In 1979, Th’Dudes wrote a song which has been dubbed by many as “New Zealand’s drinking song” a sort of national anthem for our drinking culture.

The lyrics “drink yourself more Bliss…” have been sung, hummed, slurred and belted out by many a true Kiwi since its initial conception more than three decades ago.  Dave Dobbyn’s unique guitar intro combined with the brilliantly catchy “Ya ya ya ya ya” chant grabs the audience from the get go and makes for the ultimate booze fuelled sing-along.

Now two modern day mix masters Jolyon Petch and Sam Hill have reproduced the Kiwi rock hit and transformed it into a fist pumping anthem that will bring the iconic tune into the 21st century.
Original singer of Bliss, Peter Urlich, is pleased with the songs comeback.

“Time loves a hero and over the years, "Bliss' has evolved into some kind of national anthem to be sung passionately wherever there's a crowd and a bar. The reaction it instantly gets whenever the opening notes are heard never ceases to amaze me. I'm quite chuffed that it's been well remixed by Jolyon and Sam and is about to be enjoyed all over again,” says Urlich.

The song has recently been performed at The Big ClubNight Out, Highlife NYE Matakana, Fiesta Del Sol on Waiheke Island, Sounds of Summer, Club Luxury in Dubai, The Infamous Ayia Napa Superclub (Cyprus) "The Castle Club", Live with Peter Urlich at The New Zealand Beerfest, The Met in Australia and Rhythm & Vines NYE.

Jolyon Petch, Co Producer of the remixed Bliss track is overwhelmed with the response so far.

“We’ve performed the new track at events and clubs and the whole venue goes wild. Its’ amazing to see the recognition on the faces of Kiwi’s that just love the tune. Young and old all seem to relate well to the lyrics and the new feel of the track. They literally let loose with hands in the air when they hear it. It’s a great vibe,” he says.

“I’ve already been hit up by a number of DJ’s, radio hosts, international clubs and other producers about getting their hands on the track which is encouraging,” says Petch.   

Now jump back in time to 31 years ago when the track was written- Th' Dudes were sweltering onstage at The Coogee Bay Hotel in Bondi, Sydney. They were playing to a packed house of Aussie punters when the inspiration came to write Bliss.

“We watched this Aussie audience displaying their God-given talent for drinking, and so much of it! We were amazed at their ability to put away beer after beer, so we returned to our scungy hotel room that night and Dave started writing Bliss," says Urlich.

When the band returned home the song was an immediate hit and New Zealand’s love affair with the song has never stopped.

“Sam and I are very grateful to Th’ Dudes for entrusting us with their musical legacy. We really enjoyed working on the track and hope the New Zealand audience will embrace it as much as they did the original,” says Petch.
The new version of Bliss by Jolyon Petch and Sam Hill fuses the modern age of Dance music with the classic raw rock element to create NZ's biggest Dance anthem of 2010.

Taking the new tune to even greater heights, the remix talents of Ministry of Sound Aussie legends - The Stafford Brothers have also been commissioned to produce their own take of the modern remix. Likewise Kiwi DJ’s Greg Churchill & Angela Fisken (Aural Trash) and the crazy Aussie come New Zealander - Dan Aux have also been working on their own edits of the new track.

The track is released on Club Luxury Records and is available though itunes, Beatport, Juno.co.uk, Djdownload and all the best online stores. Show your support for Kiwi made house music!

To purchase and download this tune go to: http://itunes.apple.com/album/bliss-2010/id357176541