Inaya Day, named one of Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Dance Club Artists, teams up with NYC music collective 45 Riots, Adam Mason, on Horny ‘22, a live-music remake of the iconic chart-topping house music hit on which she was originally featured.
Delivering a fresh new spin on the classic, Inaya’s powerful vocals are augmented with 45 Riots’ energized live ensemble band performance. Additional Horny ‘22 remixes by Nick Jay & Jean Luc, Marcus Knight, Liam Keegan, Knobs Barkley, Shona SA, and DJ Fresh SA are currently available exclusively on Traxsource.com, with a wider release across streaming outlets on Friday, June 3rd.
Hi Inaya and Adam! Thanks for chatting with 6AM. How is everything?
Inaya: Everything is great! Thanks for asking.
Adam: I’m well, thank you! Things are very busy but that’s a great thing, especially coming out of the impact of COVID on the music industry. I’m very thankful to be moving forward with new projects like this one with Inaya Day and 45 Riots, and more in the pipeline.
So just to jump right into it, you’re both doing a live music rework on the classic track “Horny ’22”, what was the reason and inspiration behind this? Why specifically a live version?
Inaya: Well, I’ve wanted to do a live version of the song since recording the original back in 1998 because of the cool orchestration. When the producer made the instrumental, he said he called it HORNY because of the blaring horn licks. But once the verses were added, the whole double entendre was taken away. I wanted to rock with live instruments to help restore the song’s initial intention and feature a real horn section.
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Adam: Inaya and I have been performing in the same NYC nightclub circuit for many years and also together with my team, 45 Riots, in which Inaya is a featured lead vocalist. We love to perform house music with the live band on stage. It’s such a great vehicle to improvise crazy parts on top of the basic structure and bring a ton of raw energy. Inaya always goes in on her vocals, we’ve got horns making up jazz-funk section parts on the spot, and the rhythm section is always just cooking and building.
With this experience in mind, Inaya and I have chatted for years about how great it would be to do a curated concert of her music with 45 Riots as the backing band. In late 2021, Inaya approached me to record a live-band version of Horny ’98, a chart-topping single on which she originally sang. It was a perfect match for her and 45 Riots; I knew it was going to be an amazing project and a great experience for the whole team. We wanted to make sure we kept the new version danceable and radio / DJ-friendly while still encapsulating the energy and creativity of the live band in the studio.
“I knew it was going to be an amazing project and a great experience for the whole team. We wanted to make sure we kept the new version danceable and radio / DJ-friendly while still encapsulating the energy and creativity of the live band in the studio.”
Adam and the team clicked when it came to collaborating and releasing the project.
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Inaya and Adam, you also are releasing an additional series of remixes of the track, what was the reason for involving so many different artists as well?
Inaya: There are so many sub-genres of dance music now. We wanted to be sure to provide an array of mixes to accommodate an array of listeners.
Adam: We planned to have some remixes from the start of our collaboration on this project but I think we were both surprised by the overwhelming requests of DJs to be onboard and submit their versions to us. I think the original song is truly a classic and everyone knows it; as soon as word got around of our release several DJ’s reached out to us to show support and dive into creating fresh mixes. We wanted to honor their enthusiasm and share their gifts with the world.
Inaya, you were named as one of Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Dance Club Artists, so you’re definitely an authority figure in the dance music scene, if there was something you could change about the scene now, what would it be?
Inaya: I would go back to the DJ Booth days when the DJ had a space of his/her own off stage. I miss people dancing. Now, they stand and face the DJ waiting for flashing lights and pointed fingers in the air. It forces the DJ to crowd-please with effects over quality of music and mixes. I’d simply like the dancefloor to be, once again, for … “dancing.”
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“I miss people dancing. Now, they stand and face the DJ waiting for flashing lights and pointed fingers in the air. It forces the DJ to crowd-please with effects over quality of music and mixes. I’d simply like the dancefloor to be, once again, for … ‘dancing’ ”
Inaya reflects on how the culture has shifted for DJs performing at venues.
Inaya, from what you’ve seen since you first started your musical career back in the 90s, do you think aspiring artists underestimate the amount of work that goes into developing a career as a DJ/producer, or do you notice fresher talent working harder?
Inaya: Well, since starting my “House Music” career back in the 90s, I definitely think aspiring DJs/Producers underestimate the amount of work that it takes to develop a career. Making beats or spinning tunes is only half the battle. There are thousands of upcoming DJs/Producers. One has to figure out how to stand out and re-invest in oneself. There are hundreds of one-hit wonders, but making music an entire career is a daunting task.
Aside from remixes coming out on June 3rd, is there anything else you both have going on that you would like to let everyone know about?
Inaya: Yes! 45 Riots and I will be working on original material soon, and I have a track coming out on Defected Records with the legendary Harry Choo Choo Romero called “Rise Up.” Watch My page and Defected’s page for updates.
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Adam: I would just love people to get to know 45 Riots. It’s a singular brand built from a live band performing in nightclubs and concerts, then the private events industry, and now also functioning as an independent label and production house. We are at the start of our second decade, with a collective of well over 200 amazingly talented musicians.
I’m so proud of our diverse releases over the last several years, from urban pop, R&B, and hip-hop to world music and jazz — and now house music — with further diverse releases coming soon. We’re also really looking forward to backing concert artists onstage as we will this June 23rd at Lincoln Center, in support of legendary house music artist Ultra Naté! Come join us — Inaya will be onstage, as well! It will be a super fun and energized show!
“I’m so proud of our diverse releases over the last several years, from urban pop, R&B, and hip-hop to world music and jazz — and now house music.”
Adam is grateful for the ability to release amazing and diverse music over the years.
Connect with Inaya Day: SoundCloud丨Facebook丨Twitter丨Beatport丨Instagram
Connect with 45 Riots (Adam Mason): Website丨SoundCloud丨Facebook丨Beatport丨Instagram
