Jumping on the gypsy-house bandwagon (or would that be gypsy wagon?) Yoland Be Cool and DCUP, two Australian producers, released “We No Speak Americano” in early March to an outstanding reception. Complete with a horn section, stomping drum lines rendering an “oom pah pah” (reminiscent of Balkan folk music) and a rousing sample of the classic “Tu Vuò Fà L’Americano,” it was an immediate club hit. It’s a fantastically upbeat and nostalgic song which evokes our grandparents’ generation in the old world. “Americano” is a celebration of an almost-forgotten style of music, with a delightfully fresh and club-ready spin. It incorporates traditional instruments and rhythmic patterns while still being accessible to the younger, electronically-minded. Due in part to its smash success, it had the potential to become a ground breaking catalyst for old-meets-new folk styling in modern dance music. It made us think, “Maybe Balkan music is ready to be mainstream?” That is, however, until Moonchild got a hold of the original and completely turned it on its head.

Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP – We No Speak Americano (Moonchild Remix)

Moonchild is an extraordinarily talented producer based out of Sydney, and is a quickly rising star on the nu-disco scene. His remix of “We No Speak Americano” was released in response to a contest sponsored by Sweat It Out! Records. His remix won the contest with 32% of the total vote, and it’s not hard to see why. Rather than incorporating the old world feel of the original song, Moonchild looks towards the future and reminds us that there’s a reason why gypsy music never caught on in the mainstream. With his remix he corrals the gypsies back into their wagon, and puts the disco back into the disco music. At the end of the day, we’re all better off for it.

Moonchild’s version of “We No Speak…” still retains a distinctly foreign feel, but it’s definitely not earthly. He gives the song an otherworldly twist with his heavy use of filters and spacey-sounding synthesizers; whereas in the original song the subtext to the foreigners’ lyrics seems to be “We No Speak Americano—so fuck you ‘cause we’re proud of our heritage!” Moonchild’s foreigners seem to cry, “We No Speak Americano…CAUSE WE’RE FROM SPACE!” Living in a world obsessed with modernization and globalization, it’s getting harder and harder to find a culture left untouched by the American hand. Consequently, it’s not so far-fetched to imagine that the next people we’re likely to meet who ‘No Speak Americano’ will be from outer space. Maybe we can play them this song to help ensure they’ll come in peace.

Posted by: Mikayla