Darude‘s often-memed hit song “Sandstorm” just turned 25, and the Finnish DJ celebrated with a fun-run through Helsinki. The run corresponded to iconic locations featured in the music video, highlighting recognizable Helsinki landmarks.
It also occurred a week before Darude continued on his STORM 25 World Tour, which began in March. His latest show was New York City on August 23, with the run taking place on August 31. On September 6, there’s a show in Helsinki, and from there he’ll head back to the U.S. to play Seattle, Honolulu, Albuquerque, and San Diego.
The Sandstorm Run was a three mile trail through the Finnish capital. It hit several iconic landmarks in the city that featured prominently in the music video. Participants got to see the stairs of Helsinki Cathedral, the Baana cycling path, and Kaivopuisto park, among others.
Additionally, there was more to the run than just celebrating 25 years of “Sandstorm.” 25% of the proceeds from the event were donated to the Finnish Sports Association, which supports youth sports.
Darude Talks impact of “sandstorm” on career and origin of iconic music video
Speaking to We Rave You recently, Darude shared details about the origins of the music video. Juuso Syrjä and Misko Iho, two well-known Helsinki VJs, were responsible for the initial idea. This developed into the chase through Helsinki.
This was also Darude’s first music video at the time. He said he was “wondering if I’d be any good” with the acting. But, as he found out, “I really didn’t need to do much acting, just to look pretty and gaze in the distance!”
For Darude, the most iconic moment of the video was right at the beginning. There, he was seated on the steps of the Helsinki Cathedral, looking off into the distance.
“That felt big, significant, of course probably because it is a really cool place and an incredible backdrop,” he said. “And as we know, it turned out to be quite the landmark and tourist attraction for a certain demographic, you know, the specific camera angle and running down the stairs while someone sits there.”
As a result of the lasting imagery from the video, “I do get tagged if not daily, at least weekly to people’s social media posts them snapping pictures there!” he admitted.
Darude noted that having the video centered in Helsinki is all part of its charm. “I wouldn’t change a thing, it’s perfection as it is!” he said when asked if he would do anything different if he remade the video.
However, he added, “there are numerous capitals in the world with incredible landmarks, so perhaps one day I should remake something similar globally to signify the journey the track and I’ve had since the music video was made!”
Photo by Tom Briglia/FilmMagic
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