Dua Lipa's "New Rules" is an infectious pop banger but this new remix takes it to hyper-nostalgic places. It's the work of Tokyo-based producer Initial Talk, who tells The FADER via email that he was "inspired by Stacey Q’s 'Two Of Hearts'" when creating it. The influence of that 1986 pop classic is clear in the Hi-NRG rework of the British artist's hit that is filled with SFX drums and sharp synths.
The remix is accompanied by a grainy video that looks like it has been run through a VHS one time too many. In it we see footage from a long-forgotten Miss Teen Canada pageant with the contestants moving in time to the music. It may well be a subtle nod to the slick choreography in the original "New Rules" video.
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Initial Talk is one of a number of producers taking pop hits and making them sound like they might have done on the early days of MTV. Canadian producer Tronicbox's Justin Bieber 1985 remix picked up millions of plays late last year while Initial Talk has given retro overhauls to songs by Whitney Houston and Fifth Harmony in recent months. The whole thing speaks to 2017's obsession with '80s culture, from box office smash Guardians of the Galaxy 2 to the remake of Stephen King's It and, of course, the recent return of Stranger Things to Netflix. There's clearly something in the decade that gave us big hair and even bigger cell phones which makes for a fun escape right now.
Take your own trip back in time by hitting play on the video above.
