In a blaze of inspiration, Dutch DJ/producers Jack Wins and Joe Stone have teamed up to deliver a powerful slice of dance energy. ‘Light Up My Life’ is as refreshing as you can imagine, bursting out with sweet house rhythms and catchy melodies, nicely bridging gaps between classic filter house, cool contemporary dance and silky Madonna hooks – approved by the Queen of Pop herself. Get ready to light up your life with this undeniably uplifting summer anthem.
Expect nothing less than brilliance from Jack Wins and Joe Stone, two artists who’ve been making steady waves these last years with their releases. On their own account they’ve kept a steady touch on the pulse of modern dance music, always combining classic house grooves and timeless pop vocals with tightly produced electronic sounds.
And now, two artists specialized in bringing together the best of different worlds, teaming up for the first time ever to work on an official sample from a Madonna hit? Yes, this is happening for real. Following 14 months of clearing the sample, the sign recently turned green including the approval of Madonna herself to use lyrics from her 1987 hit ‘Who’s That Girl’, a huge pop classic that reached #1 in nine countries, including the US and UK as well as #1 in Europe’s Airplay Chart. From there on, things could only get better.
As a matter of fact, Jack Wins and Joe Stone have delivered a truly magnificent tune with ‘Light Up My Life’. Bursting out with the famous lyrics from ‘Who’s That Girl’ the beat fulfills the expectation with its uptempo and extatic rhythm, diving deep into filtered effects every chance it gets, while blazing away together with sweet synth chords.
Halfway through the song, the vocals extend with Madonna’s questioning ‘who’s that girl’ lyrics, subtly honoring the ever growing LHBTQ community, followed by the tropically sounding melodies, inspired by the original song. As the beat keeps pumping, it seems like the perfect counterweight for the nostalgic pop sounds, honorably making way for their recognizable character, but keeping the energy close to nowadays dance music.
Jack Wins and Joe Stone know how to work a sample, together they seem like the dream team lifting Madonna’s pop classic to a fresh, 2021 dance extravaganza. It’s upbeat, it’s positive, it’s an anthem for every person, gender and orientation out there. In short, a tune to fall in love with.
“I have fond memories as a 9-year-old travelling with my parents and my sister to the South of France for our summer holiday. Sitting in the back of the car with my sister listening to Madonna on her Walkman and singing along to her hits (not always in tune, which used to annoy me).
Fast Forward to 2018 and I’m driving in my car through London, listening to the radio and ‘Who’s that girl’ comes on by Madonna. When it hits the ‘bridge’ of the track where Madonna sings ‘Light up My Life’, I just remember thinking that I had to do something with this special hook.
It took me a day or so to get the idea down, but it has taken another 2 years to get it to Madonna and get her personal approval’. I’m just really happy that Madonna likes it and that it is finally going to see the light of day! Definitely feels like we’re winning with this one!” – says Jack Wins