We Speak Music
Sohodolls re-write classic 00’s single “Bang Bang Bang Bang” in stand against gun violence!
London’s influential electro-rockers, Sohodolls returned last year after being out of the limelight for more than a decade. A globally enforced lockdown revived one of their classics “Bang Bang Bang Bang” into an unexpected viral TikTok hit among the Gen Z glitterati. It so happened that Madonna had posted a recording she made of her daughter Estere Ciccone performing her own original choreography to the track and as part of the ensuing TikTok trend “Bang Bang Bang Bang” rocketed up the Billboard Top 50 and is now sitting on over 100m Spotify streams.
The new viral attention inspired Sohodolls to reform and release new singles “Letter To My Ex (Thank You Goodbye)” and “Bad” in 2022, which both picked up considerable press & radio attention, including airplay from Nels Hylton on Radio 1’s ‘Future Alternative’, Frank Skinner on Absolute Radio and features with highly regarded music blog Atwood Magazine. Now Sohodolls have gone back to where it all began to re-write and re-record “Bang Bang Bang Bang” to bring it up to date for 2023.
On how the new Otabek Salamov produced version of “Bang Bang Bang Bang” came about, main Sohodolls songwriter Maya Von Doll said: “I changed the lyrics from “hold the gun” to “kill the gun” to make my standpoint clearer. I’ve always been against guns. After BBBB went viral, I could see some confusion with some people believing it was a song about school shootings and that’s not what it’s about at all and I didn’t want people to carry that narrative nor think I was glorifying guns. I was slightly referencing Kurt Cobain’s suicide but mostly because I was so shocked and saddened by what happened as Nirvana was such a big part of my youth.”
It’s the Nirvana grunge influence that Sohodolls tap into further with the “Bang Bang Bang Bang” re-write, with explosive distorted guitars replacing the original version’s synth heavy backdrop. A more raw and gritty incarnation, the new “Bang Bang Bang Bang” feels both nostalgic for the early 90s and fresh and relevant again for 2023, Maya Von Doll’s voice as sumptuous and infectious as ever.
Revealing further on the song’s themes and the updated new version, Maya Von Doll explains, “The song is actually about being a misfit and finding your tribe. I wrote this song when I was a teenager feeling like I didn’t quite fit in with any of the cliques at school, but I started going out in Soho and meeting all these wonderfully different people. Even though I’ve always been anti-guns, I wanted to update the spirit for the times we’re living in now where you have to be clearer about what you stand for. I do think gun ownership is a bad idea.”
Aaron makes music about meaningful topics that rocks and grooves – and sometimes it even skanks on a rock steady beat!
His new song ‘Geeks’ has been released on all major music platforms on November 15th. It is an anthem for the heroes of the digital age: computer nerds, also known as geeks. It is driven by an off-beat ska guitar, a sticky bass line and a groovy brass section. The icing on the cake is a jazzy saxophone solo.
“I have always loved Ska, I even saw the Specials, the Selecter and Madness live in their heydays”, says Aaron. “I chose the topic although I am not a geek myself, but I have a lot of sympathy for them. Geeks are often frowned upon because they can be socially awkward, but they are the ones who are building a better world. So I think they deserve an anthem.”
The music video is mostly made up of typography, minimalistic ASCII graphics and heavily pixelated images – it surely looks geeky! Watch it here:
Aaron writes catchy songs that are made for people who like meaningful, uplifting topics and guitar-driven, hand-made sounds. His musical journey started young but it wasn’t until he discovered Bitcoin and became so invested in it that he used music to express his new found joy.
“It’s mostly rock music, with excursions into funk, soul and other styles I grew up with. In general, it’s guitar-driven and hand-made, often with a punkish energy and beatlesque harmonies. What all my songs have in common are meaningful lyrics about being in the here and now, about transforming disturbing emotions into wisdom, about being in the flow, things like that.” says Aaron in an interview.
“I have always been making music and writing songs, starting with a punk rock band when I was 15. However, I never saw it as a career. I played in several bands in my teenage years and my early twenties, but after my media studies in Berlin and Rio de Janeiro I focused on other things. I first worked in TV production and then founded one of the first Internet agencies in Germany. I discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and became fascinated by it. I wrote five books about it, made lots of promotional videos and educational series for Bitcoin and blockchain companies, and organised events. I even wrote some songs about Bitcoin, which became quite popular in the community, like my Reggaeton about the Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. People always liked that my songs are catchy and provocative. It was by the end of 2023 that I decided to go full in on music. It’s what I enjoy the most, so now I want to fully follow my passion.”
Since May 2024, his songs have been streamed more than 250,000 times on Spotify and his music videos have been viewed more than 350,000 times on YouTube.
Read more about Aaron King: http://aaron-koenig.net/press/
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