Ultra Naté: Last News

Enjoy Youth, finds Thomas at the top of his game once again, with an album that has arrived just in time for heavy rotation through Pride month and beyond.While an eclectic roster of collaborators led him to take a varied queer-block-party approach on his last album, this one is a more focused outing. It’s expertly crafted and full of house- and disco-indebted dance bops that are unmistakably Bright Light.They were teased in the upbeat “Sweet Release” and the dramatic “I Don’t Know What I’m Gonna Do,” two singles that were released long before Enjoy Youth, but their energy is easily matched by the shimmery, cinematic synthpop power trip of “Snap!” and “Revived,” a feel-good house number ready for a summer tea dance.One of the feats Bright Light pulls off with Enjoy Youth is in keeping it almost relentlessly upbeat for its entire runtime without allowing it to lag or lose its sense of surprise.

Frankie Knuckles remix that was first created a decade ago has finally seen the light of day.The remix – a reworking of ‘Waiting On You’ by Ultra Naté and Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child – was created by the late house DJ and Eric Kupper under their Director’s Cut alias.Speaking on the track, Ultra Naté said: “The remix was blessed by my mentor, big brother and cultural icon, Frankie Knuckles, officially ‘The Godfather of House Music,’ who at the time, was making his way back into remix and production work as ‘Director’s Cut’ along with Eric Kupper.”Naté later confirmed reports that Knuckles approved the release of the track before his death in 2014.The decade-old release coincides with Frankie Knuckles Day, a celebration in Chicago which takes place on August 25 to honour the late producer, who pioneered the sound of house music.“‘Waiting On You’ has always been a centrepiece of the ‘Hero Worship’ album and there’s no better time than now to drop it for Frankie Knuckles Day,” Naté added.Check it out below.Knuckles was frequently referred to as the ‘Godfather Of House Music’ and shaped the genre’s sound as it emerged and became popular in 1980s Chicago. He died on March 31, 2014 at the age of 59 due to complications from type 2 diabetes.Kupper paid tribute to the producer on X/Twitter ahead of Frankie Knuckles Day tomorrow.“As we celebrate Frankie Knuckles Day tomorrow, August 25, I’m posting this pic of the last time Frankie and I played together, 10 years ago, October 2013 at ADE in Amsterdam,” he wrote.

Icona Pop have announced their first album in 10 years, ‘Club Romantech’ – pre-save it here.The Swedish pop duo will release the new album on September 1 via Ultra Records, which follows their 2013 debut LP ‘This Is… Icona Pop’.Joel Corry, Sofi Tukker, Yaeger, Ultra Nate and Galantis are among collaborators on the new tracks, while a new single called ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ is out now.“’Where Do We Go From Here’ was one of the first songs we wrote in the fall of 2020 after realizing we couldn’t move back to LA because of the pandemic,” Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt shared in a press statement.“Back in Stockholm, we formed a small crew to start making music and thought ‘what the fuck are we going to do now?’ Eclectic, fun, hard, pop, deep, mainstream, catchy, weird, late at night, early in the morning – always with a tear in the corner of the eye and a smile on our face. That’s how ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ feels and that’s how CLUB ROMANTECH feels too.”Check out the new song, along with the album artwork and tracklisting below.“As Icona Pop, we can release a pop tune or a super hard dance song, and that’s who we are,” Hjelt shared of the new record.

Becky Hill, Stefflon Don and Ultra Naté have performed at Wembley Stadium ahead of the Euro women’s final today (July 31).The final kicked off at 5pm and sees England’s lionesses play against Germany at Wembley.Ahead of kick off, Hill, Stefflon Don and Ultra Naté performed at the event. Hill opened the performance before Stefflon Don joined Ultra Naté for a rendition of ‘You’re Free’, which Hill also appeared on towards the end.Check out some fan reaction to the moment below and watch the full performance here on iPlayer.Utterly brilliant to see the female powerhouses @BeckyHill, @stefflondon and @ultranatemusic performing an opening set at the @WEURO2022 game.

Icona Pop and Ultra Naté have joined forces to revamp the latter’s classic dance anthem ‘Free’ for the song’s 25th anniversary – listen to ‘You’re Free’ below.Released on March 31, 1997, the house-influenced club staple has been given a makeover by Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt, who used to play the original cut in their DJ sets before forming Icona Pop.“It is the ultimate expression of what we want Icona Pop to represent; freedom to be whoever you want to be, live life to the fullest, and have fun,” Icona Pop said in a statement (via Rolling Stone).“At first it was intimidating when we started to play around with the idea of making a new version, but it felt natural and really came together when Ultra Naté said she wanted to collaborate on our version. We are beyond honoured.”Referring to Ulta Naté as a “legend”, the duo added: “We hope that we have done it justice.”Listen to ‘You’re Free’ below:Ultra Naté shared her excitement about working with the Swedish duo on the reworking of her song, explaining that she “immediately felt good” with Icona Pop’s approach to the club classic.