How an obscure techno song from Holland become the unofficial Glasgow anthem: Why Bits and Pieces is so popular in Scotland

‘Da da da da dadada da dadadada da da da’ - Patrick Prins, Bits and Pieces, 1994
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Bits and Pieces - we all know it well of course, guaranteed to get you jiving up to the dance floor, fists pumping to the roof - but how did some obscure 90’s techno tune from Holland become a Glasgow anthem?

Overshadowed a bit in recent years by the disco hit ‘Yes Sir I can Boogie’ - the soundtrack to Scotland’s run in the 2020 Euro’s - but we would argue that Bits and Pieces has a longer shelf-life than the Baccara song, no doubt it’ll still be getting played at gaffs in Glasgow 200 years from now under a GBX 2223 mix.

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The song is ubiquitous, from messy after-parties, to high-energy club nights - you can even hear it getting played at weddings and the odd funeral. What we’re trying to say is that the song is everywhere, and for good reason, the bouncy electric track is infectious to say the least, bound to get you drunkenly screaming ‘Da da da dadada’ and ‘Here we, Here we’ before you even realise what you’re doing.

There’s no need to feel embarassed though, playing Bits and Pieces anywhere is essentially giving punters license to go mental - whether it be over the hi-fi speakers of a club, down the pub, or even playing through the tannoy of a wee cafel.

It’s the celebration song at Hampden, it was Calvin Harris’ last track at T in the Park (after some encouragement from Clyde 1’s Bowie At Breakfast team) and it was the entrance music for Lewis Capaldi at a sold-out TRNSMT in the summer of 2019 - Bits and Pieces is universally loved by Glaswegians (and Scots!) everywhere. There’s even a computer repair shop in Wishaw called ‘Bits n PCs’ - very clever.

Bits and Pieces has touched the life of many Scots - including the owner of this computer repair shop on the main street in WishawBits and Pieces has touched the life of many Scots - including the owner of this computer repair shop on the main street in Wishaw
Bits and Pieces has touched the life of many Scots - including the owner of this computer repair shop on the main street in Wishaw

Originally released in 1994 by Dutch DJ Patrick Prins, going under the title Artmesia at the time, the club banger was dropped amidst the ‘Hardbag House’ movement in the clubbing-mecca that is the Netherlands. It was a hit in the scene at the time, and it made Prins one of the biggest Hardbag House producers of the era.

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For context, Bits and Pieces was released around the time other classic house tracks came onto the scene - songs like Don’t You Want Me by Felix, Forever Young by Interactive, and Rainbow Islands by Seb - these should sound familiar to any house-head of a certain generation, if they aren’t, look them up and you’ll surely recognise the beats from many modern GBX mixes.

But it wasn’t a huge hit in the UK at the time, by all means it had some popularity amongst Glasgow’s clubbing generation in the 90’s, but on a national level it barely cracked the Top 40.

The success of Bits and Pieces in Glasgow was in no small part due to the work of George Bowie (or GBX as some of you might know him) who has championed the song for over 20 years, playing the song just about every Friday and Saturday - initially just due to how much he enjoyed the song, but soon viewer requests for Bits and Pieces began to flood in as folk at pre-drinks got geared up for a big weekend.

One might think it’s Scots law to get on the dance floor when Bits and Pieces come on - that’s not the case, it’s just a classic club bangerOne might think it’s Scots law to get on the dance floor when Bits and Pieces come on - that’s not the case, it’s just a classic club banger
One might think it’s Scots law to get on the dance floor when Bits and Pieces come on - that’s not the case, it’s just a classic club banger

The song was later re-released in July 1997 under the Top Banana label, and in August 2000, under Tidy Trax - and has since featured in countless mixes - from some of the biggest professional DJs like George Bowie and Sparkos in 2016 to tiny aspiring bedroom DJs like your wee cousin who just got a mixing desk for Christmas last year.

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Cassi, who co-hosts Bowie@Breakfast with George and also appears in the BBC Scotland show added: “I DJ at events across Glasgow and beyond and as soon as the intro to ‘Bits and Pieces’ begins, the energy and excitement on the dancefloor goes up to another level. It’s an absolute anthem and everyone really does love it.”

A legendary song no doubt - and one that’ll be remembered by our generation of Glaswegians for years to come - who knows, maybe in 100 years time they’ll be bouncing to Bits and Pieces at the end of parties rather than Flower O’ Scotland.

BBC Scotland released a mini-documentary on the song and its popularity in Scotland, speaking with Patrick Prins himself about the success of the song - you can watch the whole 16-minute show for free here on the YouTube.

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