6 October 2023 (Toronto, ON) — Showing no signs of slowing down as summer ends, British DJ-producer James Hype has teamed up with GRAMMY-winning powerhouse Kim Petras on new single ‘Drums’, out now via The Cross/Island Records/Universal Music Canada.
The track comes as Hype completes his final Our House at Hï Ibiza residency set, alongside Italian DJ collective and label mates MEDUZA, which saw him play to hundreds of thousands of ravers throughout September.
In typical Hype style, “Drums” sees a genius re-working of the instantly recognisable Justin Timberlake classic ‘Like I Love You’, elevated further by Petras’ alluring vocal. An instant set essential, this four-to-the-floor anthem is a production masterclass in stripping back to the fundamentals.
Speaking on the new single, James said: “I came up with the idea for ‘Drums’ in 2019. It was an instrumental called ‘Everybody Dance’, which I played in my sets. The Hypefam heard it and not only demanded I release it, they had already renamed it ‘Drums’ of their own accord! The song part was also written a few years ago with some good friends, who have worked with me in the studio quite a bit. Fast forward to 2023, I met Kim in LA and we got together to create this version of ‘Drums’ you hear now. We were also incredibly blessed to have Justin Timberlake agree to keep his original vocal, so this record feels incredibly special to me – Who does this?”
It’s been a whirlwind year for Hype, notably with one of his biggest releases to date, “Ferrari”. Not only has the globally celebrated dance record surpassed one billion cumulative streams, but continues to occupy international chart positions, even peaking at #6 in the UK single charts.
Hype is arguably one of the UK’s most important artists, with his productions consistently forming the cornerstone of dancefloors around the world, alongside his singles and remixes clocking over two billion streams worldwide. That said, these accolades are shadowed by his unmatched ability and generation-inspiring DJing, standing alone at the spearhead of 21st-century live mixing.
This well-earned success and Hype’s larger-than-life presence has allowed him to regularly tour on a global scale, from the US to Brazil, Australia to Ibiza and more. He continues to be one of the UK’s most prolific remixers, with official remixes for the likes of Ed Sheeran, David Guetta, MEDUZA to name a few.
‘Drums’ sees the genius at play in Hype’s craft. His ability to breathe life into classic records, whilst maintaining artistic integrity is unmatched. Drums by name, drums by nature, James Hype is well and truly at the beating heart of dance music.
