Justice vs Simian: “We Are Your Friends”
Because we! Are! Your friends! Justice take this ridiculously addictive refrain and loop the shit out of it, dressing it up in grimey electroclash beats and creating the dancefloor monster of 2006. Seriously, this just might knock off Ratatat’s “Seventeen Years” as my single favorite party jam of all time. Simian’s original edit, “Never Be Alone” from 2002’s excellent We Are You Friends, was already an excellent track in its own right, but outside of that unimpeachable chorus, it lacked the punch and tempo to be a true dancefloor burner. Fortunately for clubs and party-goers everywhere, Justice’s update of the track delivers tempo, punch, and BPM in spades and then some.
As the story goes, the song originated as the bedroom demo that got the Parisian duo (and new VICE signees) originally signed to the vaunted French dance label Ed Banger records in 2002, and immediately began to generate buzz as it gained circulation in the elite Parisian clubs. It saw a limited edition vinyl release later in 2004 and the duo’s conquest of the entire European club scene had officially begun, but it wasn’t until June of this year that the record was renamed “We Are Your Friends” and saw the proper single release it deserved courtesy of Virgin subsidary Ten Records. Since then the track has become the official anthem of the summer, and it seemed like you couldn’t go to any club in New York this summer (during my brief stay up there at least) without hearing the track.
Now I grappled with the rating for a while now, nearly going with the simple 9 out of 10, but the fact of the matter is, this is easily the most well-received song I’ve ever played for anyone - from indie kids, to preppy douchebags, even to people who don’t give a fuck about music at all - no one’s ever not wanted to hear it again and again. Then there’s the small issue that there many never have been a better party song. Ever. Seriously, there’s pretty much nothing more enjoyable than screaming out this chorus with your closest friends in drunken, sweaty unison. Try it some time and it’ll all become clear: “We Are Your Friends” is a perfect 10 of a dancefloor burner, the party anthem of the year and maybe even the single greatest party track of the last century (stretching it, but yeah, that’s how I feel).
MP3: “We Are Your Friends” - Justice vs Simian ((highly recommended))
I’ve also got an exclusive remix for you, Edison’s excellent reworking of the track, as well as DJ Zebra’s incredible “C’mon Fuck Me” mash up that fuses the brilliance of that “We! Are! Your friends!” chorus with The Von Bondies’ “C’mon C’mon”, Princess Superstar’s “Fuck Me On The Dancefloor” and Fatboy Slim’s “Rockafeller Skank”.
Bonus MP3s:
“We Are Your Friends” (Edison Remix) - Justice vs Simian
“C’mon Fuck Me” - DJ Zebra
On top of all of that, the video is ridiculously awesome as well, chronicling the morning after what was clearly the most incredible party of all time and is basically just a series of incredible feats of drunken shaming. Unfortunately though, I can’t find the video anywhere in downloadable format, so you’ll have to settle for a high quality Quicktime player courtesy of Partizan (here), streaming video (here), or the dreaded YouTube (here).