Live Review: Arca Covers Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie'
23 year old Venezuelan producer Arca takes Shakira's smash hit, 'Hips Don't Lie', and completely turns it on it's head in true Arca form.
One of the biggest pop songs of the 00's has undergone some serious changes at the hands of up-and-coming Venezuelan producer, ARCA.
Picked to be one of next year's biggest names, DAZED & CONFUSED named him #3 in their Dazed 100. His way of celebrating, staying true to form, was to create this remarkable rework of SHAKIRA's Hips Don't Lie - in all it's twisted, glitched out glory.
ARCA has been around for a while now, but has kept mostly to behind the scenes stuff. He is partly responsible for FKA Twigs' EP2 and KANYE WEST's Yeezus, so it's safe to say he must know what he's doing. He is also currently collaborating with BJORK of all people, as well as releasing his own album, Xen.
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He is known for his uncertain, twisted works and this current release follows on from that. Taking the song and working it until it's barely recognisable is not something done easily, yet ARCA wears his complexity on his sleeve, and somehow it all works out.
Featuring heavily edited versions of the original vocals, this futuristic robot version of SHAKIRA begins to sing over drum patterns and synth sounds. The vocals echo in and out, and the track slowly but surely gains momentum with ARCA's layering. At about 1:18, things start to get really weird. It's unsettling, yet a little playful, as if he knows just how nuts this sounds. The synth sounds and frenetic drum patterns continue, with samples overlapping each other. It picks up speed, and other worldly instruments come into play. The vocals sound hypnotic - in fact, the whole thing sounds hypnotic. The track ends suddenly, and all the chopped synths and samples are over.
ARCA is definitely one to watch, and has been receiving a lot of Internet love since the release of Xen, and has been playing shows across Europe. Only time will tell what the 23 year old artist will do next, but if it's as nuts as this, I can't wait!
Words by Emma Jones.
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