"Difficult" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Uffie | ||||
from the album Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans | ||||
Released | October 18, 2010 | |||
Format | Vinyl, digital download | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Genre | Nu-disco, synthpop, alternative dance, acid house | |||
Length | 2:56 | |||
Label | Ed Banger, Because, Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | Fabien Pianta, Sebastian Akchoté | |||
Producer(s) | SebastiAn | |||
Uffie singles chronology | ||||
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"Difficult" is the fourth single from French-American recording artist Uffie's debut album, Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans . The single was produced by Uffie's label-mate and friend SebastiAn and was released by Ed Banger Records, Because Music and Elektra Records on October 18, 2010. Remixes by SebastiAn and Azari & III were included in the release. [1]
Anna-Catherine Hartley, known professionally as Uffie, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, DJ, and fashion designer formerly signed to French electronic music record label Ed Banger Records.
Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans is the debut studio album by French-American singer Uffie, released on June 14, 2010 by Ed Banger Records and Because Music. Produced by Feadz, J-Mat, Mr. Oizo, Mirwais and SebastiAn, the album features guest appearances by Pharrell Williams and Mattie Safer from indie rock band The Rapture, and includes a cover of Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1978 song "Hong Kong Garden", which Uffie said was one of her favorite songs.
Ed Banger Records is a French electronic music record label founded by Pedro Winter in 2003 as a division of Headbangers Entertainment. It focuses on house music, particularly French house, as well as alternative dance, electro, hip hop, nu disco, and synthpop, among other styles. The label is home to French acts Justice, Sebastian, Cassius, Uffie, Krazy Baldhead, DJ Mehdi, Mr. Oizo, Mr. Flash, So Me, Feadz, Breakbot, DSL, Boston Bun, and Winter himself under the alias Busy P. Most videos and album art for Ed Banger releases are coordinated by So Me.
In July 2010 DJ Kissy Sell Out premiered a remix of "Difficult", titled the Kissy Klub Version, on his BBC Radio 1 show and made the track available to download for free from his blog. [2]
Kissy Sell Out, born Thomas Bisdee on 18 June 1984 in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England, is a British/Canadian DJ, producer, graphic designer, label manager of San City High Records and Stepper Man, part-time astrophysicist and science columnist for Sick Chirpse. Kissy Sell Out gained notability in 2006 for his electro music productions and energetic DJ style. In 2009 Mixmag described him as "one of the most exciting, charismatic and entertaining DJs of the decade".
BBC Radio 1 is one of the BBC's two flagship radio stations, specialising in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7 pm, including electronica, dance, hip hop and indie. The choice of music and presenting style is entirely that of programme hosts, however those who present in the daytime have to rotate a number of songs a specific number of times per week. It was launched in 1967 to meet the demand for music generated by pirate radio stations, when the average age of the UK population was 27. The BBC claim that they target the 15–29 age group, and the average age of its UK audience since 2009 is 30. BBC Radio 1 started 24-hour broadcasting on 1 May 1991.
On August 11, 2010 Ed Banger Records confirmed through their Facebook page that Uffie's next single to be released would be "Difficult", produced by SebastiAn. [3] It was then announced that "Difficult" would be released as an EP on October 18, 2010 through Ed Banger Records, Elektra Records and Because Music, containing remixes from SebastiAn and Azari & III. [1]
Facebook, Inc. is an American online social media and social networking service company based in Menlo Park, California. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, along with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. It is considered one of the Big Four technology companies along with Amazon, Apple, and Google.
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk music and rock music between the 1950s and 1970s. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived as an imprint of Atlantic in 2009. As of October 2018, Elektra was detached from the Atlantic Records umbrella and reorganized into Elektra Music Group, once again operating as an independently managed frontline label of Warner Music.
Because Music is an independent record label with headquarters in Paris and London. Because Music SAS is the main label, with Because Music Ltd handling the British artist roster.
The remix provided by SebastiAn titled "2006 Parties Remix", reached number 1 on The Hype Machine the day of being released. [4]
Uffie announced through her official blog that a music video for "Difficult" would begin shooting on September 9, 2010. [5] The music video was later confirmed to be directed by French filmmakers AB/CD/CD and was released on October 6, 2010. [1]
A music video is a short film that integrates a song with imagery, and is produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are also cases where songs are used in tie-in marketing campaigns that allow them to become more than just a song. Tie-ins and merchandising can be used for toys or for food or other products. Although the origins of the music video date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s, they again came into prominence in the 1980s when the channel MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these kinds of videos were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip".
The song contains a sample from "Love of the Hurtin' Kind" by Claudja Barry.
Claudja Barry is a singer, songwriter and actress. Her successful songs were "Down and Counting", "Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes" and others. As an actress, she is known for performing in the European versions of stage musicals AC/DC and Catch My Soul.
The video, directed by AB/CD/CD, features Uffie walking through a school hallway, as each door leads her to the same but alternately changed hallways. By the end of the video Uffie finds herself trapped behind the doors.
Quentin Dupieux, better known by his stage name Mr. Oizo, is a French electronic musician, DJ and film director, best known for his 1999 single "Flat Beat". His pseudonym is a corruption of the French oiseau, meaning "bird". He is signed to Ed Banger Records and Brainfeeder. Dupieux uses his full name for his cinematographic work, Mr. Oizo being only used for his musical work.
"Human After All" is a song by electronic music duo Daft Punk. It is the title track from their third studio album, Human After All, and the third single from the album, released on 21 October 2005. The single release includes remixes of the song which appeared in the album Human After All: Remixes. "Human After All" peaked at number 93 on the French Singles Chart.
Justice is a French electronic music duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay. The duo's label is Ed Banger Records which is managed by the label's head, Pedro Winter. Justice is known for incorporating a strong rock and indie influence into its music and image.
Sébastien Akchoté, known mononymously as Sebastian, is a French musician, composer, producer, mixer, engineer, vocalist and DJ affiliated with Ed Banger Records. He has worked as a solo electronic musician and as a remixer for bands and singers such as Charlotte Gainsbourg, Daft Punk, Beastie Boys, Bloc Party, and Nero. He has also produced songs for Charlotte Gainsbourg, Frank Ocean, Katerine, Kavinsky, Noël Akchoté, Uffie, and Woodkid, and he has composed music for the films Notre Jour Viendra and Steak. Many of his tracks have been used on television and in video games.
Pedro Winter, also known by the stage name Busy P, is a French DJ, music producer, record label owner, and artist manager. Winter managed Daft Punk from 1996 to 2008 and currently manages Cassius and artists on Ed Banger Records, a label that he owns and runs.
Vincent Belorgey, known professionally as Kavinsky, is a French musician, producer and DJ. His production style is reminiscent of the electropop film soundtracks of the 1980s. Kavinsky claimed that his music is inspired by thousands of movies he watched as a young boy and that he has cherry-picked the best parts from them, consolidating them into one concept. Kavinsky has been compared to many similar French house artists including Daft Punk and Danger. He achieved greater mainstream recognition after his song "Nightcall" was featured in the 2011 film Drive. His debut studio album, OutRun, was released in 2013.
"Pop the Glock" is a single by French-American recording artist Uffie. The re-released single was released as a 12" vinyl on November 30, 2009. "Pop the Glock" was Uffie's first single and an international underground hit. It was originally released in early 2006 by Ed Banger Records on the Pop the Glock/Ready to Uff EP. The original release gained Uffie attention from the media, fans and critics alike and landed her a record deal with French electronic label Ed Banger Records. "Pop the Glock" was written by Uffie and produced by Feadz, and is in large-part based both lyrically and musically on Audio Two's "Top Billin".
DJ Falcon is a French DJ, record producer and photographer.
"Pop the Glock / Ready to Uff" is the first release from French-American singer Uffie. The release includes "Pop the Glock" and "Ready to Uff", her first two singles. "Pop the Glock" started out as a Myspace demo and ended up gaining Uffie international fame. Uffie recorded "Pop the Glock" in 2005 when she was only 17 years old and after showing it to Busy P, owner of French electronic label Ed Banger Records she was offered a record deal. "Pop the Glock" was written by Uffie and produced by Feadz and samples the beat and lyrics from Top Billin' by 1980s hip-hop duo Audio Two. "Ready to Uff", written by Uffie and Feadz, while produced by Mr. Oizo was included as the B-side to the release and was also released as a successful single later on.
"MCs Can Kiss" is a single from Uffie's debut album Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans. The single was written by Uffie and Feadz and was produced by Mr. Oizo. It was released digitally on January 12, 2010 and as a 12" vinyl on February 1, 2010 via Ed Banger Records and Because Music. "MCs Can Kiss" contains a sample from "Night Drive" by Giorgio Moroder and includes remixes by Starkey and Zombie Disco Squad.
Feadz is a French music producer, DJ and songwriter currently signed by French music label Ed Banger Records. He combines the genres of hip hop, electronic, techno and French house in his music and is perhaps best known for his collaborations with label-mate and former girlfriend Uffie.
"ADD SUV" is the second single from Uffie's debut album Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans. The single was produced by Mirwais and features Pharrell Williams performing guest vocals. ADD SUV peaked at number 28 on the UK Independent Singles Chart.
"Hello" is a song performed by French DJ and record producer Martin Solveig and Canadian synthpop band Dragonette, taken from the former's fifth studio album, Smash (2011). The song was released as the album's lead single on 6 September 2010 by Mercury Records.
Congratulations Remixes is an EP which includes remixes of 3 tracks from the MGMT release Congratulations.
Audio, Video, Disco. is the second studio album by the French electronic music duo Justice, released on 24 October 2011 by Ed Banger Records, Because Music and Elektra Records. Justice member Xavier de Rosnay has said of Audio, Video, Disco's musical style: "We wanted to create something very laid back and a bit countryside-ish. You know, daytime music. [...] What we wanted to do was keep the beats, but make it more soft. One of the challenges of this record was to make it feel emotionally heavy without being aggressive. Like being soft and violent at the same time. The texture of the new record is really soft." The album also features more collaborations than on the band's debut album †.
Azari & III were a Canadian music group formed in 2008, performing house, electronic and dance music. They released their self-titled debut album in 2011 and have earned recognition on the dance music scene with the hits "Hungry for the Power" and "Reckless ".