it was only a matter of time. two genre-defining artists together ... pop music and dance musics most famous arbiters of taste, collaborating at last. dj hells >u can dance< is an interpretation of an unreleased bryan ferry song, but its one that reflects a perfect melding of two distinct personalities, a record that sounds as if the voice and music were made for each other.
hell, of course, has been riding high on the success of >teufelswerk<, his masterpiece of a double album, a journey replete with fruitful experiments and club bombs. one that has yielded both massive hits and not a tiny bit of controversy along the way. ferry, meanwhile, has been as busy as ever—recording a new album, performing in places as far afield as siberia, opening up the cannes film festival ... basically just being bryan ferry.
and now here they are together ... it all started in 2006 when hell dropped in to meet ferry at his west london studio. at first they discussed hell remixing an old roxy music track, and then it turned into something else - something new (u can dance).
they had similar impressions of one another — hell: >i was impressed by his aura and his look.<, ferry: >he impressed us with his sophistication and charm.< fast forward a few years later, and hell is hard at work on teufelswerk and putting the finishing touches on the aforementioned song titled >u can dance<, a serpentine moroder-esque disco burner. with the help of old friend peter kruder, of kruder and dorfmeister fame, hell fashioned the song into a smoldering nine-minute highlight of the double disc set, in which ferry turns in a typically assured vocal performance.
ferry may seem like an unexpected fan of dance, but hes been going to clubs since he was a teenager, and in his lengthy career hes worked with legends such as nile rodgers of chic and david williams from michael jacksons band. >its always a pleasure to work with people from that genre, who follow a singular groove.<
the single follows in the wake of hells >the dj feat. p. diddy< which has won over floors and critics alike with its nearly 30-minute radio slave remix and fine work from the likes of deetron, jay haze and others. on >u can dance< hell and ferry have similarly pulled out all the stops for the remixes, gathering up work from the grammy-nominated producer carl craig, dfa mainstay tim goldsworthy and pop electro superstars simian mobile disco.