• Sampled “Happy Song” by Baby’s Gang
• Pumping kick and energetic basses
• Nice teaser for the upcoming album!
On one side, I’m rather annoyed by KUNGS’s single-minded strategy of picking up 80’s classics and slightly modifying them, but from the other… They do work.
Fresh off from the success of the summer’s hit “Never Going Home” (sampling “Idol” by Mind Enterprises), the French producer has revealed “Clap Your Hands”, his latest endeavour anticipating the album “Club Azur”.
And yes, before you speculate further, it’s another rework of “Happy Song” by the Baby’s Gang (1985). Mildly annoyed at the revelation of this, I had to change my mind when comparing the two versions: this time, it’s abundantly clear that the said artist has reformulated the structure in an evident way, embedding a pumping kick-drum with slight Tech House flavour sprinkled. This record retains more dynamism, speeding up the vocal (which has the same hypnotic and easy-going vibe of “Never Going Home”) and occasionally, introducing a xylophone to sweeten the deal.
The outcome is potential summer hit, with radio-amiable potential and also considerably more EDM elements than expected. There’s a clear focus on the two vocalists’ performances, and I appreciate that because it’s intriguing. Usually keeping my favourable opinions against a rework, Kungs dug out a lesser famous release from the shelves and turned it into a coherent idea for 2022. The design remains simple, yet remember that this is Deep House, a genre that satisfies the alias’ fetish towards minimalist arrangements.
So, “Clap Your Hands” has positively impressed me although I am not jumping to any conclusions until March. I am looking forward to “Club Azur” to finally grasp if there are any underlying interesting aspects, or if Kungs is a factory of reworks oriented for the warmer season. In the meantime, let’s blast this new single, which surely will be placing itself heavily on radios and playlists, but in a well-deserved fashion, I should say.
What do you think?
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