Dave Summer Turns "Seven Nation Army" Into A Tech House Weapon

There are certain riffs in music that are so iconic, so universally recognized, that they transcend genre. The White Stripes' opening hook is one of those moments. It's been sampled, covered, and played at sporting events worldwide. So when a producer takes it on, they're working with expectations.

Dave Summer's tech house edit doesn't shy away from the challenge. Instead of burying the original under layers of production, he builds around it, letting that distinctive sound be the foundation while adding the driving four-on-the-floor energy that makes it work on a dancefloor.

The Approach

The original track's power comes from its simplicity—just that one repeated phrase, minimal drums, and Jack White's vocals. Dave Summer respects that simplicity but translates it into club language. The riff becomes the hook, the vocals get processed and spaced out, and underneath it all is a relentless tech house groove.

What makes this edit work is restraint. It would be easy to overcomplicate things, to add too many elements or try to reinvent the wheel. Instead, Dave Summer lets the original do most of the heavy lifting while providing the rhythmic foundation it needs to work in a DJ set.

Rock Meets House

Crossing rock into electronic music isn't new. Producers have been doing it for decades. But there's always a risk—do too much and you lose what made the original special, do too little and it's just a four-on-the-floor beat with a familiar sample over it.

This edit finds the balance. The energy of the original translates well to tech house because both genres share a certain rawness. The White Stripes were never about polish and perfection, and neither is tech house at its best. There's a garage band mentality to both that makes the combination feel natural rather than forced.

Where It Works

This isn't a peak-time anthem. It's a tool—something you'd use to shift energy, bring in a different vibe, or give the crowd something familiar in an unexpected context. It works best when people recognize the riff but aren't expecting it in that setting.

The track has enough energy to keep people moving, but it's not trying to be the biggest moment of the night. It's functional club music that happens to be built around one of the most recognizable hooks in modern rock.

The Verdict

Dave Summer's edit proves that you don't need to reinvent a classic to make it work in a new context. By respecting the original while adding just enough production to make it club-ready, he creates something that DJs will actually use. It's available as a free download, which means it's going to get played. And based on how well the edit is executed, it deserves the rotation.