Calvin Harris denies copying Chicane’s 1996 track ‘Offshore’ on new single
“You can play two notes over multiple different chords – it’s not the same!”
Calvin Harris has responded to a claim that his latest single rips off Chicane’s 1996 hit ‘Offshore’.
In April, Harris shared a clip of his latest single ‘Blessings’ on Instagram, telling fans: "Welcome to my new song". Nick Bracegirdle, better known as Chicane, commented on the post shortly after, writing: “I would like to thank Calvin Harris for making me current again”.
A subsequent video posted by Chicane called out the Scottish producer in a "copyright alert", claiming that the opening chords of his “30-year-old ‘Offshore’” sound similar to those on Harris’ new track.
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He played both tracks side by side, claiming similarity between the two, saying: “They are almost identical, which is a bit of a problem. I’m defending my copyright and my intellectual property here.”
In response to the video, Eats Everything claimed that ‘Offshore’ itself “directly copies” Tangerine Dream’s 1983 hit ‘Love On A Real Train’, writing: “I don’t think you’re in a position to be calling plagiarism”.
On Sunday, May 18, Harris shared a video in defence of the copyright allegation, explaining: “Response to the people who have enjoyed calling me a plagiarist over the last couple of days, cheers Nick Chicane all the best to you pal.”
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In the video, Harris uses Logic to stack up the tracks and highlight the differences between them. “So far I’m not hearing it,” he says, before shifting the pitch of the track and moving the two in time with each other.
“You can play two notes over multiple different chords, that’s a fact. I do it all the time, it’s a thing. It’s not the same, and it’s not the same as hearing this on the radio,” he claims.
"One, you didn't invent the guitar. Two, it's not the same," Harris argues. "This guy acts like he invented music. I live and breathe this shit, mate!"
Check out both response videos below.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter
