Armand Van Helden is a house music artist and music remixer whose biggest c… Read Full Bio ↴Armand Van Helden is a house music artist and music remixer whose biggest commercial successes came from his remixes of the 1996 Tori Amos song "Professional Widow", which reached the top of the UK singles chart, and his own track "You Don't Know Me" which was Number 1 in the UK in January 1999.

Van Helden was born in Boston on February 17, 1970 to a Dutch-Indonesian father and a French-Lebanese mother, but travelled around the world as a child spending time in the Netherlands, Turkey and Italy, as his father was a member of the US Air Force. At the age of thirteen, he bought a drum machine and started DJing two years later.

He returned to Boston in 1988 but also moonlighted as a DJ in Boston clubs. He attended Boston University. He quit his legal review job in 1989 to work as a remixer/producer for Mega-Mixx Productions DJ Remix Service (co-founded by his long time manager, Neil Petricone) where he reworked and re-edited a number of club records for the DJ-only service, including Shawn Christopher's "Another Sleepless Night." He also took up an occupancy at 'The Loft', Boston's leading nightclub.

Mega-Mixx's success was short lived. Mismanagement brought the company to a halt in early 1991. Later that year, he and Petricone, along with founding A&R coordinator, Tony Zeoli, launched X-Mix Productions, a similar DJ Remix service, which still exists today (http://www.xmix.com). Catching the attention of legendary Strictly Rhythm and Nervous Records A&R guru, Glady Pizarro, in 1992 Van Helden released his first official single "Stay On My Mind" under the psuedonym Deep Creed, through Nervous Records.

He released "Move It To the Left" (credited to Sultans of Swing) in 1992 on the Strictly Rhythm label, which became a moderate club hit. His first track to make the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart was "Witch Doktor" which made the top 5 in 1994.

The success of "Witch Doktor" led to opportunities to remix acts such as The Real McCoy ("Another Night", New Order ("Bizarre Love Triangle"), Blondie ("Atomic), Capella ("U Got To Know"), Lightning Seeds ("Jackie Lucky"), Deep Forest ("Marta's Song"), Jimmy Somerville ("Heartbeat"), Deee-Lite ("Dewdrops In The Garden") and Faithless ("Insomnia"). However, it was the "Professional Widow" remix that established him and became a dance hit around the world as well as a number one hit in the UK. Unfortunately, Van Helden did not receive a penny for this mix as he presented it uncommissioned, and thus was not entitled to compensation. However, it led to work remixing The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Puff Daddy as well as Daft Punk and the Sneaker Pimps, and adding to his reputation as one of the world's top house musicians.

Within dance music circles, Van Helden is widely credited for the introduction of the U.K. bred Speed Garage sound to the U.S. club scene with incredible set of remixes. The sound, identifiable by its deep bass subtones, long melodic breaks, and devestatingly hard hitting beats are exemplified in the following remixes beginning in 1995 with Jimmy Somerville "Heartbeat"; CJ Bolland's "Sugar Is Sweeter"; Faithless "Insomnia"; Tori Amos "Professional Widow"; Apollo 440 "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub"; and Sneaker Pimps "Spin, Spin, Sugar."

"Cha Cha" was another top ten dance hit from his first album Old School Junkies released in 1996, along with "The Funk Phenomena". A greatest hits album appeared the next year followed by a breakbeat album later in 1997. "U Don't Know Me," a collaboration with vocalist Duane Harden from the album, "2 Futur 4 U," was a number two hit on the Billboard dance chart, a Number one in the UK and a top 20 single on the pop charts in Australia and Canada.

In 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Armand Van Helden explained, "You Don't Know Me was a perfect example of putting 2 simple things together, the beats from Jaydee's Plastic Dreams and a disco loop from Carrie Lucas."

Van Helden released the Killing Puritans album in 2000 which contained the dance hit "Koochy". His single "Why Can't You Spend Some Time" made the number 34 in the UK in 2001. His New York: A Mix Odyssey album released in 2004 produced two hits:

* "Hear my Name" reached number 7 on the Billboard dance chart, was top 30 on world and internet charts, made number 34 in the UK, and reached the top 40 in Australia; and
* "My My My" reached number 4 on the world internet charts, number 5 in the Belgian and Dutch charts, number 6 in Australia, number 15 in the UK and top 30 in the world dance charts.

In 2010 Van Helden teamed with A-Trak to form the duo Duck Sauce. They had an international smash hit with "Barbra Streisand," which used an ingenious sample from Boney M.

NYC Beat
Armand van Helden Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town
Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town

Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Hey!

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town
Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town
Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Hey!

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town
Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Hey!

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town
Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Hey!

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town
Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town
Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Hey!

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town
Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Hey!

Uptown, downtown
Turn the beat around town
Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
There's no stopping to the sound
Of the New York City beat

Hey!

Overall Meaning

Armand van Helden's "NYC Beat" is a celebration of the vibrant energy of New York City's music scene. The lyrics repeat the catchy phrase "Uptown, downtown, turn the beat around town", establishing the pulsing beat that drives the song. The use of the terms "hip hopping" and "diddy beat bopping" implies the influence of hip hop and R&B on the sound of the city, while the repetition of "hey!" creates a sense of excitement and urgency.

The chorus emphasizes the relentless and unstoppable nature of the New York City beat. It represents not only the music but also the city itself, with its constant motion and energy. The chorus repeats the same phrases over and over again, reinforcing the idea that the city's rhythm is irresistible and all-encompassing.

Overall, "NYC Beat" is a tribute to the power of music and the cultural richness of New York City. It captures the essence of the city's diverse musical landscape and encourages the listener to surrender to its infectious energy and embrace the joy of dancing to the beat.

Line by Line Meaning

Uptown, downtown
The beat can be heard throughout the entire city, from uptown to downtown areas.

Turn the beat around town
The beat is constantly changing and evolving as it travels around the city.

Hip hopping, diddy beat bopping
The beat is complex and multi-layered, incorporating a variety of different rhythms and styles.

There's no stopping to the sound
The beat is unrelenting and unstoppable, and continues on without interruption.

Of the New York City beat
This is the unique and unmistakable sound of New York City, reflecting the vibrancy and diversity of the city's music scene.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ARMAND VAN HELDEN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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