Oliver Heldens has teamed up with Kryder and The Young Punx to rework one of dance music’s most sampled records. ‘AEIOU‘ takes Freeez’s 1983 hit ‘I.O.U.‘ and rebuilds it for modern club floors, out now via Heldens’ own Heldeep Records.
‘I.O.U.’ has remained a staple for over 40 years for good reason. It is one of those early-80s boogie and electro-funk records that continues to resonate, sampled and referenced across house and disco-adjacent scenes long after its original run. With ‘AEIOU,’ the trio preserves that unmistakable groove and iconic vocal hook while accelerating the tempo, layering in crisper percussion, driving basslines, and the kind of uplifting house production built for festival stages.
A Modern Take on a Classic Groove
Heldens has established a reputation for digging into dance music’s back catalog to provide old records with new context, and this collaboration fits squarely into that lane. Kryder brings his signature brand of energetic, festival-ready house to the project, while The Young Punx round out the production with a style that leans heavily on their own appreciation for dance music history. It is a three-way combination designed to respect the source material without merely coasting on nostalgia.
The finished record deliberately splits the difference between eras. There is still warmth and funk carried over from the original disco DNA, but it is filtered through a contemporary house lens, ensuring it works whether dropped at a summer festival, a late-night club set, or a sunset slot at a venue like Ushuaia.
The Creative Forces Behind the Track
Oliver Heldens has racked up more than 4 billion streams and multiple No. 1 hits since his 2013 breakthrough with ‘Gecko.’ He operates on both sides of the genre spectrum, balancing his main project with the darker HI-LO alias, which has become a fixture on labels like Drumcode and Filth on Acid. Between these projects, he has collaborated with artists ranging from Nile Rodgers and Kylie Minogue to David Guetta and Tiesto.
Kryder, born Chris Knight, brings a grounded perspective rooted in the UK house scene. After a career defined by residencies at Gatecrasher and massive support from BBC Radio 1, he has spent this year in a prolific creative stretch. Despite stepping back from touring to support his partner, DJ B Jones, through recovery, he has delivered sixteen records in seven months, including the chart-topping ‘Eivissa.’
‘AEIOU’ arrives alongside a packed run of tour dates for Heldens, including stops at Tomorrowland, World Pride Amsterdam, and a headline date at Red Rocks in November. The track is out now on Heldeep Records.
