Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant features on new Bronski Beat remix

Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant features on a new Bronski Beat remix of Why? by Superchumbo.

This is the third remix taken from the upcoming 40th anniversary deluxe reissue of the seminal debut album The Age Of Consent and follows reworks of  Smalltown Boy from producers ABSOLUTE. and Planningtorock.

A worldwide Top 10 in September 1984, Why? cemented Bronski Beat as pop’s foremost proponents of meaningful dance music, opening with the sound of shattering  glass and a questioning vocal by Jimmy Somerville and before launching into a driven energetic formula, its lyrics focused more centrally on anti-gay prejudice.

Forty years on and Tom Stephan (aka Superchumbo) revisits Why?, creating an unrelenting dance-floor behemoth full of intensity and fluidity. listen below:

Genuinely Moved

A dance music titan with 20 Billboard US Dance number ones under his belt, Tom’s rework is crowned with a defiant new vocal by Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant, sitting alongside the urgency and anger of Jimmy Somerville’s original strident take. Percolating towards an insane drop, this new Superchumbo mix takes no prisoners.

Somerville says:“I’ve known Tom for a good few years now and when I asked him if he’d like to do a remix of ‘Why?’ he said yes straight away. The song is a part of his story. I was so moved when he shared that story with me. The lyric is our shared experience as it is for so many others…and forty years later the lyric still tells the story of LGBTQi+….the hate, the violence, the discrimination, the imprisonment and state sanctioned murder of those who dare to be their true selves and it’s happening somewhere right now as I write this.

“I was f*****g whooping like a banshee round my kitchen when Tom told me Neil would like to contribute! To speak the lyrics of Why? and to hear Tom’s musical reworking of the track is f*****g mind-blowing. So to hear Neil, one of our greatest pop lyricists, speaking my words… It brings it into the here and now and also retains its history with my original vocal. I genuinely felt moved.”

Great Honour

Speaking on the rework, Tom explains: “My goal was to create an updated mix that fits well with contemporary sounds while preserving the original intensity and energy. After I submitted the mix,  Jimmy asked me if I could include a few more lyrics from the original song. I had recently watched a Pet Shop Boys documentary where Neil Tennant read some of his lyrics, which moved me to tears.

“I imagined Neil speaking these lyrics, creating a powerful contrast. I left Neil a voicemail on my way to a gig abroad and by the time I reached Heathrow I had his vocals on my phone, added them to the track on my flight, and played it that night!

“It is a great honour to work on this iconic song with two legends who were lifelines to me while growing up gay in a small town.” says Tom.

The Age Of Consent

The 40th-anniversary reissue of The Age Of Consent will be available in a variety of physical and digital formats, including a five-Disc Deluxe Edition (4CD+DVD): featuring four essays by Tom Rasmussen, Lesley Chow, Lucy Robinson, and Barney Ashton-Bullock, the original album, bonus tracks, remixes, rarities, early versions, and rare radio sessions. Its DVD comes with restored promo videos, Top of the Pops performances, and original TV adverts.

Other formats include 2CD with new reworks, 2LP (with The Age Of Consent and its neighbouring remix album Hundreds & Thousands, a yellow 1LP edition (Lexer Music Exclusive), and a Super Deluxe Edition exclusive Blu Ray edition featuring The Age Of Consent and Hundreds & Thousands in Dolby Atmos & 5.1 mixes.

4CD+DVD DELUXE SET TRACKLISTING 

Disc One
The Age Of Consent – The Album Plus

Why?
It Ain’t Necessarily So
Screaming
No More War
Love And & Money
Smalltown Boy
Heatwave
Junk
Need A Man Blues
I Feel Love / Johnny Remember Me
Smalltown Boy (DJ 7″ edit) – Bonus Track
Why? (Remix) – Bonus Track
It Ain’t Necessarily So (7″ version) – Bonus Track
I Feel Love (7″ version) with Marc Almond – Bonus Track
Run From Love (radio version) – Bonus Track
Hard Rain (NME 7″ version) – Bonus Track

Disc Two
Hundreds & Thousands – The Remix Plus

Heatwave (Harvey Goldberg remix)
Why (Harvey Goldberg remix)
Run From Love (Dominic Maita remix)
Hard Rain (Harvey Goldberg remix)
Smalltown Boy (Harvey Goldberg remix)
Junk (Harvey Goldberg remix)
Love And Money (Hundreds & Thousands remix) * – Bonus Track
Infatuation / Memories – Bonus Track
Close To The Edge – Bonus Track
I Feel Love (Cake Mix) with Marc Almond – Bonus Track
Cadillac Car (Extended) – Bonus Track

Disc Three
Consent Extended – The 12 Inches Plus

Smalltown Boy (12″ version)
Why? (12″ version)
It Ain’t Necessarily So (12″ version)
I Feel Love (12″ version) with Marc Almond
Run From Love (US Club Remix 85) *
Smalltown Boy (US Club Remix 84) *
Red Dance
The Potato Fields
Puit D’Amour
Signs (And Wonders)
I Feel Love (Fruit Mix)

Disc Four
Ignore At Your Peril – The Rarities Plus

Smalltown Boy (Capital Radio Session, May 84) *
Heatwave (Capital Radio Session, May 84) *
Hard Rain (Capital Radio Session, May 84 )*
Why? (Early Version, March 84) *
Crazy Maraquitta (Studio Session) *
It Ain’t Necessarily So (Early Version) *
Upside Down (Studio Session) *
Screaming (Early Version, March 84) *
The Power Of The Gold (Studio Session) *
Love And Money (Early Version) *
First Church (Feel Love) (Studio Session) *
Junk (Early Version 2) *
Walking (Studio Session) *
No More War (Early Version) *
Go (You & Me) (Studio Session) *
Close To The Edge (Early Alternate Extended Mix) *
Heatwave (Early Version) *
The Other Side Of The Tracks (Studio Session) *
Smalltown Boy (Early Version, March 84) *

Disc Five
The First Chapter – The Videos Plus DVD

Official Music Videos
Smalltown Boy (Restored Promo)
Why? (Restored Promo)
It Ain’t Necessarily So (Restored Promo)
I Feel Love (Restored Promo) with Marc Almond

Top Of The Pops Performances
Smalltown Boy (BBC Top Of The Pops, June 84)
Why? (BBC Top Of The Pops September 84)
It Ain’t Necessarily So (BBC Top Of The Pops, December 84)
I Feel Love (BBC Top Of The Pops, April 85) with Marc Almond

Original TV Adverts
The Age Of Consent – TV Advert #1 (December 84) *
The Age Of Consent – TV Advert #2 (January 85) *

* Previously Unreleased

2CD Tracklisting

Disc One

Why?
It Ain’t Necessarily So
Screaming
No More War
Love And Money
Smalltown Boy
Heatwave
Junk
Need A Man Blues
I Feel Love / Johnny Remember Me
Smalltown Boy (Absolute. Extended Rework)
Smalltown Boy (Planningtorock’s ‘The Love That You Need’ Rework)
Smalltown Boy (Dave Audé Vs Tall Paul Remix) *
Why? (Superchumbo Mix Ft. Neil Tennant) *
Smalltown Boy (The Knocks & Bronski Beat Ft Perfume Genius) *

Disc Two

Heatwave (Harvey Goldberg Remix)
Why (Harvey Goldberg Remix)
Run From Love (Dominic Maita Remix)
Hard Rain (Harvey Goldberg Remix)
Smalltown Boy (Harvey Goldberg Remix)
Junk (Harvey Goldberg Remix)
Love And Money (Hundreds & Thousands Remix) *
Infatuation / Memories
Close To The Edge
I Feel Love (Cake Mix) with Marc Almond
Cadillac Car (Extended)

To pre-order click here

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