HUGEL and Diplo closed out 2024 on a high note with their infectious afro house collab, “Forever,” featuring sultry vocals from Malou and Yuna. Now, the powerhouse pairing is furthering its unstoppable momentum as they offer up fresh remixes from three of dance music’s major players, MEDUZA, MORTEN, and Jauz. Taking the shape of the official ‘Forever (Remixes),’ the star-studded affair arrives as a joint release between tastemaker imprints, Insomniac Records and Higher Ground.
Stream here : https://insomniacrecs.ffm.to/forever-remixes
MEDUZA’s remix served as the lead offering to create hype around the full-fledged release, preceding the package by a couple of weeks. A masterclass in restraint, their seething reimagining builds anticipation and energy, before ramping up the energy midway through the journey. At the midpoint, the Italian trio shifts gears, peppering in the ruminating hook in perfect measures atop swelling synthetic chords. Layers of organic beauty are implemented into the electronic construction before those two diametric sonics converge into a moody beat decorated with subtle arpeggios and syncopated sound design.
Touching on their process, MEDUZA shares: “As soon as HUGEL and Diplo asked us to remix the original track, we knew exactly how we could recreate it in our own melodic sound. We manipulated Malou and Yuna’s euphoric vocal, whilst adding some classic MEDUZA chords and a deep bassline to create a remix that is full of energy for the dancefloor. We’re super excited to be releasing this one, which has been a staple in our sets across the last few months.”
Next up, Danish mainstay MORTEN adds his golden touch to the single. Striking the perfect balance between spellbinding and explosive, the seasoned producer manipulates the mood via a propulsive melodic house & techno framework. Complementing the breathtaking nature of the vocal, MORTEN maneuvers through expertly crafted leads and epic lulls, resulting in a track that lends itself perfectly for open-air festivals and late-night raves alike.
Last but not least, veteran producer Jauz takes the release in a whole new direction. Opting to go down a brooding drum & bass route, his version sets off with a sense of enticing mystery. Slowed-down vocals are accompanied by a haunting piano motif, before the energy explodes once the drum breaks enter the soundscape. Then, in a flash, the ringing two-note phrase elevates into futuristic synth riffs, while leaving space for fuzzy bass synths to drive the chord changes and rapid-fire percussion fills.
Sharing his decision to transport the track into a new sonic realm, Jauz explains: “Getting to rework a hit record is always super fun but it’s even more special to do something official with a friend like Diplo, as well as an artist like HUGEL, who I’ve been a fan of for a long time. The original mix and vocal from Malou is so beautiful, I wasn’t sure where to take it at first, but ultimately my ear kept coming back to the drum & bass version you hear today.”
Originally circulating as an ID, which reaped millions of views on TikTok and Reels months prior to an official release date, “Forever” eventually materialized during a highly anticipated back-to-back set between Diplo and HUGEL at the former’s Higher Ground live showcase at the Brooklyn Mirage. Since its release last September, “Forever” has amassed nearly 35 million streams, in addition to garnering an outpouring of editorial support across the board, including Spotify’s global mint and New Music Friday; landing the prestigious cover of Apple Music’s danceXL; topping the Beatport ‘Afro House’ charts at #1; earning coverage from Billboard, Mixmag, DJ Mag, and more; with heavy radio rotation allowing it to crack into the top 5 of Mediabase Chart.
Now, in the early days of 2025, HUGEL and Diplo are set to take their viral afro house hit to the next level, as they rope in the mighty talents of MEDUZA, MORTEN, and Jauz. With the “Forever (Remixes)” arriving by way of Insomniac Records and Higher Ground, the single is expected to continue to leave an indelible mark on dancefloors worldwide.
HUGEL and Diplo’s ‘Forever” ft. Malou & Yuna (Remixes)’ is available now on all platforms via Insomniac Records / Higher Ground.
More About HUGEL
Instigator of the Latin House movement with his hit “Morenita,” – HUGEL is a multi-gold and platinum-selling artist with over 1 billion streams to his name, and with many of his tracks reaching the number 1 spot on Beatport, his music is played in top venues and most credible events all over the world. He grew up in Marseille by the Mediterranean Sea (South of France). His Mom raised him with funk, disco, and soul. He discovered the art of DJing with vinyl at 16 years old, influenced by the style of Carl Cox, Laurent Garnier, Daft Punk, Amine Edge, and David Guetta. After a few years of learning production, he became a Hitmaker. His house music is inspired by Ibiza (Spain) and the Latin culture he soaked up while living on the Island. Selling out shows in America, Space (Miami), Superior Ingredients (NYC), and Academy (Los Angeles), HUGEL had residencies at Pacha & Ushuaia in Ibiza and has played the biggest festivals in the world, such as EDC Las Vegas, EDC Mexico, Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza, Parookaville, World Club Dome, Mysteryland.
More About Diplo Over the course of a 20-year career that began with his now legendary Philadelphia club night Hollertronix, Diplo has collaborated with the world’s biggest stars and toured the world over. Born in Mississippi and raised in Florida, he continues to champion genres and artists from around the world through his labels Mad Decent and Higher Ground. His further projects include a publishing company and various book, film and television projects. The thirteen-time Grammy nominee and three-time winner is also a member of the iconic Major Lazer, one third of LSD—the psychedelic supergroup whose debut album has been streamed over 3 billion times—and half of Jack Ü with Skrillex and Silk City with Mark Ronson, whose Platinum-certified, Grammy-winning “Electricity” with Dua Lipa topped charts worldwide. His recent releases include a string of successful Higher Ground singles, last year’s Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 – Swamp Savant, his second album as country persona Thomas Wesley that was followed by an official remix mixtape, and 2022’s Diplo, his first full-length electronic music album in 18 years.
More About Meduza
MEDUZA have led the charge in returning house music to daytime radio across the globe with great success. Since 2019 the Italian trio have become the biggest global streaming Italian artist in the history of music on both Spotify and Apple Music in Italy, a quite staggering achievement. Crucial to the success and recognition of Meduza are their original releases. Their signature sounds and sonics are capable of captivating and moving the audience, from the nightclubs to the main stages to inside the homes of their millions of fans. Since 2019, the year where they released their debut record ‘Piece of Your Heart’, Meduza rapidly approached 20 billion cumulative streams across all releases, with multiple official chart top 10 hits across Europe, Number 1 Dance hits in the US. Multi diamond, platinum and gold certifications across the globe and even a GRAMMY nomination to boot, with no signs of slowing down. This has extended deeper into clubland, with the inception of their record label ‘AETERNA’, which they have used to great effect to channel their club focussed releases and champion artists and the music they love, already securing multiple Beatport top 10 records with only a few releases to date. These headline successes are also bolstered by an impressive catalogue of handpicked remixes for the likes of MK, Supermode, Ed Sheeran and Faithless, displaying not only Meduza’s signature sound and energy, but also the raw ability to create a standout club release whenever called upon. Their talents don’t only extend to boosting new artists releases, Meduza are fast becoming a ‘must have’ for reinvigorating back catalogue. Their remix of Lifelike & Kris Menace’s Discopolis began the trend, now breezing past 10 million streams, supported by the likes of David Guetta, Lane 8, Nora En Pure, Miss Monique and Kream to name a few. Fast forward to 2022, and this success is multiplied many times over by their incredible remix of Supermode (Axwell & Steve Angello) and reached 180 million streams. ‘Tell Me Why’ which topped the Beatport chart and was the biggest selling Melodic House & Techno track of the year with heavyweight support from ARTBAT, Alok, Vintage Culture, Diplo and more. The touring diary for MEDUZA continues to display the insatiable demand for the hottest act in electronic music from DJ sets for the likes of Elrow, Tomorrowland, Creamfields, EDC and Coachella to now settling into a new Las Vegas residency with the TAO Group (Hakkasan, Omnia, Marquee), multiple main stage headline performances at the world’s biggest festivals around the globe, rolling out their headline live show ‘Odizzea’, selling out Avant Gardner New York, Here @ Outernet London and Green Valley Brazil and rolling out their new club concept with James Hype ‘Our House’, selling out The Brooklyn Mirage, a full summer residency at Hi Ibiza and and exclusive ADE show at Hembrugterrein Amsterdam. In 2024 with their sold-out show at London’s DRUMSHEDS alongside James Hype for their ‘Our House’ club concept. At 15,000 capacity, this was the biggest ‘Our House’ show to date and the London debut for the brand. With promises to expand the show to festivals and beyond in the future, Meduza continues to be the benchmark for dance music, globally. The Italian trio have enjoyed collaborations with the absolute spearhead of vocal artists in British dance music including Poppy Baskcomb, Becky Hill and Clementine Douglas culminating in over a billion streams across the respective records. “Another World” seeks to grow upon these numbers in spades with increasingly emergent HAYLA providing the grandiosity required to elevate the signature MEDUZA atmospheric soundscape, with her award-winning powerhouse vocals that have propelled her to global recognition and hundreds of millions of streams to her name. In summer 2024, Meduza unveiled the highly anticipated UEFA EURO2024 OfficialSong ‘FIRE’, alongside fellow GRAMMY nominated OneRepublic, and German singer-songwriter Leony. The new release follows MEDUZA’s scooped up Best Selling Remix Of The Year at this year’s Beatport Awards (IMS Ibiza 2024)
More About MORTEN
MORTEN has kept his incredibly innovative and trademarked sound ringing through platforms across the globe. As the co-founder of ‘Future Rave’, and following his immense hits the last couple of years, MORTEN has created magical tracks in collaboration with David Guetta. The two close friends coined the ‘Future Rave’ genre, releasing a 4-track collaborative EP ‘New Rave’ and collaborationswith Lanie Gardner, RAYE, and John Martin to name a few. Their Future Rave sound has garnered more than 1 billion streams across the board. Edm.com states: “Guetta and MORTEN decisively establish themselves as the genre’s pioneers, declaring their dominance and confidently setting the new genre’s standard.” MORTEN has gathered an audience of 3.4M monthly listeners on Spotify alone, releasing hit after hit with the Guetta-collab being on top 5 of the most played records in the world by DJs for 7 weeks. With a fully packed tour which regularly sees him perform on the mainstages of EDC Las Vegas, Untold, and Tomorrowland, MORTEN is the most touring artist of 2023, with over 200 shows across the world. His ability to transform his music between melodic, captivating vocals, and his well known, well recognized, snare and bass heavy drops, Tomorrowland’s One World Radio.
More About Jauz
Born Sam Vogel and hailing from the Bay Area, the electronic DJ and producer Jauz has been making waves in the dance music scene since his debut in 2014. His journey from a young electronic music enthusiast in the crowd of Hard Summer to playing on the main stage is a testament to his meteoric rise in the industry. Jauz burst onto the international music scene with his infectious original track, ‘Feel the Volume’ released on Mad Decent. This release catapulted him into the spotlight, earning him recognition from industry heavyweights like Zedd, Skrillex, and Diplo. His energetic sets and genre-blurring production quickly made him a staple on major festival lineups around the world. In 2016, Jauz embarked on his first sell-out tour, “The Friendzy Tour” followed by the “Bite America!” Tour in 2018. The latter tour was especially significant as it marked the launch of his artist label, Bite This!. During this time, he released his debut album, The Wise & The Wicked which made history by reaching the #1 spot on the dance charts within just 90 minutes of its release. The album garnered over 20 million streams in less than three weeks, solidifying Jauz’s position as a dance music powerhouse. In 2019, Jauz made headlines at Coachella by dropping his viral remix of Pete Fong’s ‘Baby Shark’ amassing over 250 million impressions during the festival’s weekend. He also ventured into the world of cryptocurrency with the launch of $BTX Coin, aimed at helping emerging artists gain exposure and collaborate with him. One of Jauz’s most unforgettable moments came shortly after when he made his TV debut as a special guest DJ on The Discovery Channel’s “Shark After Dark” program during Shark Week. This appearance alongside comedians Rob Riggle and Adam Devine solidified his talent as a musician and a sought-after performer. As his popularity continued to soar, Jauz embarked on the sold-out “Dangerous Waters Tour” in early 2020, amassing over 60,000 tickets across 40 shows in the US and Canada. He also embraced the world of online streaming, raising over $50,000 for non-profit causes during COVID-19 through Twitch streams featuring guests like Illenium, Marshmello, and Alesso. In 2022, Jauz released the Block Party EP in conjunction with a nationwide tour, bringing awareness to shark conservation through his partnership with Beneath The Waves. A mini-documentary showcased Jauz swimming with sharks, highlighting his commitment to environmental causes. Not one to rest on his laurels, Jauz explored new musical territories with his deep house project, Off The Deep End (OTDE) performing OTDE sets at prestigious festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Suwannee Halloween. He continued to foster the house music culture, with an OTDE mixtape and nationwide tour to pair with the release. Beyond his 2022 musical endeavors, Jauz also embraced fatherhood and celebrated another year of hit releases with 69 million streams and 11.7 million global listeners. 2023 marked a significant milestone with the release of Jauz’s two-part album series, starting with the Rise of the Wise project- which focused more on his love for progressive house tracks and production style. The yin-and-yang project was rounded out with a dubstep & drum n’ bass project, Wrath of the Wicked, which brought his production back to his bass-laden roots. The two albums pay homage to his debut album, The Wise and The Wicked, while highlighting his versatility and duality not only as a producer but as a human being. Jauz’s journey from a young rising artist to a dance music icon is a testament to his dedication, innovation, and unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries. For fans across the globe who have seen his growth since The Wise & The Wicked success, his heart-warming and inspiring journey can be marked in the electronic music history books. In conjunction with the release of Rise of the Wise and Wrath of the Wicked, Jauz will embark on the 2023-2024 Wise/Wicked tour which will allow fans to choose their musical journey. Concertgoers can attend either the “Wise” or “Wicked” show, or opt for the ultimate experience by attending both, embracing the duality within themselves and celebrating the diverse range of sounds that Jauz has to offer.
More About Insomniac Records
Insomniac Records operates under the umbrella of Insomniac Music Group. More than merely just a record label, Insomniac Records is a destination where fans from all walks of life can discover and enjoy choice selections from a roster that includes some of the best DJs/producers from the global stage. On top of the 200+ releases since 2016, Insomniac Records has also curated its premier EDC compilation series, featuring four EDC Las Vegas and EDC Mexico master soundtracks. Signing a roster of notable talent including Dombresky, Noizu, SIDEPIECE, John Summit, Vintage Culture, James Hype, Habstrakt, J. Worra, Matroda, LP Giobbi, Biscits, and beyond, Insomniac Records continues to foster unique talent it firmly believes in. The unparalleled track record of success has pushed Insomniac Records to the forefront of established dance music platforms.