This June marks the 30th anniversary of Wham!’s debut album, Fantastic, and while there have been no announcements about a deluxe edition (which it so richly deserves) or some other special celebration, the party is unofficially underway thanks to Minneapolis DJ/producer Gigamesh (aka Matt Masurka).
Gigamesh’s new single, “Enjoy,” out now on Nurvous Records, samples Wham!’s “Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do).” George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s debut single didn’t make much of an impact when it was first issued in June 1982. But after second single “Young Guns (Go For It)” took off in their native UK, scoring the duo a #3 hit, “Wham Rap!” was re-released the following January and ultimately peaked at #8.
Gigamesh rewinds George Michael’s vocals to a time when Giorgio Moroder’s productions for Donna Summer ruled the disco. I think you’ll enjoy what this young gun has done:
Los Angeles duo Oliver keep the nu-disco vibe alive while toughening up the track a touch (visions of the leather clad Wham! on the Fantastic album cover) and adding some 8-bit flourishes. Don’t stand there and rot!
Purchase Gigamesh – “Enjoy” (Original and Oliver Remix) via iTunes, Amazon MP3.