Finnish megahits Sandstorm and Freestyler hit 25
It is time to "synchronize with the analyzed upcoming vibes", as two legendary Finnish hits “Sandstorm” and “Freestyler”, both hit 25 years on the same weekend!
Two Finnish megahits, "Freestyler" by Bomfunk MC’s and "Sandstorm" by Darude, both celebrated their 25th anniversary last weekend, as they were released on consecutive days, 25 and 26 October 1999. The international success of these two Finnish songs has rarely been matched.
There is more in common with these bonafide bangers besides the success and the release date, too: musician and producer Jaakko “JS16” Salovaara is the man behind the studio desk on both songs. Salovaara worked as a producer and arranger in Darude's “Sandstorm”, and as a composer and producer in Bomfunk MC's’ “Freestyler”.
Salovaara's company 16inch Records released “Sandstorm” as its first release on October 26, 1999. The Bomfunk MC's single "Freestyler" was released the previous day, October 25, 1999, by Sony Music Finland.
After its release, “Freestyler” was a number-one hit in 11 countries worldwide. The song’s video, which can now be found on YouTube, has garnered nearly 400 million views since it was uploaded in 2011. However, estimates suggest that the video has had over a billion views in total, and over 152 million plays on the streaming service Spotify.
“Sandstorm”, on the other hand, is the most streamed Finnish song of all time on Spotify, with almost 470 million plays at the time of writing. It has become an evergreen of electronic dance music – and popular culture in general – with countless remixes, videos, and memes about and with the song made every year. In the summer of 2024, “Sandstorm” was played at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.