Produced by Porky Paul, the new single pairs Van Sertima’s unmistakable vocals with remixes from Ruff Loaderz and Blakk Habit
Colette Van Sertima has spent decades lending her distinctive voice to records that have become part of house music history. Now, the acclaimed vocalist is looking firmly toward the present with her new single, “Live For The Moment,” produced by Porky Paul.
Written by Van Sertima and Porky Paul, “Live For The Moment” is built around a simple but increasingly meaningful idea: life is happening now. Rather than dwelling on yesterday or waiting for tomorrow, the song celebrates embracing the present, taking chances and making something of the opportunities directly in front of you.
That message is carried by Van Sertima’s soulful, instantly recognizable vocal performance, while Porky Paul surrounds it with polished house production designed to feel equally at home on the dancefloor, in a club set or blasting from the speakers on a summer afternoon.
For longtime dance music fans, Van Sertima’s voice comes with some serious history. She is perhaps best known for her contribution to O.T. Quartet’s “Hold That Sucker Down,” an enduring club anthem that became one of the defining dance records of its era. She is also associated with the cult house favorite “Life’s A Bitch,” originally released during the 1990s and more recently reworked for a new generation of listeners.
“Live For The Moment” doesn’t attempt to recreate those records. Instead, it takes the qualities that made Van Sertima such a compelling dance vocalist in the first place—soul, personality, emotion and a voice capable of cutting straight through a club production—and puts them into a contemporary setting.
The single also arrives with a remix package that gives the track two distinctly different lives on the dancefloor.
Ruff Loaderz push “Live For The Moment” firmly into peak-time house territory, bringing additional energy and club impact to the original. Blakk Habit, meanwhile, takes the song in a UK Garage direction, reshaping Van Sertima’s vocal around the rhythms and attitude of the genre while preserving the uplifting heart of the record.
Together, the mixes give DJs plenty to work with while demonstrating how naturally Van Sertima’s voice continues to move between different corners of dance music.
There’s also something fitting about an artist whose career stretches back to some of house music’s most memorable years releasing a record called “Live For The Moment.” It acknowledges none of that history directly, yet its message feels particularly appropriate: appreciate where you’ve been, but don’t live there.
With Porky Paul behind the production, Ruff Loaderz and Blakk Habit bringing their own interpretations, and Colette Van Sertima once again at the microphone, “Live For The Moment” is both a reminder of a familiar voice and a celebration of where that voice is today.
And sometimes, the best thing you can do with a great musical history is turn up the volume and make another record.
Stream “Live For The Moment” by Colette Van Sertima:
https://bfan.link/live-for-the-moment