David Lee Roth made a rare appearance at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, FL on March 30 when he joined DJ and headliner Armin van Buuren for a new remix of the 1984 Van Halen classic, “Jump.”
The tune remains Van Halen’s only US No. 1 hit when it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks 35 years ago this spring.
“I’m sure that a lot of the kids I’m gonna play for are probably not even familiar with the original and how big of a track it was when it was released,” van Buuren tells Rolling Stone. “Plus, it was an easy one to pick because I ask my crowd to jump, and the song has a deeper meaning, and I hope the kids get it when they hear the song, when they start to invest some time in the history of the song.”
“So I made something initially for my DJ set, ’cause I thought it would be cool to premiere it at Ultra,” adds the DJ. “So at this point, it wasn’t necessarily produced as a radio song. It’s made for a crowd going crazy, 18-to-22-year-olds dancing their socks off to a song they don’t even know was originally made in 1982.”
Declaring himself a fan of van Burren’s work, Roth has long spoken about being a dance-music aficionado.
“It’s the reason Eddie Van Halen and I have had so much friction over these decades,” he says. “It’s the only music I listen to.”
In recent months, Roth has hinted at a 2019 return of Van Halen as rumors continue to surface after a three-year hiatus by the band.
See also:
Van Halen: Sammy Hagar reflects on 5150 album anniversary
VIDEO: David Lee Roth recalls formative years of Van Halen on The Joe Rogan Experience
Sammy Hagar confirms Van Halen have contacted Michael Anthony about a reunion tour
VIDEO: Original David Lee Roth band members reunite at NAMM
Search Van Halen at hennemusic
