If any producer could be considered the grandfather of stadium house, it would be Rollo Armstrong. Known for epic big room production as part of the remix/production team Rollo and Sister Bliss as well as a founding member of electronic supergroup Faithless, his experimentation with religious keyboards and epic sounds are the clear precursor to the current stadium house sound. As with the recent update of hard house classic “Joy Energizer,” it seems the right time to start reworking the Rollo classics. British DJ/producer dusts off the club/UK QAF classic “Hold That Sucker Down” by OT Quartet (the production team of Rollo and Rob Dougan) and wisely stays true to the original instrumentation, adding some modern electro sounds. Close your eyes and it’s 1994 again with those classic Rollo keyboards lifting you to euphoric heights. While it is quite straightforward, when the original is so masterful – moving away or distorting it would ruin the impact. The only minor quibble is the decision to not include the original version or at least do a separate vocal version, yet the “Hold That Sucker Down” track is so iconic and recognizable maybe the vocals aren’t so necessary (something the original’s vocal versions proved as well). This is one of those WTF tracks that instantly catches a dancer’s attention – they will either recognize it or hold up their phone to shazam it.
Image Courtesy of Lange Records.