Crossovers between rock and electronic music are commonplace nowadays, though they aren’t always predictable.
Enter former Guns N’ Roses and current SIXX:A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba, who has announced an upcoming electronic remix of the Italian folk classic “Bella Ciao.”
Ashba was first inspired to remix the song after hearing it in Netflix’s international hit Money Heist. He’s described it as “epic and dramatic,” combining rock and electronic elements to create what he’s labeled “guitar dance music,” or GDM for short. The track, due out on October 29th, aims to offer a high-powered ode to the original.
“After becoming completely obsessed with Money Heist, I became so inspired by ‘Bella Ciao’ and the history of the song. “I couldn’t wait to get into the studio and make my own GDM version,” Ashba said in a statement. “I wanted it to be epic and dramatic, with big bass, bone-crushing guitar, and an infectious beat that I know the fans will go crazy for. After it was complete, I was telling my friend, famous Disney artist Craig Fraser, about my new version of this classic song, and him being a fan of the show as well, got inspired, and created me this one-of-a-kind painting of the iconic mask from Money Heist. I was so blown away; I thought it would make the perfect cover for this single.”
This isn’t Ashba’s first foray into dance music. The famed guitarist released three electronic singles last year, all of which encapsulate his goal to offer a fresh take on modern electronic music.
“I would go to a lot of EDM concerts, and their shows are so over the top and, you know, all these young kids just losing their minds, right?” Ashba told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last year. “And the one thing that I’ve noticed is… it lacks guitar, you know, and I saw an opportunity, like five years ago going, ‘If I could take what I do and somehow inject it into this world.’ A lot of kids are not being exposed to a lot of guitar in that world.”
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