Sample a Rare 1975 Song off the Stranger Things Soundtrack (Season 4)

Dorian Zero’s "In Transit to Bermuda" was originally recorded in 1975 at the iconic Electric Lady Studios. Like many artists in that era, the New York-based art-rock artist recorded a one-off reggae tune, likely with the intention to take advantage of the huge international success of reggae from the early 1970s to the 1980s. However, for some reason, "In Transit to Bermuda" ended up shelved—up till now, after Italian record label Kutmusic unearthed the song. Kutmusic (which launched in 1988 as a cassette-only label) also acquired the master tapes of Dorian Zero’s full-length debut Dorian from 1977, which was supposed to launch him as a glam rock artist.

“I acquired the master tape in 2013 and was intrigued by Dorian’s story,” says Nicola Battista, founder of Kutmusic. “Since I am constantly searching for sync opportunities for the catalog I represent, when I heard a vintage reggae track was needed for a TV show, I submitted Dorian’s track and a bunch of others. Later, I heard the project was season 4 of Stranger Things!”

Because “In Transit to Bermuda” was not yet available online and saved for a full compilation of music by Dorian Zero, Nicola Battista released the song online straight away. “In Transit to Bermuda” reached 100.000 Spotify plays in the first week alone, after being added to Spotify’s official Stranger Things playlist.

This placement shows the potential impact of how a sync or the use of a sample in the right show or film can catapult an artist into an overnight success. By sampling Dorian Zero’s “In Transit to Bermuda” through Tracklib, you know the clearance process is all taken care of. So that even allows you to start chasing such opportunities with your own newly produced song…