Connect with us

EDM news

Darude’s “Sandstorm” Hits Half a Billion Streams: 25 Years of Trance History

Unknown's avatar

Published

on

When Sandstorm came out in 1999, it was impossible to predict just how far it would go. What started as an underground release from a Finnish producer slowly spread across clubs, radio, and eventually the internet. People didn’t just listen to it. They remembered it. Whether it was blasting through speakers at parties or popping up in early YouTube videos, the song stuck.

Now in 2025, Sandstorm has crossed over 500 million streams on Spotify. That kind of number says something. It shows how many people have kept coming back to it over the years and how a single song, built on a simple loop and no lyrics, has managed to stay relevant for twenty-five years.

The Beginning

Sandstorm was first released on October 26, 1999, through 16 Inch Records. It was later picked up by labels like Neo and Ministry of Sound, which helped bring it to a wider audience. The song started gaining real momentum in the UK, climbing to number 3 on the Singles Chart. In the US, it also made it onto Billboard’s dance listings.

What set it apart was how bold and minimal it was. There were no vocals, just a fast, looping rhythm that kept people moving. At the time, trance music was starting to break into the mainstream, and Sandstorm played a big part in that shift.

From Dancefloors to Memes to Stadiums

Over the years, Sandstorm has shown up in all kinds of places. It became a go-to song at sports events, showed up in video games, and later found a home on Twitch streams and YouTube edits. By the early 2010s, it had taken on a new kind of fame online. The meme “What’s the song? It’s Sandstorm by Darude” became a running joke across comment sections and livestreams, giving the song a second life.

What makes it stand out is how people keep finding it in different ways. Some heard it at clubs in the early 2000s. Others came across it in gaming clips or online compilations years later. And now a new generation is discovering it through short videos and festival clips. Somehow it keeps finding its way back.

Half a Billion Streams and Still Growing

Sandstorm recently passed 500 million streams on Spotify. That number speaks for itself. It shows just how many people have played, replayed, and kept coming back to a song that was released 25 years ago. It also stands out because it did this without vocals, without being remixed into something new, and without needing to chase trends to stay relevant.

Darude thanked fans on social media with a simple message:

“Over half a BILLION streams of Sandstorm on Spotify. Thank you for every listen.”

Even after all this time, people are still pressing play.

STORM 25 World Tour: The Celebration Begins

To mark 25 years since the release of Sandstorm, Darude is launching the STORM 25 World Tour. It kicks off on March 28 in Sydney, Australia, followed by a stop in Auckland, New Zealand. More shows are expected across Europe, Asia, and North America.

This tour is not just about looking back. It is a chance for longtime fans and new listeners to experience Darude’s work in a new way. The shows will feature updated visuals, reworked versions of older songs, and new material that reflects how his sound has evolved over time.

Tour dates and tickets are available at www.Storm25.World.

A Legacy That Transcends Time

Few songs have stood the test of time like Sandstorm. It’s a blueprint for how a single record, crafted with passion, simplicity, and just the right amount of madness, can go from local Finnish clubs to becoming a global staple.

With 25 years of influence behind it and a world tour on the horizon, one thing is certain: A storm is still coming.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

With 13 years in the EDM scene, Preetika has built a strong presence around festivals, club culture, and electronic music. Based in Bangkok, she covers all things EDM in Thailand and beyond, with a focus on both local and international talent. She has attended major festivals including Tomorrowland, Ultra Japan, and Creamfields Hong Kong. Since working as a writer for EDM House Network, she has interviewed artists such as Blasterjaxx, James Hype, W&W, R3HAB, Alok, and many others. Her experience and consistent presence in the scene make her a trusted voice for EDM coverage.

Calvin Harris News

14 Years Ago, Calvin Harris Released ‘Sweet Nothing’

Unknown's avatar

Published

on

Calvin Harris performing on stage during a live show

Calvin Harris and Florence Welch’s ‘Sweet Nothing’ celebrates 14 years after becoming a UK No. 1 and one of the biggest singles from the album ‘18 Months’

Fourteen years after Calvin Harris and Florence Welch released ‘Sweet Nothing’, the collaboration remains one of the most remembered songs from the 18 Months era. Released in 2012, it brought together two artists who were already having very different but highly successful years in music, with Calvin Harris also working with Florence + The Machine around the same period. What followed gave ‘Sweet Nothing’ a much bigger story than its original release, from how the collaboration happened to the success that followed on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Story Behind ‘Sweet Nothing’

Before ‘Sweet Nothing’ became one of the most beloved songs from Calvin Harris’ 18 Months era, he and Florence Welch already had history together. Earlier in 2012, Calvin Harris remixed Florence + The Machine’s ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’, which went on to reach No. 1 in the UK. That connection later led to an original collaboration, with Kid Harpoon joining Calvin Harris and Florence Welch as a co-writer on ‘Sweet Nothing’.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by EDM House Network (@edmhousenetwork)

The song placed Florence Welch’s vocal in a more electronic setting than much of her work with Florence + The Machine at the time, while fitting naturally into the sound Calvin Harris was developing across 18 Months. It became part of an album that also featured collaborations with Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, Example, Kelis and Ne-Yo, helping place ‘Sweet Nothing’ within one of the most successful periods of his career.

From UK No. 1 To The Billboard Hot 100

Once ‘Sweet Nothing’ was released, the collaboration quickly became much more than another single from 18 Months. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2012, giving Calvin Harris another chart-topper only months after his remix of ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’. The song also crossed over strongly in the United States, where it reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and gave Florence Welch her first top 10 hit on the chart.

The success continued beyond its original chart run. ‘Sweet Nothing’ later earned a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 2014 Grammy Awards, while 18 Months was nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album the same year. Its music video, directed by Vincent Haycock, also became an important part of the release, pairing Florence Welch’s performance with a darker storyline that contrasted with the track’s club-focused production.

Fourteen years later, ‘Sweet Nothing’ remains closely tied to a period when Calvin Harris was becoming one of the biggest names in electronic dance music, while Florence Welch was bringing her voice into collaborations far outside Florence + The Machine. Between the story behind the record, its success in both the UK and the United States, and its place within 18 Months, the song has lasted far beyond its original 2012 chart run.

From UK No. 1 To The Billboard Hot 100

Once ‘Sweet Nothing’ was released, the collaboration became much more than another single from 18 Months. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2012 and gave Calvin Harris another chart-topper that year. The song also found major success in the United States, reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It became Florence Welch’s first top 10 hit on the chart.

The success continued after its original chart run, with ‘Sweet Nothing’ earning a Best Dance Recording nomination at the 2014 Grammy Awards. 18 Months also received a nomination for Best Dance/Electronica Album that year. The Vincent Haycock-directed music video added another part to the release, following Florence Welch through a nightclub performance alongside a darker relationship storyline.

Fourteen years later, ‘Sweet Nothing’ remains closely connected to one of the most successful periods of Calvin Harris’ career. It also gave Florence Welch one of her biggest collaborations outside Florence + The Machine. Its UK No. 1, U.S. top 10 and Grammy nomination all followed a partnership that had started only months earlier with ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Continue Reading

EDM news

Annie Mac Brings ‘Annie Mac Presents’ To Apple Music

Unknown's avatar

Published

on

Annie Mac performing on stage under red, blue, green and yellow lighting

Annie Mac brings ‘Annie Mac Presents’ to Apple Music with eight volumes from the 2010–2017 mix series available to stream for the first time

Annie Mac is bringing more than a decade of her dance music archive to Apple Music, with eight volumes of Annie Mac Presents available to stream for the first time. Originally released between 2010 and 2017, the compilation series documented the house, techno, bass and electronic records she was championing throughout that period, with many of the mixes previously only available on CD. The launch also includes a dedicated Before Midnight curator page and her 2025 Warehouse Project set, bringing older material and more recent work together in one place.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Annie Mac (@anniemacmanus)

Eight ‘Annie Mac Presents’ Volumes Are Now Streaming

Originally released as double CDs, each edition of Annie Mac Presents will appear on Apple Music in two parts, making 16 mixes available from launch. Many of the original mixes had only existed in physical form, with Annie Mac returning to CDs from her own collection as part of the process of bringing the archive online.

Across its nine-year run, Annie Mac Presents followed the genre-spanning approach that became central to her broadcasting and DJ career. The compilations moved between house, techno, bass, electronic music and crossover records, pairing emerging artists with established names while documenting the music she was supporting throughout the 2010s.

Before Midnight Gets Its Own Apple Music Page

The archive forms part of Annie Mac’s new DJ Mix curator presence on Apple Music, with the page centered around Before Midnight. She launched the club concept in 2022 around an earlier schedule for nights out, keeping the focus on club music while changing the hours in which the events take place.

The Apple Music launch follows the latest Before Midnight show at Alexandra Palace in London on September 12. Her Before Midnight set from The Warehouse Project, recorded on September 6, 2025, is also being added to the platform alongside the Annie Mac Presents archive.

Annie Mac’s Archive Connects Different Parts Of Her Career

The release brings together material from a period when Annie Mac was one of the most prominent voices on BBC Radio 1 with the work she has continued since leaving the station in 2021. She first joined Radio 1 behind the scenes before beginning her own show in 2004, remaining at the station for nearly two decades.

Since then, she has continued across DJing, writing, broadcasting and live events, with Before Midnight becoming one of the main projects in that next period of her career. Bringing Annie Mac Presents to Apple Music now places those earlier mixes alongside her more recent DJ work, making a large part of that archive available digitally for the first time.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Continue Reading

EDM news

‘Like a G6’ Hits 1 Billion Spotify Streams

Unknown's avatar

Published

on

Dev and The Cataracs posing together in a promotional photo

‘Like a G6’ hits 1 billion Spotify streams as KSHMR, Far East Movement and Dev celebrate the milestone

Released in 2010, ‘Like a G6’ became a huge global hit for Far East Movement, The Cataracs and Dev. The track reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three non-consecutive weeks at the top. Sixteen years later, it has now passed 1 billion streams on Spotify, with KSHMR marking the milestone on Instagram with the message “We made it to 1B.”

KSHMR’s Connection To ‘Like A G6’

When ‘Like a G6’ was released in 2010, KSHMR was still producing as Niles Hollowell-Dhar, one half of The Cataracs alongside David Singer-Vine. The duo produced the record for Far East Movement, while Dev provided the vocal that became one of its most recognisable elements.

Her part originated from ‘Booty Bounce’, which The Cataracs had produced with her earlier that year. They later used part of that vocal in ‘Like a G6’, helping create the version that went on to become a worldwide hit. The record gave Niles Hollowell-Dhar one of his biggest commercial successes years before he launched KSHMR.

His reaction to the Spotify milestone now brings that earlier part of his career back into focus. Long before the KSHMR project began, ‘Like a G6’ had already connected his production work to one of the biggest crossover records of the early 2010s.

‘Like A G6’ Became A Global No. 1

Following its release, ‘Like a G6’ climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the position for three non-consecutive weeks. The achievement also made Far East Movement the first Asian American group to top the chart.

The track came at a time when electronic production, hip-hop and pop were increasingly crossing into the mainstream. Its success introduced Far East Movement, The Cataracs and Dev to a much wider audience, while also giving each artist one of the biggest records of their careers.

That success led into very different paths afterward. Far East Movement continued releasing internationally, Dev developed her solo career, and Niles Hollowell-Dhar later left The Cataracs before launching KSHMR.

More than 16 years after its original release, ‘Like a G6’ has now passed 1 billion Spotify streams. The milestone adds another major achievement to the track’s history while bringing one of KSHMR’s earliest major records back into focus.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Continue Reading

Trending