Long before Armand van Helden went bonkers with Dizzee Rascal or did it anyway that he wanted with Duck Sauce, he was making underground club hits for the godfather of house labels; Strictly Rhythm. Along with Erick Morillo, Roger Sanchez and DJ Pierre, he created the kind of cutting edge dance music that was to make Strictly’s name and give them all a place in house music history.
One of these early successes was ‘Witch Doktor’, an alien sound with staccato, hip-hop inspired snares, a thudding bassline and a loud-ass siren – and it was an instant hit with DJs looking for something edgy. It’s the track that propelled Armand into the limelight, transforming him almost overnight from punk kid to respected producer, and now the same track could potentially do the same for you.
Strictly Rhythm have teamed up with leading download hub Beatport for a ‘Witch Doktor’ remix competition. The stems of Armand’s 90's house classic are now available for download, including all original parts and the original mix if you’re in need of a little inspiration.
You can read more about the competition on Beatportal.
Here are the details of how to take part:
1. Dec 15 - Jan 4: Download the remix parts of 'Witch Doktor' bundled at $3.99 USD.
2. Dec 22 - Jan 4: Upload your remix to Beatportal.com/remix
3. Jan 5 - Jan 19: Cast your vote by 'spinning' your favourite remix on Beatportal.com/remix
After a period of deliberation, the winner will be announced on on or around January 26th, 2010. 'Strictly Rhythm Est. 1989 - 20 Years Remixes' released January 2010.
Good luck!
