Ultra Naté ‘Free’, the making of a house music anthem

This is the story of how Ultra Naté made her chart-smashing hit, ‘Free’, released on Strictly Rhythm in 1997.

After being dropped by Warner Music in the 90’s, Ultra Naté decided to ‘go against the grain’ and team up with Mood II Swing to a create song which would change her life.

Here, she tells DJ Mag the full story of this iconic house anthem, from time spent in in the studio recording vocals, and watching Louie Vega debut the track at Winter Music Conference in Miami, to seeing ‘Free’ become the song that soundtracked the world coming out of a pandemic.

Electronic music history is rich with unforgettable and timeless classics like these. In our Making Of A Dance Classic series, DJ Mag explores the tales behind some of the world’s favourite tracks, told by the people that made them. You can watch the episode above, and subscribe to DJ Mag’s YouTube channel for more exclusive content here.

Check out more in this Originals with Acraze, Chicane, Faithless, and more, here.