Exclusive Interview with Steff Da Campo & Yves Larock

Swiss artist Yves Larock has teamed up with one of house music’s unstoppable forces, Steff Da Campo, for the re-creation of his renowned dance classic ‘Rise Up’ feat. Jaba.

Swiss artist Yves Larock has teamed up with one of house music’s unstoppable forces, Steff Da Campo, for the re-creation of his renowned dance classic ‘Rise Up’ feat. Jaba. The result is a sweet 2021 rendition that builds on the original’s feelgood vibe while adding tasty deep house rhythms and a refreshing reggae breakdown to provide the song with a brand new appeal. It’s a classic reborn, out now on Spinnin’ Records.

Yves Larock dominated the summer of 2007 with the release of ‘Rise Up’, a border crossing club tune featuring a soulful groove and hot-blooded vocals by reggae singer and fellow Swiss artist Jaba. Reaching high in the international charts back then (including #13 on the Official UK Singles Chart), ‘Rise Up’ has remained a much-praised and spun record till this day – every new generation of DJs seems to embrace the track in its own way.

Following deep house prodigy LVNDSCAPE, who turned the song into a fresh sounding hit again in 2016, fellow Dutch DJ/producer Steff Da Campo now signs for a much anticipated 2021 version. He knows his way around tunes like these, as he’s been making quite some waves these last years with deep groovy house records featuring exciting hooks, alluring melodies, and often recognizable vocal samples. Just check out his much-acclaimed rework of 90’s hip hop gem ‘I Got 5 On It’, released earlier this year together with 71 Digits, and you’ll catch his vibe instantly.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Congrats on ‘Rise Up 2021’, it’s a great remake of an already amazing song. Steff, were you nervous when you sent the track to Yves for the first time?

Steff : Of course! Yves & Jaba made an iconic record, a true classic and it was possible Yves would have said no. Very happy they said yes!

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Yves, the original track came out in 2007 which is 14 years ago. How much has the music scene changed since then and do you think that Rise Up will still fit?

Yves : Yes the scene has changed a lot, the sound has evolved enormously, the music sounds so much better now, the music is not an exact science, so i don’t know is rise up will work in 2021, but i hope, in all case, we love the song.

Yves, we imagine that you get a lot of people making remixes of ‘Rise Up’ – what made Steff’s version so special that you wanted to get involved yourself?

Yves : I’ve been listening to what Steff has been doing for years, and I really love what he does, so when he wanted to remix Rise Up, I was more than happy.

How was the process working with each other? We guess that because producers work remotely with each other even during non-Covid times, it wasn’t too strange?

Steff : No, it was great, but it became even better when we met in person to shoot the video for Rise Up! In normal times, we probably would have spent some time in a studio somewhere, now all our creative discussions were on-line, but it was a nice process.

Yves : It’s true that i’m a bit of the old school, i used to work with people or singers in my studio, but that has to change, and i have adapted, i can send beats to each other side of the world and the singer sends me his ideas, it’s great, so Steff started the song and we worked remotely.

This year has been crazy – what’s been your biggest takeaway?

Steff : A lot of problems came to the forefront all of a sudden for a lot of people. Health, jobs, lockdown, etc. But this period also had some unexpected advantages. I saw my family and friends much more often, and life became less about the rat race and much more about special moments with the people you love. So I try to be happy with what I still have and not worry about what we lost. At the same time, I can’t wait to tour again!

Yves : Apart from the pizza in my studio, I had time to cook … as usual

Steff, we heard the news that the Dutch government cancelled all big events until mid-September, that must have been crushing for your home industry? Yves, how is the nightlife scene in Switzerland doing now?

Steff : The Dutch government made some decisions, which were heavily criticized, keeping clubs and festivals closed. Last week there were big protests in many major cities against their policies. Unfortunately, it seems cultural events are not important to them. Soccer games and the Formula 1 race are allowed to have tens of thousands of visitors, while nightlife is considered a risk. I’m afraid it will be 2022 before our local scene really re-opens.

Yves : The nightlife in Switzerland is not going very well, the clubs are open but you have to take a test, so there are not a lot of people and the party organizers are reluctant to book big djs. So it can only get better.

Rise Up is such an uplifting tune. Apart from ‘Rise Up’, what’s the one tune you put on that’s guaranteed to make you feel happy when you’re down?

Steff : DMX- Take Control!

Yves : Hard to say just one song, but the first one that comes to mind is Otis Redding – Mr Pitiful

Finally, of course, you’re chatting to us here at Soundrive Music. If you were abducted by a UFO what one thing would you show the aliens to show that humans are actually decent, and why?

Steff : My daughter playing with my cat!

Yves : I’d show him a Monty Python movie, or whatever, I don’t think we’re smarter than a shrimp, but at least we can laugh.

‘Rise Up 2021’ perfectly brings both worlds together. The melodies and warm vocals of the original are omnipresent, this time intertwined with finely tuned 2021 production, building up with gentle chords and subtle beats before diving into a warm deep house groove. The breakdown brings instant bliss, as it mixes the reggae styled vocals with a sweet reggae beat – bringing the song straight to its melting point. When the beat subsequently drops again, it’s a full release of dopamine – happiness guaranteed.

Steff Da Campo has captured the essence of ‘Rise Up’ with this rework, highlighting the feel-good elements of the original to create something special once again. 2021 might still be a strange year for dance music lovers, this record definitely takes off the sharp edges and makes sure the energy keeps flowing.

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Yves Larock x Steff Da Campo – ‘Rise Up 2021′ is out now on Spinnin’ Records

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