To be fair, I wouldn’t ordinarily be caught listening to the Dave Matthews Band, since consuming American rock music doesn’t feature as a part of what I do day-to-day. Nonetheless, I went to go check out the original edit of the song “Crash into Me“, after Steve Aoki and Darren Criss unleashed their electrifying, reimagined version of the Grammy-nominated track. While in terms of stylizing they couldn’t be more different. The catchy hooks which pepper the melody in the DMB original are without a doubt an attractive tool for Aoki, to work his dance-pop magic around.
It was singer/songwriter and Emmy Award-winning Actor Darren Criss ( * “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace”) who brought the idea of updating this track to Aoki.
“Steve Aoki and I both share a love for reinvigorating familiar songs by fusing them with seemingly unconnected musical styles. And for as long as I’d had this wild idea of transforming Dave Matthews seminal ballad ‘Crash Into Me’ into a dance track, I always thought Steve would be the perfect person to bring it to life,” said Criss.
“Darren and I wanted to do something different and surprising out of the gate with our collaboration. We bonded over classics, and this surely was one of them.” Steve Aoki
Affirmed by his track record of producing the highest calibre EDM. If anybody was going to turn this jangly soft rock track around into a big dance anthem, spin doctor, entrepreneur Aoki was the right person to make to it happen. The upbeat overhaul of the track from Aoki and Criss has the piece taking on a completely new persona. As you would expect of an anthem, it is vibrant. Which enables the authentic lyrics, to resonate meaningfully in ways to a new audience. I love how these boys took the track out of the zones it has been familiar with. Of all places, this bop received its premiere in a gym. Barry’s Bootcamp in Hollywood. I love that, that happened!
*See more about American Crime Story season 2 “The Assassination of Gianni Versace”
from Boys on Film – Phil and Raj, HERE
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Connect with Steve Aoki
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Twitter: @steveaoki
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Connect with Darren Criss
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darrencriss
Twitter: @darrencriss
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrencriss/