PinkPantheress might now be an international pop sensation, but she is and forever will be a British icon. Her early rise was defined by interpolations of British club classics, transplanting old-school anthems like “Circles” and “Flowers” into the contemporary pop space. It’s a trend that is continued in the 24-year-old’s latest project, Fancy That, released today, which pays homage to the likes of big beat pioneers Groove Armada, Fatboy Slim, and Basement Jaxx.

These unlikely combinations powerfully reflect the kaleidoscopic digital reality that PP and many of her listeners grew up in. Her releases practically warp time by juxtaposing nostalgic garage melodies and drum‘n’bass breaks with hyperpop-adjacent production techniques, featuring ultra-compressed vocals and dynamic, video game-like ad libs.

And it’s not just time that PP travels, but space too. Elsewhere, she’s sampled Korean hip-hop legends Beenzino and Zion.T, as well K-pop girl group Girl’s Generation, seamlessly splicing them alongside British and American deep cuts. Her ability to combine all of these disparate references into a cohesive sound is, without a doubt, big brain.

Below, we look back on five of the most inspired samples from PinkPantheress’ catalogue.

‘NOISES’

Samples: Groove Armada “Suntoucher” and Nardo Wick “Who Want Smoke?”

Here’s a time-travelling that only PP could’ve made. Lifted off today’s album drop, “Noises” draws on 2001 Groove Armada release “Suntoucher”, while also incorporating the iconic “What the fuck was that?” refrain from Floridian gangster rapper Nardo Wick. Where the original line is apparently in reference to how Wick stomps on his rivals, Pantheress repurposes the phrase to illustrate two young lovers being caught red-handed when one of their parents arrives home early. “What the fuck was that!” indeed.

‘STARS’

Samples: Just Jack “Starz in their Eyes” and Basement Jaxx “Oh My Gosh”

Also released today, “Stars” marks the second time that PP has sampled 00s British pop track “Starz in their Eyes” by Just Jack, which also formed the lead guitar melody for 2021 release “Attracted to You”. Here, PP fully interpolates Jack’s chorus, transforming what was initially a critique of talent shows into a tale of unrequited love. Elsewhere, catch a remix of the Basement Jaxx refrain “See that boy just standing over there”.

“TIME WITH ME”

Samples: Beenzino “We Are Going To” and Fat Joe “Success”

It’s exactly these globetrotting collisions that make PP such a gem. Here, 2021 single “Time With Me” combines the shuffling rhythm of “We Are Going To” by Korean hip-hop legend Beenzino with ad libs from the equally legendary US rapper Fat Joe. Interestingly, the song also marks somewhat of a full circle moment for the two artists, with the Beenzino’s name paying homage to American rapper and music mogul Benzino, who was present on the East Coast hip-hop scene at the same time as Fat Joe.

“PAIN”

Samples: Sweet Female Attitude “Flowers”

2000 garage hit “Flowers” has to be one of the most sampled UK records of the 21st century, but perhaps none are as iconic as early PP hit “Pain”, now standing at close to a billion streams. It’s a quintessential Pantheress move, introducing the old club classic to a Gen-Z audience, and one that is not least significant because it arrived as an early articulation of PP’s distinct sonic universe. Which leads us onto…

“BREAK IT OFF” 

Samples: Adam F. “Circles” 

Here it is. The track that started it all. PP’s breakout single “Break It Off” draws on the lead melody and explosive breakbeats of ‘intelligent’ drum‘n’bass deep cut “Circles” by Adam F. “Break It Off” turned everyone’s heads when it first dropped, satisfying both young and old with a nod to the raves of years gone by, and aesthetics firmly embedded in the digital world of today. 

Fancy That is out now.