Caribou – “Volume”
![](https://static.stereogum.com/uploads/2024/07/Caribou-1722437237.jpg)
In 1987, members of the arty, spacey British bands AR Kane and Colourbox formed MARRS — or, if you feel like using copy-paste, M|A|R|R|S — a side project that only ever released one single. That one single turned out to be a big one. “Pump Up The Volume,” a global smash that reached #1 in the UK and #13 in the US, is almost entirely comprised of samples, and it became hugely influential in the mass embrace of house music and the cut-and-paste hip-hop aesthetic. Now, Caribou has turned that all-samples single into its own sample.
Over the last few months, Caribou mastermind Dan Snaith, pictured above in his adorable-little-tyke form, has released the dance-centric singles “Honey” and “Broke My Heart.” Today, he’s got a new one called “Volume,” and it basically works as a sample-heavy reimagining of “Pump Up The Volume.” With the track, Snaith mirrors the ramped-up progression of “Pump Up the Volume,” using many of the same audio clips and substituting in some of his own. The track works has homage, but it also showcases Snaith’s own sleek, architectural version of house music. In a press release, Snaith says:
“Pump Up The Volume” was the first time in my life I heard electronic music — sitting in front of the family stereo system listening to the top-40 countdown on the radio when I was a kid. it completely blew my mind — it sounded like something from another world. It’s stuck with me ever since — I always wanted to rework it in some way. I didn’t consciously think about it when I started working on my track, but I think there’s something really special about having gone right back to the very beginning in making this.
Shynola’s Richard Kenworthy directed Caribou’s “Volume” video, which mirrors the stock-footage barrage of the original “Pump Up The Volume” clip. Check out both videos below.
“Volume” is out now on Merge.