The Eindhoven DJ duo Sjoerd and Wouter Janssen, better known as Showtek, can expect a call from Efteling. In their new dance song ‘Shine’, they use a tune that sounds very similar to the theme song of Villa Volta. However, the DJs did not ask permission for this.
The song starts with genuine beats, but from 1 minute and 20 seconds onwards a melody appears that will be very familiar to Efteling fans. On YouTube, where the song was posted last week, several fans reacted with surprise. “These guys used Villa Volta and thought we wouldn’t notice,” one person wrote. Others speak of theft and plagiarism and believe that the composer of Efteling should be mentioned.
“We were not aware of this and are still looking at what exactly we want to do with this. In principle, our music is not intended to be used without permission,” an Efteling spokesperson told Omroep Brabant.
“We will not immediately start a lawsuit, but will first contact the artists,” the amusement park says.
Deceased composer
The music of Villa Volta was composed by composer Ruud Bos (87), who passed away this year. He wrote the music for Droomvlucht, Fata Morgana and for Villa Volta he wrote several pieces of music for the various rooms at the attraction. In the credits of the Showtek song, Bos is not mentioned anywhere, nor is Efteling mentioned.
It is ironic that Showtek itself accused an artist of plagiarism six years ago because he had used a sample from a song by the Eindhoven duo for his single without permission. “There is a difference between inspiring and copying and this is simply hopeless and anything but creative,” Sjoerd Janssen told the AD at the time.
Whether Showtek has also been inspired by Villa Volta is unknown. Their manager and spokesperson do not immediately respond to questions from Omroep Brabant.
Source: Studio040
Translated by Yawar Abbas
