Latest news with #Darude
Euronews
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Is Denmark killing the tradition of EU playlists?
The time has come for Brussels to swap out the red and white Polish flags for another set of red and white flags. Poland's presidency of the Council has come to an end – and it's now Denmark's turn at the helm. Presiding over the Council is a rotating role, passed among member states every six months. The country holding the presidency wields the gavel during negotiations and acts as a mediator in the often heated policy discussions between ministers. The role, however, doesn't only come with political responsibilities – it's also rich in tradition. One of the more surprising ones is music. A Spotify playlist, featuring each country's music, has been released by every EU presidency since 2019. But for those eagerly awaiting to enjoy some Danish hits curated by the brand new presidency, we have some sad news to share... Copenhagen has surprisingly decided to disrupt the tradition. 'There will be no Danish Presidency Spotify playlist,' the presidency told Euronews Culture, declining to explain the reason why. Has the tradition reached the Finnish line? The now broken tradition of national playlists originally stems from Finland's presidency in 2019. The playlist, titled 'Songs from Finland,' was handpicked by Helsinki and features around 25 tracks – of course including 'Sandstorm' by Darude. 'We are delighted that the Spotify playlist created during Finland's presidency has gone on to inspire subsequent presidencies,' said a spokesperson at the Finnish EU representation. 'Music is a powerful way to share stories about cultural identity,' they added. The winner takes it all One of the most popular playlists, based on download statistics, is the Swedish one from the first half of 2023, which still boasts almost 6000 saves. As a strong music-exporting nation, Sweden, perhaps unsurprisingly, chose to feature songs by ABBA, Avicii and Zara Larsson – and the numbers suggest that it was a success. 'We had it playing in the elevator at the office of the Swedish EU representation for six months, from early morning until the last person went home at night. Eventually, our colleagues found the volume setting and turned it down,' a Swedish spokesperson admitted. Polished curation Turning to Instagram, the Poles crowdsourced their playlist curation by asking followers to pick their favorite Polish songs from the 1960s to modern hits. 'We collected around 200 songs from people and then narrowed it down. We wanted a wide array of genres and artists,' explained the Warsaw office of the Polish presidency. When asked about the risk of the tradition ending and their playlist being the last, they said: 'We hope that the tradition doesn't die. It's not too late. When you're just getting into the presidency, you're overtaken by joy, enthusiasm and work. Once they get through the first weeks, they might come around.' We love to believe that hope springs eternal but signals we've received suggest otherwise and that there won't be a Danish playlist. Still, that shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying hits like 'Natteravn' by Rasmus Seebach, Aqua's 'Barbie Girl' or maybe the Grammy nominated '7 Years' by soul-pop duo Lukas Graham.
The Star
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
QuickCheck: Was a dance track played on air and in malls on its 25th anniversary?
IN TODAY'S digital age, the success of a song is often seen in how it goes viral on social media, but back in the day, it was all about airplay and charts. Twenty-five years ago, iconic Eurodance track "Sandstorm" by Darude was released internationally and went on to become Finland's most commercially successful single of all time. Is it true that to mark the occasion, radio stations and shopping centres throughout the country played the track simultaneously? VERDICT: TRUE Taking to his official social media channels, Finnish DJ and producer Darude shared the news that the track was played simultaneously throughout his home country on May 8, 2025. "What an honour. At 9.15 this morning, radio stations and shopping centres across Finland came together to play Sandstorm at exactly the same time to celebrate 25 years! "You could hear it in malls, schools, everywhere! Thank you everyone," Darude said in his Instagram post. The DJ and producer also announced that Sept 6 would be the Helsinki date for his #STORM25 tour. Meanwhile, industry magazine DJ Mag reported that Sandstorm was one of Finland's most successful commercial singles of all time, having spent 17 weeks in the upper reaches of the country's dance chart upon release. It added that the track had initially been released in Finland in October 1999, but was re-released globally in 2000. DJ Mag also said the track had since become a viral sensation multiple times over, having gained momentum as an online meme in the past decade or so. It also reported that in 2018, it had even become the alarm sound of an actual sandstorm detector and most recently was featured in the trailer for the new Bandai Namco action RPG Sand Land. What an honour. At 09:15 this morning, radio stations and shopping centers across Finland came together to play Sandstorm at exactly the same time to celebrate 25 years! You could hear it in malls, schools, everywhere! Thank you everyone! > > — Darude (@Darudevil) Darudevil/status/ 1920512285455360329?ref_src= twsrc%5Etfw ">May 8, 2025 SOURCES: - sandstorm-played- simultaneously-finnish-radio- stations-celebrate-25th- anniversary - darude-sandstorm-act-alarm- actual-sandstorm-detector
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
NZME And Duco Events Join Forces On Groundbreaking Full Metal Orchestra And SYNTHONY Origins
Press Release – New Zealand Media and Entertainment New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) is proud to announce an exclusive media partnership with Duco Events for two extraordinary music experiences coming to Auckland on 26 July – Mānuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra and a special late-night edition, Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Origins. Building on the phenomenal success of Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival, the creative minds at Duco are unveiling their latest groundbreaking concepts – a powerful fusion of rock and metal classics reimagined with a full orchestra, then followed by a return to the roots of electronic dance music. Mānuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra will deliver iconic rock anthems, featuring orchestral arrangements of legendary tracks from bands such as AC/DC, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Led Zeppelin. Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Origins will follow as a special late-night edition paying tribute to the golden era of electronic dance music. This return to the roots of dance culture will reimagine iconic anthems from artists including Darude, Eric Prydz, Faithless, Avicii, Fatboy Slim, and Tiësto with the power of a full orchestra, exceptional vocalists, instrumentalists, DJs, and immersive visuals. David Higgins, Founder and Managing Director of Duco Event says: 'We've always enjoyed a strong working relationship with NZME, and we're excited to continue building on the success we've had growing SYNTHONY together. They are the perfect partner to support our launch of the Mānuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra and our return to the origins of dance music with SYNTHONY Origins.' Emily Travers, NZME Head of Commercial Partnerships & Events says: 'SYNTHONY has been an incredible entity to be a part of, and we deeply value our partnership with Duco Events and their impressive event portfolio. We're thrilled to be a key contributor to the evolution of SYNTHONY and have no doubt that both Mānuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra and SYNTHONY Origins will be highly anticipated events this year.' The partnership will leverage the strength of NZME's portfolio across audio, print, digital and video, with Radio Hauraki taking the lead for Full Metal Orchestra, while NZME's audio stable and The New Zealand Herald will provide full support for both events. Tickets for Full Metal Orchestra are on sale now, with SYNTHONY Origins ticket sales opening 10am Thursday 15 May.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
NZME And Duco Events Join Forces On Groundbreaking Full Metal Orchestra And SYNTHONY Origins
New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) is proud to announce an exclusive media partnership with Duco Events for two extraordinary music experiences coming to Auckland on 26 July – Mānuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra and a special late-night edition, Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Origins. Building on the phenomenal success of Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival, the creative minds at Duco are unveiling their latest groundbreaking concepts – a powerful fusion of rock and metal classics reimagined with a full orchestra, then followed by a return to the roots of electronic dance music. Mānuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra will deliver iconic rock anthems, featuring orchestral arrangements of legendary tracks from bands such as AC/DC, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Led Zeppelin. Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Origins will follow as a special late-night edition paying tribute to the golden era of electronic dance music. This return to the roots of dance culture will reimagine iconic anthems from artists including Darude, Eric Prydz, Faithless, Avicii, Fatboy Slim, and Tiësto with the power of a full orchestra, exceptional vocalists, instrumentalists, DJs, and immersive visuals. David Higgins, Founder and Managing Director of Duco Event says: "We've always enjoyed a strong working relationship with NZME, and we're excited to continue building on the success we've had growing SYNTHONY together. They are the perfect partner to support our launch of the Mānuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra and our return to the origins of dance music with SYNTHONY Origins." Emily Travers, NZME Head of Commercial Partnerships & Events says: "SYNTHONY has been an incredible entity to be a part of, and we deeply value our partnership with Duco Events and their impressive event portfolio. We're thrilled to be a key contributor to the evolution of SYNTHONY and have no doubt that both Mānuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra and SYNTHONY Origins will be highly anticipated events this year." The partnership will leverage the strength of NZME's portfolio across audio, print, digital and video, with Radio Hauraki taking the lead for Full Metal Orchestra, while NZME's audio stable and The New Zealand Herald will provide full support for both events. Tickets for Full Metal Orchestra are on sale now, with SYNTHONY Origins ticket sales opening 10am Thursday 15 May.
7NEWS
08-05-2025
- 7NEWS
Roadies, unbelted kids and smoky cars: Police crack down on reckless beach drivers
Sandstorm isn't just a great song by Darude, it's also the name of a police operation on Queensland's Sunshine Coast that targeted reckless driving at Noosa North Shore and saw almost 300 fines issued. Queensland Police Service (QPS) officers issued 272 traffic infringement notices (TINs) across an eight-day period including the Easter and Labour Day long weekends, with everybody from drug-users to parents with unrestrained children caught up in the operation. A 19-year-old Wynnum West P-plater copped five TINs for a total of $6400 in fines and 16 demerit points, after he was allegedly found to be driving a defective vehicle under the influence of alcohol and – like his two passengers – not wearing a seatbelt. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. A 27-year-old Newtown man was also stung for multiple infringements, receiving eight demerit points and $2200 in fines for drinking alcohol while driving 'in a way that makes unnecessary noise or smoke' and not wearing a seatbelt. A 38-year-old Mooloolaba man was fined for driving his vehicle while a child under the age of four was sitting unrestrained on a passenger's lap, costing him $1209 and four demerit points. Of the 2356 random breath tests conducted as part of Operation Sandstorm, seven yielded positive results. Of the 195 random drug tests conducted, 10 people were found to be driving under the influence of drugs such as cannabis, methamphetamine and cocaine. 'A successful deployment to Noosa North Shore for us is one without crashes or deaths – that's what we count as a good result,' Acting Senior Sergeant Keith Preston said. 'It's disappointing to see so many people continue to have such disregard for the safety of themselves, their passengers and the other road and beach users by driving in a dangerous manner and in dangerous cars. 'It's a privilege to drive on the beach and we need to treat it as we would driving on the road. 'No doubt our presence on the beach, enforcement action and educational engagements corrected the behaviours of many people and provided a safer environment for all people, families and children using the beach.' While driving on the beach isn't allowed in Victoria, there are multiple beaches in Queensland, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia where vehicles have access. South Australia is tightening up its laws, though it says it has no intention to ban all vehicles on its beaches. A study by the University of the Sunshine Coast has found 4x4s are causing 'unequivocal serious and widespread damage' to coastal dune ecosystems, with its lead author saying there's no 'safe level' of beach driving. The Queensland Government has previously said it has no plan to ban driving on beaches in the Sunshine State, though the local council in Mackay has banned driving on the foreshore and beach on council-controlled land from Harbour Beach to East Point.
