Stardust (band)
| "Music Sounds Better with You" | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Single by Stardust | |
| Released | 20 July 1998 |
| Format | |
| Recorded | 1997 at Daft House (Paris, France) |
| Genre | French house |
| Length |
|
| Label | Roulé |
| Writer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Thomas Bangalter |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
"Music Sounds Better with You" was released in 20 July 1998 by French house band Stardust, a collaborative effort consisting of producers Thomas Bangalter, Alan Braxe, and vocalist Benjamin Diamond. It is their only release. The song uses a sample of the song "Fate" by Chaka Khan, which appeared on her album What Cha' Gonna Do for Me (1981).
It was also one of the highest-selling singles of the year in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number 2 in August 1998, and maintained the position for two weeks. That same month, the song also enjoyed two weeks atop the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It is also used in the encore of Daft Punk's Alive 2007 world tour.
The track was recorded in Paris at Daft House, where Bangalter (one half of the French group Daft Punk) is based. The song was conceived in Rex Club, Paris, where the trio were playing a live set. Bangalter and Braxe created the instrumental, which Diamond instinctively sang the title words over. The next day they laid down the track in the studio, adding the Chaka Khan sample.
The song remains the only release of the trio. It is referred to as the best-selling track of the house music genre worldwide. Shortly after the release Bangalter was offered 3 million dollars to produce a full Stardust album, but Bangalter, Braxe and Diamond have not worked together since. Diamond and Braxe resumed their ongoing solo careers, and Bangalter, along with his usual partner Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, went on to release the second Daft Punk album, Discovery, as well as releasing other house music tracks solo or with other partners.
John Bush from AllMusic gave the single 4.5 stars out of 5 and also labels it as an "Album Pick" calling it "One of the most irresistible, sublime dance singles of the decade". It was ranked 46th on Pitchfork's Top 200 songs of the '90s. The publication included "Music Sounds Better with You" in its collection of The Pitchfork 500. In 2001, the magazine from the United Kingdom, Mixmag, listed the 100 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time with "Music Sounds Better with You" listed at number 11. The song also appears at number 6 on Mixmag's 50 Greatest Dance Tracks of All Time in 2013.
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