House music legendย Armand Van Heldenย has linked up with eclectic Italian DJ and producerย Riva Starrย and UK soul favouriteย Sharlene Hectorย on new singleย โStepย It Upโ, outย now.
Combining euphoric piano chords, rave-evoking breakbeats andย Hectorโs soaring vocals,ย โStep It Upโย successfully channels a feelgood old-school house vibe with serious crossover appeal.
โIโve known Riva Starr since forever ago and we always wanted to collaborate. Glad we did, couldnโt have been more fun!โย – Armand Van Helden
โSuch an experience to share the studio with the legend that is Armand.ย We have been talking about doing a collab for years and glad we finally made it.ย And so much fun it was!โย – Riva Starr
With a career spanning three decades,ย Armand Van Heldenย is one of house musicโs most recognisable figures, receivingย Grammy nominationsย andย topping the UK Singles charts on no fewer than four occasions. More recently he has revived hisย Duck Sauceย project, a collaboration with fellow dance music donย A-Trak, to release singlesย โCaptain Duckโย andย โI Donโt Mindโ. 2020 has seenย Armandย boldly return to the spotlight. March singleย โGive Me Your Lovingโย was playlisted byย BBC Radio 1, he collaborated withย Solardoย andย Herveย on club smashย โPower Of Bassโย while also recording a 30 minute mini-mix on BBC Radio 1ย as part of theirย โBig Weekendโย coverage in Ibiza.
Hailing from Naples but now East London based,ย Riva Starrย is not only known as founder of widely renownedย Snatch! Records, but also for his vast catalogue of hit tracks such as the No.1 topping single ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat‘ withย Fatboy Slimย andย Beardyman, and collaborations with the likes ofย Green Velvet,ย Jocelyn Brownย andย Horace Andy,ย to name a few. His broad musical portfolio has seen him release various EPs on labels such asย Hot Creations, Cajualย andย Defectedย among others, as well as remixing the likes ofย Carl Cox,ย Groove Armada, London Grammarย andย Duke Dumont.
A celebrated singer-songwriter in her own right,ย Sharlene Hectorย has frontedย Brit Award-winning electronic outfitย Basement Jaxxย since 2001. She has also collaborated with a long and varied list of artists, includingย Clean Bandit,ย Royal Blood,ย Primalย Scream,ย The Horrors,ย Wretch 32,ย ย Natashaย Bedingfield,ย Nicole Scherzinger,ย Mark Ronsonย andย Paloma Faith. More recently she lent her flawless vocals toย Duke Dumontโsย โTherapyโย andย Dimensionโsย โSaviourโ, singles that have amassedย over 15 million streamsย between them.
With two legends of the house scene coming together, itโs no real surprise thatย โStep It Upโย sounds like a future classic.
