Spanish dance music legend DJ Sammy has a long and illustrious ongoing career. Still, he will forever be remembered chiefly for his 2002 club hit ‘Heaven.’ Brian Adams originally released this song in 1983. Still, DJ Sammy’s version completely changed the rhythm and infused this romantic ballad with mad energy and a bad vibe. Even twenty years later, this incredible combination still sounds very inspiring and fun, even for those who never heard it before. For old-school fans of DJ Sammy, ‘Heaven’ remains one of the dearest memories from the dance floor and an ageless hit with few peers.
DJ Sammy learned his craft by working the club scene from the ground up, with his first gigs dating back to 1984 at the Spanish island of Mallorca, which was already a famed party destination at the time. As he collected knowledge in the field, he also acquired formal training as a sound technician in this period. By the early ’90s, he was a resident DJ in some of the top clubs on the island. However, it wasn’t until 1995 that he finally started showing off his music-making skills, with singles such as ‘Life is Just a Game’ and ‘Prince of Love’ resonating with audiences across Europe. His first album titled ‘Life is Just a Game’ came out in 1998 on Universal Records, to solid reviews. His next album was released in 2002 under the name ‘Heaven,’ and it was headlined by the same name that made major waves on the dance scene over the next couple of years. His third and (so far) final studio album ‘The Rise’ was published in 2005 and had a few successful singles of its own. DJ Sammy continues to perform live in clubs and occasionally releases singles such as the 2013 collaboration with The Jacky Boys named ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me.
By using female vocals instead of Brian Adams’ voice in his cover of ‘Heaven,’ DJ Sammy switched the spin of the song and made it more disco-friendly. Dutch singer Do took this task to heart and delivered an exceptional vocal performance on this track. Of course, the wild beat that drives his version has nothing to do with ‘80s pop and borders on real techno, and it represents a nod to DJ Sammy’s club roots. At the same time, ‘Heaven’ is upbeat, making it a hit with an extensive range of audiences and easy to mix with other tracks. It came out when dance music was perhaps at its historical peak and today stands as a shining example of the energetic but straightforward approach to music that characterized this era.
At any rate, DJ Sammy made good enough music that he deserves to be revisited from time to time, and ‘Heaven’ is the track to play when you are feeling this way. But, of course, it works best when you turn the volume up on your speakers or headphones and let the hypnotic bass carry you to a different place. Then, you can use this little flashback to transport to a happier time and spend at least a few minutes in your heaven, far from your daily troubles. Even better, play it to people who never heard of DJ Sammy and watch how quickly they will catch on to this magical beat and start dancing to it.
