June 16, 2023 – Marking a turning point in his career, Nico de Andrea has teamed up with British duo Eli & Fur for latest collaborative effort: ‘Start The Fire’. The French studio wizard known best for his Afro House productions announces this track as the first of a string of singles that will reflect a change direction to a melodic-leaning sound.
“The shift towards this more melodic sound happened very accidentally,” said Nico de Andrea. “I’ve been spending a lot of time experimenting in the studio over the past year and found myself tapping into the more emotional side of production, which started to sound more and more melodic as time went on. I’ve been a big fan of Eli & Fur for a long time, so hitting them up to bring this record to another level made perfect sense. They really know what they’re doing!”
Helmed by a stellar vocal presence penned by the London-based duo, and a strong chord progression and driving low end thought up by Nico de Andrea, ‘Start The Fire’ is emotional yet dance floor-ready.
“It’s been an exciting creative journey to be a part of,” said Eli & Fur. “When Nico sent us over the instrumental, we were immediately inspired. We wanted the track to have a vocal part that complimented it rhythmically but that also had a strong meaning lyrically. There’s so much emotion in the musical parts and it’s been great seeing the dance floor reaction each time we have tested the changes. It’s an amazing way of dictating the way the song develops. The song to us is about finding freedom and strength to feel what you feel, something that happens often on the dance floor. We’re really proud of this one.”
For all release assets (artwork, track list, lyrics etc.) please click here.
For Nico de Andrea’s press kit please click here.
For Eli & Fur’s press kit please click here.
With over twenty years of experience under his belt, French producer, musician and DJ Nico de Andrea counts as one of dance music’s staple acts. His discography flaunts collaborations with BLOND:ISH, THEMBA, LP Giobbi and Moojo in 2022 alone, as well as career-spanning remixes for house legends such as Ten City, Bob Sinclar, David Guetta, Martin Solveig and Marshall Jefferson. On the live front, Nico de Andrea is a globetrotter with shows in cities all over the world such as Dubai, Hong-Kong, Tokyo, Paris, London, Montréal, Toronto, New-York, Johannesburg, Miami, Ibiza. He recently embarked on his biggest tour to date spanning 40 dates across Europe, USA and Canada.
Eli & Fur's unwavering passion for producing, songwriting and performing, plus a flair for creating dark emotive dance anthems, have put the London based duo firmly at the forefront of the international house & techno scene. Their sonic aesthetic marries a mysterious and enigmatic mood with evocative vocals, cascading synths and rolling basslines - a heady mix that is both addictive and mesmerizing. It’s sincere, biographical and inspired by everything from late-night living to their global travels. Whether it’s tales from the club and the after-hours parties, love, life, laughter and rebellion, their productions have captured the imaginations of followers all over the globe.
About Armada Music
Armada Music is the biggest independent dance music label in the world. Founded by Armin van Buuren, Maykel Piron (CEO) and David Lewis, the label manages an ever-growing catalog of over 40,000 tracks, built up across twenty-plus years of specialized dance music exploitation.
Representing artists such as Armin van Buuren, ARTY, D.O.D, Eelke Kleijn, Jan Blomqvist, Loud Luxury, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Tensnake, THEMBA and Yulia Niko, Armada Music amasses more than one billion streams per month, airplay on leading radio outlets such as BBC Radio 1 and Sirius XM, and top positions in the world’s most notable charts. The label also takes great pride in major achievements such as Armin van Buuren’s GRAMMY nomination for ‘This Is What It Feels Like’, Loud Luxury and Brando’s ‘Body’ surpassing one billion streams on Spotify and breaking artists such as Lost Frequencies into global stardom.
Across offices in Amsterdam (HQ), New York, London and Laren (NL), Armada Music offers a truly global appeal to its growing roster. The label has its own club, radio studio and multiple production studios, and hosts various live formats. Producer platform Armada University, which offers educational products and opportunities, shows the label’s sustained effort to nurture the next wave of talent.
In 2023, Armada Music launched BEAT Music Fund, the world’s first dance music investment company, that acquires catalogs with the mission of honoring, representing and reinvigorating them. BEAT’s portfolio will continue to grow; in the first six months following its launch, BEAT acquired the catalogs of, among others, electronic music star ARTY, house and techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson’s KMS Records, legendary NYC-based house label King Street Sounds and chart-topping producers Chocolate Puma.