Perfume Genius and The Knocks share reimagined version of Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’
London Records has released a reimagined version of Bronski Beat‘s classic 80s hit ‘Smalltown Boy’, reworked by queer musician Perfume Genius and New York-based dance duo The Knocks
The new version of the song features updated production by The Knocks as well as a delicate reinterpretation of the songs vocals by Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius.
Explaining how they approached reworking such timeless song, Ben Ruttner from The Knocks said: “We wanted to really keep it close to the original but just give it a little more of a modern dance floor feel. Perfume Genius already brings such a cool new element to it, so we just wanted to support his voice as much as possible while giving it a little bit of The Knocks dance pop touch.”
“It’s like a beautiful echo coming back after travelling a long and eventful distance” – Jimmy Somerville
In order to maintain the spirit of the song, The Knocks revisited the master tapes for ‘Smalltown Boy’, making sure to incorporate the signature synth line and Jimmy Somerville’s original vocals. “That main synth sound is so iconic so we wanted that to be the main star of the show, still,” said Ruttner.
In a statement about his own involvement, Perfume Genius said: “When you’re trying to sing an iconic song, you want to make sure that you can do it justice and then also add your own information without fucking with it too much, you know? So it’s a tall order but I was really, really excited.”
The new version of ‘Smalltown Boy’ also has Jimmy Somerville‘s seal of approval. “It’s like a beautiful echo coming back after travelling a long and eventful distance,” he said.
Listen to ‘Smalltown Boy’ featuring Perfume Genius and The Knocks below.
“Even with all the strides the LGBTQI+ community has made in the past 40 years, there are tons of queer folk living in small towns that don’t feel seen or supported within those communities,” – JPatt of The Knocks.
First released on 25 May 1984, ‘Smalltown Boy’ was an immediate hit, reaching number three on the UK singles chart. The song, which Somerville wrote about being a gay teenager leaving behind his narrow-minded community for the big city, has become an enduring LGBTQ+ anthem thanks to its liberating lyrics.
“Even with all the strides the LGBTQI+ community has made in the past 40 years, there are tons of queer folk living in small towns that don’t feel seen or supported within those communities,” said JPatt of The Knocks. “As long as that still exists, this song will always be relevant.”
This new version of ‘Smalltown Boy’ continues an epic year for Bronski Beat, as the group celebrate 40 years of the song and their landmark debut album The Age of Consent.
The Knocks and Perfume Genius’s version will feature on a two-disc and digital re-issue of The Age of Consent, released by London Records on 18 October. A five-disc special deluxe edition featuring four essays by Tom Rasmussen, Lesley Chow, Lucy Robinson, and Barney Ashton-Bullock, as well as the original album, bonus tracks, remixes, rarities, early versions, and rare radio sessions will also be available. You can pre-order both versions here.
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