Big Tuba (Kraak & Smaak Remix)
Hot 8 Brass Band

“It was such fun for us to turn a traditional New Orleans piece into a dancefloor tune. We love you Big Tuba!” Kraak & Smaak

Following the success of their Big Tuba album and international tour, Grammy-winning New Orleans legends Hot 8 Brass Band return with a fresh rework of the album’s title track, this time handed to Dutch electronic heavyweights Kraak & Smaak. With their Big Tuba East Coast tour behind them, the band are set to hit the road once more for a West Coast run alongside a string of summer dates, and will be supporting Madness at Brighton’s sold-out On the Beach concert (in front of 10,000 punters).

Originally released as a centrepiece tribute to the band’s late co-founder and sousaphone player Bennie Pete, “Big Tuba” has become one of the most celebrated moments of the Big Tuba era. A record that saw Hot 8 earn Album of the Week at Jazz FM, widespread critical acclaim, and packed-out shows across the US, UK and Europe. The Big Tuba Tour built on a long run of sold-out dates, reaffirming Hot 8’s reputation as one of the most electrifying live brass bands.

Kraak & Smaak’s remix takes that raw New Orleans energy and reimagines it for the dancefloor, folding Hot 8’s unmistakable brass lines into their signature warm, funk-led electronic sound. Respectful but playful, late-night club energy is injected into the track without losing the heart of the original.

With a career spanning over two decades, Kraak & Smaak (Oscar de Jong, Wim Plug and Mark Kneppers) are renowned for blurring the lines between disco, funk, house, soul and pop. From early breakthroughs with Boogie Angst and the global success of “Squeeze Me”, to performances at Glastonbury, Coachella, SXSW and remix work for artists including Jamiroquai, Aretha Franklin, Moby and Royksopp, the trio have built an international reputation for uplifting, groove-driven productions. Recent years have seen them celebrate their 20th anniversary and release their latest album Velvet Seas, continuing their run of vibrant, forward-looking records.

Hot 8 Brass Band are renowned for incorporating elements of funk, hip hop, rap and New Orleans’ local “bounce” sound into their music. The collective earned a Grammy Award at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in 2022 for their contribution to Jon Batiste’s Album of the Year, following the nomination of their The Life & Times Of… LP for Best Regional Roots Album in 2013.

The remix offers a club-focused rework of “Big Tuba”, extending the track’s life beyond the original album release while staying true to the spirit and intent of the original. Reframed through Kraak & Smaak’s dancefloor sensibility, it opens the track up to club and crossover audiences, bringing Hot 8 Brass Band’s sound into new spaces without losing its New Orleans roots.