The dynamic duo Hel:sløwed are becoming a household name in the Trance world as Dutch DJ's & producers Misja Helsloot & Michael de Kooker launched the project in 2021 and since have released memorable tracks such as "Drifting Apart" with Cari on Grotesque DRK, "Flashed" on Flashover Progressive, "In Silence" and "Hold On To This" with That Girl on A State of Trance, and "If You Only Knew" with Amber Revival on Armind, just to name a few that have captivated our minds and touched our hearts here at the Church of Trance.
When we heard their version of the 1994 classic (check out the original music video on Youtube for a hit of nostalgia) that was rebooted by the legendary Jerome Isma-Ae in April 2020 (and not only hit the #1 spot on the Techno charts and stayed in the top 10 for 45 days but peaked at #11 on the Beatport Top 100) the repeat button was activated and became an instant favorite, so we reached out the Misja & Michael to get a little behind the scenes on the inspiration and creation of the track, and what's on the radar for Hel:sløwed.
What was the inspiration to remix such a massive tune as "Hold That Sucker Down"?
We both loved the main original of OT Quartet from back in the late 90's. I (Misja) used to play it a lot in my trance sets back then as well. So we had the conversation to create a slower version but still with the energy of Jerome's version and the original. And so we did, we sticked to our motto "Low Tempo, High Energy" and I believe that worked out pretty well :)
Was there a favorite moment from the production process that stuck out in making the remix?
Not really, since Michael and I love the fact of having fun while making music instead of having a particular goal, the whole process is always fun. Also in our own song we love to stay away from certain rules from any genre and we will see where we end up. And since Michael is always the one that finishes all our productions we always will keep the same production level.
What was Jerome's feedback on the remix when he first heard it? Did it change much from the first version to the final?
The main idea was to cover the track, like we did with "In Silence" and "Flight 643", so the first version was with the original vocals. Getting the clearance of the rights was a tough call so we decided to offer the track to Armada as a remix for Jerome's version, and he loved the idea from the start. Basically all we had to do was change the vocals from the original to the one from Jerome's version.
What's on the radar for Hel:sløwed in the second half of 2024 after coming off big events like Airwalk, A State of Trance and Luminosity?
Half August we are flying to Romania to play at Untold Festival, and have some smaller gigs in Holland, and as we speak we are looking for possibilities for the US in 2025, so we will see where that will lead us in the future. And release wise a collab with Driftmoon will see the light soon on Black Hole, and the follow up of "If You Only Knew" with Amber Revival will be released on Armind holding the title "Wild Fire", already played that one on ASOT in Rotterdam and Luminosity a couple of weeks ago so it can be heard in our sets at Youtube and Soundcloud profiles 😉
We love the "Low Tempo, High Energy" touch the duo gave to the track - once you get to the breakdown whether you've heard the original or the Hel:sløwed remix is your first listen, you'll immediately be captivated by the larger-than-life vocals of Colette Van Sertima piercing your soul with every note. The melodic and progressive vibe of the drop really has us vibing, especially with the key change, the build in tension, and energy of the track going into the outtro. We certainly are excited to feature the Hel:sløwed Remix in the July 2024 episode of the Church of Trance, which you can catch live on AH.FM the final Friday of the month, or on demand via SoundCloud or YouTube via the Trance Jesus socials the following Monday 🙏
Release Date: June 28, 2024
Label: Armind
Buy/Download: https://www.beatport.com/track/hold-that-sucker-down/19102557
Listen/Stream: https://open.spotify.com/track/0IhRsDaSjG0pZkyXieOgd2
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