The Knocks and Perfume Genius have reimagined Bronski Beat's 1984 debut single 'Smalltown Boy'

The collaboration features on the upcoming 40th anniversary reissue of Bronski Beat's debut album.

The Knocks and Perfume Genius (pictured) have collaborated on a new version of Bronski Beat's classic track 'Smalltown Boy'.

The reimagined version features production from New York-based dance duo The Knocks and vocals from Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius, alongside elements of Jimmy Somerville's original vocal.

Ben Ruttner of The Knocks explains their approach: "We wanted to really keep it close to the original but just give it a little more of a modern dance floor feel. Perfume Genius already brings such a cool new element to it, so we just wanted to support his voice as much as possible while giving it a little bit of The Knocks dance pop touch. That main synth sound is so iconic, so we wanted that to be the main star of the show, still."

Hadreas adds: "When you're trying to sing an iconic song, you want to make sure that you can do it justice and then also add your own information without fucking with it too much, you know? So, it's a tall order but I was really, really excited."

Original Bronski Beat member Jimmy Somerville describes the new version as "like a beautiful echo coming back after travelling a long and eventful distance."

The new version of 'Smalltown Boy' will feature on the upcoming 40th anniversary reissue of Bronski Beat's debut album 'The Age of Consent', due out on 18th October via London Records.

The Knocks and Perfume Genius have reimagined Bronski Beat's 1984 debut single 'Smalltown Boy'

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