Queen of Ice
by Claptone ft. Dizzy and Pet Shop Boys
Writer - Claptone/Katie Lee Munshaw
First released - 2022
Original album - Closer (Claptone)
Producer - Claptone
Other releases - single
The calculatedly mysterious German DJ/production artist Claptone—who has been described as "multiple DJs who perform under the same masked moniker," but widely believed to consist primiarily of Christoph Göttsch and/or Daniel Brems, who had previously recorded as Malente & Dex—released their fourth album Closer in 2021. One of its tracks, "Queen of Ice," with guest artists the Canadian band Dizzy, featuring vocalist and co-songwriter Katie Munshaw, was released as a single the following January. The single boasts the Pet Shop Boys' 7-inch remix, which includes additional keyboard contributions by Chris and support vocals by Neil. The Boys trim the song's running time by nearly a full minute and considerably boost the tempo, converting what was originally a mildly rhythmic ballad into a full-on dance track. Additionally, a PSB Extended Remix, more than two minutes longer than the 7-inch mix, was released originally as an exclusive to the Beatport streaming service.
Neil's extremely subtle background vocals are most noticeable—or at least most readily identifiable—near the start of the track. Assuming Chris is providing all of the additional keyboard work, of which there's quite a bit, his contribution to the remix seems somewhat more obvious. Their collective contribution to the remix, however, is significant enough that it appears that they receive credit equal to that of Dizzy as the artist.
Incidentally, this remix is something of a "return favor." Back in 2013, Claptone remixed PSB's own "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct."
Mixes/Versions
Officially released
Pet Shop Boys mixes only:
- Mixer: Pet Shop Boys
- Pet Shop Boys 7" Mix (3:17)
- Pet Shop Boys Extended Remix (5:30)
- Pet Shop Boys Moody Mix (3:29)
- On an exclusive 2022 Record Store Day 12-inch transparent vinyl disc.
Officially unreleased
Pet Shop Boys mixes only:
- Mixer: Pet Shop Boys
- Pet Shop Boys "Slow Mix" (length unknown at this time)
- It's unknown at this time whether this and the "Moody Mix" (see above) are one and the same.
- Pet Shop Boys "Slow Mix" (length unknown at this time)
List cross-references
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