Dance and indie/Nu-disco artist David Bay just unveiled his debut single/music video, “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” his reimagined version of Joy Division’s classic new wave song, endorsed by the members of Joy Division.
Talking about the song, David shares, “The original’s high string machine turned out to be the core element of my version. I’ve adapted the line’s movement to the bass, guitar, and even the synths. Somehow the whole instrumental is now playing the hook-melody, even in the verse. Always wanted to use an acid-techno-synth in my disco music and this cover was a great opportunity to do it. To me, it felt like the moment after the chorus needed to have something super dynamic and surprising. I think, if you do a cover, you really have to give the track your spin and I really hope I managed to do just that. From a new-wave 80’s classic, I’ve changed the song into an electronic disco blend that could fit into a playlist right next to artists like Franc Moody, Roosevelt, or Purple Disco Machine. I slowed the track down over 20 BPM and twisted it into my thing. Always loved their music, Ian Curtis’s lyrics, and perspective on life. When I watched Anton Corbijn’s ‘Control,’ I somehow ended up doing my own interpretation of their sound. I did this track back in 2017 and since then releasing it was super complicated. All that music industry stuff can be quite overwhelming sometimes. To me, the cover version somehow feels as old as the original now… haha, but we did it! I’m super excited about this and cannot wait to hear how the world embraces this one compared to the original. We sent it over to their publisher and shortly after we were allowed to release it by all remaining members of the band; Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner, and Peter Hook – crazy!”
David Bay began making music in his teens, playing with the band Pool, which opened for The 1975 in Europe. Later, he started Zissou Records, a disco label in Germany, while remixing other artists such as Phenomenal Handclap Band, Toy Tonics, and Les Loups.
Directed by Faraz Shariat, whose debut movie, Futur Drei, is creating buzz, the dark, ultramodern visuals depict an avant-garde couple in a futuristic disco club.
“Love Will Tear Us Apart” opens on gleaming layers of Nu-disco riding a dance rhythm as rippling leitmotifs radiate washes of techno coloration. David’s velvety, slightly dreamy voice imbues the lyrics with quixotic savors, as well as new wave inflections.
Pulsing on a contagious rhythm topped by sparkling Nu-disco textures, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” is a dazzling version of an archetypal song.
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