Reigniting the full-throttle thrills of big beat for the TikTok generation, Cheap Cuts took a giant first step with their debut single ‘Check Your Phone’. Twisted into an art-pop social commentary with anxious spoken word from Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, the track received attention from Dork, Notion, NME and Rock Sound plus early support from US alternative radio. Its universal theme then went global, with subsequent French and Korean language versions.

The shape-shifting conceptual duo - Johnny Harris and Jack Leonard - now heighten the fun factor of their irrepressible productions with their second single ‘You Make Me Wanna Dance’. Like big beat’s crowd-pleasing heyday, the song’s funk-fuelled bass, unrestrained piano and infectious handclaps provide an animated elation, while Dan Caplen provides the chic R&B/pop vocal that helped him make the Rudimental / Macklemore / Jess Glynne hit ‘These Days’ a worldwide smash.

Cheap Cuts commented, “The song was written in 2019 in about ten minutes. It’s a bit of a silly song about wanting to dance and the energy you get from the people that make you feel most alive. It has that big beat spirit but without the samples - everything on the record is played by us and our good friends and collaborators.  I’m really happy the song is coming out now. Seeing people at festivals this summer has been so exhilarating, and I think we’ve all realised our need to connect, be together and dance is an essential part of being alive. This is a fun song for everyone to enjoy. We just hope it makes you wanna dance.” 

The video for ‘You Make Me Wanna Dance’ is just as infectiously appealing as the song. Everytime its insistent hook blares out, a middle-aged man can’t resist busting out his brashest dance moves. It’s fine when the entire community falls under the song’s spell, a little eccentric when he gets his groove on in the local shop, inappropriate at work, and devilishly disgraceful when he drags the deceased up for a dance at a funeral.

Prior to forming Cheap Cuts, Johnny Harris and Jack Leonard already had an enviable catalogue of credits to their name, ranging from hitmakers such as Ed Sheeran and Rudimental to the critically adored UNKLE and rising star Gabe Coulter. Their latest project allows them to do something wilder, more DIY and open-ended than their other collaborations. They’ve also remixed Kylie Minogue, and dropped a bootleg series on socials, putting their own spin on songs from Baby Queen, Fall Out Boy and The Beatles.

Since the release of his ‘Badman’ EP in 2016, Dan Caplen has developed a reputation as a powerful and soulful singer-songwriter. This is no more apparent than with ‘These Days’, the triple-Platinum UK #1 which he both co-wrote and featured on. From his early beginnings as a classically trained musician, earning a scholarship to study cello in the US, Caplen’s style has been influenced by the artists he’s cherished over the years – from hip-hop to pop to R&B and soul.

Since then, Dan has gone on to collaborate and record with some of the world’s most renowned artists, working with Macklemore, Stormzy, Tori Kelly and Seeb, and touring with Rag’n’Bone Man, George Ezra and Anne Marie. His releases in 2021 have included a new solo hit with ‘No Letting Go’ as well as the KREAM collab ‘Roads’.

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Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.