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A parody of '90s European dance music is getting a lot of attention
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LEILA FADEL, HOST:
A viral video of this song...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PLANET OF THE BASS")
MS BILJANA ELECTRONICA: (Singing) Danger and dance...
DJ CRAZY TIMES: C'mon, c'mon.
FADEL: ...Is making it a contender for song of the summer.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PLANET OF THE BASS")
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MS BILJANA ELECTRONICA: (Singing) ...When we out in the space on the planet of the...
DJ CRAZY TIMES: Bass.
FADEL: I guess that depends on who you ask. But anyway, the song is "Planet Of The Bass" by DJ Crazy Times and Ms. Biljana Electronica. It's a parody of '90s European dance music. DJ Crazy Times is a character created by New York comedian Kyle Gordon.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
To understand why this song is resonating, we spoke with Michael McWhertor, who's a writer at Polygon.
MICHAEL MCWHERTOR: This hit as everyone kind of had "Barbie Girl" on the brain. And Aqua's "Barbie Girl" is a very seminal Euro dance song.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BARBIE GIRL")
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AQUA: (Singing) Come on, Barbie. Let's go party. Ah, ah, ah, yeah.
MCWHERTOR: It kind of has that Euro dance formula, an attractive singer doing the melody and then the hype man in the background grunting and rapping and dropping, bass really loudly.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PLANET OF THE BASS")
DJ CRAZY TIMES: (Rapping) Life - it never die. Women are my favorite guy. Sex - I'm wanting more. Tell the world, stop the war.
(LAUGHTER)
FADEL: McWhertor says "Planet Of The Bass" captures not only the Euro dance sound but the look, as well. There are multiple music videos for the song shot in different locations around New York City.
MCWHERTOR: It's kind of just got that low-budget vibe of performing a song out in public. And I think they really nailed it.
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INSKEEP: I could do that - performing a song. Low budget - I could do the low budget anyway.
FADEL: Yeah. I mean, yeah, me too.
INSKEEP: McWhertor adds this parody is a gateway - like a gateway drug - for those who want to delve into the world of Euro dance music.
MCWHERTOR: As corny as it is, it's, I think, forever catchy.
FADEL: Corny is catchy, so don't think too hard about the lyrics. Get on the dance floor and surrender to the bass.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PLANET OF THE BASS")
DJ CRAZY TIMES: Hello. Are you at phone?
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MS BILJANA ELECTRONICA: Yes, it's true. Yes, it's true.
DJ CRAZY TIMES: Are you the girl of the love?
MS BILJANA ELECTRONICA: Yes, I am a girl. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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