Confidence Man have joined forces with two UK acts – London-based club DJ Erol Alkin and electro-house collective Bruise – to release a pair of remixes for their latest single, ‘Holiday’.
Isolating the original version’s sizzling phasers and thumping, acid bass-esque lead synths, Alkan’s six-minute spin on ‘Holiday’ turns the track into a slow-burning techno bop that shimmers with ‘80s-channelling keyboards and an 808 beat.
Bruise also give ‘Holiday’ a nostalgic twist with their remix, albeit one that is more overtly inspired by the house tunes of the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Digitised shakes and claps build the spotlit beat, with a rounded bassline and glittery synth filling out the mix. The group also make striking use of the original track’s vocals, flooded here with reverb and chopped up in parts to give it a glitchy edge.
Have a listen to both ‘Holiday’ remixes below:
“Let’s be honest,” Confidence Man said in a press release, “one holiday simply isn’t enough. We want that feeling 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. We’re getting greedy and we don’t even care. So, don’t be scared, buy the ticket, take the trip. The ‘Holiday’ remix pack is for you, and it’ll take you there.”
In his own statement, Alkan noted that his ‘Holiday’ remix helped him to break free of a creative rut. He conceded that during the UK’s lockdown periods over the last 18 months, he “hardly had much drive to be creative”, much less so when it came to reworking other artists’ material. But when ‘Holiday’ was sent to him by Jeff Barrett – the head of Confidence Man’s label, Heavenly Recordings – Alkan leapt at the opportunity to remix it.
“[The track’s] energy and sentiment were ingredients I wanted to work with,” he said, “and I’ve always liked the band. I saw them turn the Scala upside down a few years back and I’ve been a fan since. I made the rework in a day; I knew exactly what I wanted to create within moments of exploring the multi-tracks. Those mixes which come fast are usually my favourites, and this one is definitely one of them.”
Confidence Man released ‘Holiday’ as a single last month. It came as the first track shared from their forthcoming second album, ‘Tilt’, which is due to hit shelves on April 1, 2022.
Upon the initial release of ‘Holiday’, Sugar Bones said the duo had “been trying for the most epic, hands up, euphoric anthem for a while and this is the first time we’ve come close… Turns out it’s pretty difficult, but nothing’s too hard for Con Man.”
Janet Planet added: “No one tells Confidence Man what to do. Who said a Holiday can’t last forever? Spend big and live free, that’s our motto. And it can be yours too. A vacation is just sunburn at premium prices but a holiday is a state of mind.”
According to a press release, ‘Tilt’ – the follow-up to 2018’s ‘Confident Music For Confident People’ – is “fierce, flirty and full of anthems”, and listeners “might need to sit down before you hit play”.
September saw Confidence Man announce a new suite of tour dates for the UK, Spain and Ireland. The Australian duo have a total of 13 shows on the itinerary for next summer, kicking off in Manchester on Tuesday May 3 and wrapping up in Dublin on Friday June 17. Tickets and full details can be found on the duo’s website.
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