘Venus’
The Grammy winner puts his own spin on the iconic 1986 hit
Acclaimed producer and DJ Boys Noize returns with an explosive new rework of Bananarama’s 1986 classic ‘Venus’, out on 18th August.
Grammy-winning underground / overground dance iconoclast Boys Noize (aka Alex Ridha) takes on Bananarama, the most successful girl group of all time with a new rework of ‘Venus’. Bananarama’s 1986 version rewired the pop dance framework, taking London’s hi-energy club sound global: reaching Top 10 in 20 countries, #1 in 6 countries, and topping the US Billboard Top 100 and Dance Club charts. Championed by Peggy Gou in her Summer sets, Boys Noize ups the BPM and takes no prisoners in this new, turbo-charged version: hard, fast and future-facing.
“When the request came in I was quite excited to take this on”, says Boys Noize about the release. “I really enjoyed the challenge making this classic work in my DJ-sets, speeding it up and making it pop on new soundsystems. Besides the vocals, some of the original elements worked really well in my new musical dress too - it’s really fun to play this one!”
BUY/STREAM ‘VENUS’ (BOYS NOIZE REWORK) HERE
Having celebrated Bananarama’s 40th anniversary last year, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward’s achievements speak for themselves. Two Band Aid appearances, an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful female band worldwide with the most charting singles, many of which were international hits, four hitting the US Billboard Top 10 including a #1 with ‘Venus’. To date the duo have had 30 Top hits. They have released 12 albums and sold 30 million records, most recently with last year’s MASQUERADE.
Boys Noize (Alex Ridha) builds worlds, then builds bridges between them. Embraced by the underground and adored on the main stage, the nonconformist German-Iraqi artist, DJ, producer and subcultural oracle has forged a distinctive path through the world of electronic music, all on his own terms. Crisscrossing the globe with masterfully anarchic performances at major festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury, he still plays annually at techno mecca Berghain. Few other artists have achieved Ridha’s level of success while still maintaining such critical respect.
The new decade kicked off with a bang for Boys Noize with a 2020 Grammy nomination for his single ‘Midnight Hour’ with Skrillex and a 2021 Grammy win for Lady Gaga’s ‘Rain On Me’ ft. Ariana Grande. The success builds on years of momentum, ranging from productions for Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky and Rico Nasty to collaborations with Bon Iver, Chance The Rapper, Snoop Dogg, Tommy Cash and Kelsey Lu. Ridha’s multifaceted output also includes remixes for Daft Punk, Depeche Mode, Rammstein, Solomun, Pussy Riot and David Lynch, the soundtrack for Oliver Stone’s movie Snowden, and the first musical release from designer Virgil Abloh, accompanied by the OFF-WHITE x BOYS NOIZE’s MAYDAY clothing collection. Whether composing and performing live as OCTAVE MINDS with piano maestro Chilly Gonzales, crafting club hits with Skrillex as DOG BLOOD, or DJing under his house pseudonym ELAX, Boys Noize is constantly developing new forms of expression, fueled by a creativity that knows no boundaries
A commitment to that boundless creativity is also what drove Ridha to start his own label. Originally created for Boys Noize releases, Boysnoize Records (BNR) quickly evolved into a playground for discovering and cultivating new talent. The Berlin-based “non-conformist DIY anarchist collective” (Dazed & Confused) is home to an exceptional and diverse roster including Locked Club, Safety Trance, Baseck, Pilo, Unklevon and Peaches.
A high-energy update on a classic record, ‘Venus’ has a new lease of life thanks to the club craftsmanship of Boys Noize.
