Q&A: DJs From Mars on Reworking Audio Bullys' Cult Classic "We Don't Care" with David Guetta

More than 20 years after it landed via [PIAS] Recordings, the Audio Bullys'  "We Don't Care" is back in a big way. The 2003 cult classic's second wind comes courtesy of David Guetta and DJs From Mars, longtime friends who, after working together on many remixes and mashups, now notch their first official collaboration. Their explosive rework, "Things I Haven't Told You," has caught a tailwind across the summer festival circuit, sparking fanfare while exposing the original's seminal vocal to a new generation of dance/electronic listeners. 

"The idea of using the vocal was totally unexpected because it was from an underground track, not a mainstream hit, but [David] had the vision that it could work great in a mainstage set," DJs From Mars tell Beatportal. "We feel like it’s a perfect 2025 version of the original. We didn’t change the approach at all – we just tried to make it sound modern and fresh."

In a Q&A with Beatportal, DJs From Mars chronicle how "Things I Haven't Told You" grew from a mashup for Guetta's sets to a maximalist take on Audio Bully's fan favorite, their approach for refashioning the track for today's dance floors, and why it's resonated so strongly with crowds.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

You’ve remixed David Guetta’s productions for years, but “Things I Haven’t Told You” marks your first official collaboration. What made this the right moment for it?

After working with David mainly on remixes and mashups, he came out with this vocal idea of “We Don’t Care” by Audio Bullys. It was originally a mashup for his sets, so we needed to make a club edit. We added a UK bass drop in the style of some of the remixes we made for him in the last few years. 

When he started playing it in his sets, the reaction was really insane! We also played it a lot, and it was always crazy, especially because the crowd didn’t know the original song. The moment the track started, at every show, the reaction was really sick! After these crazy reactions, he decided to release it as an original track. We had to wait a bit for the clearance from the original writers, and it was also difficult to find a free slot in David’s busy release schedule. Finally, it’s now out everywhere, and we couldn't be happier. It's a dream come true for us!

How did the familiarity and synergy you share from working together behind the scenes carry over to the creative process for this track?

Working with David is a constant learning experience. He’s always sending ideas and drafts, and when we go back to him with our demo edits, he sends comments and suggestions. This really improves the way we create tracks because he always knows exactly what’s going to work in a set. No matter the size of a venue, he knows how to make an effective edit. He’s a music machine and probably the hardest-working guy in the industry, so it’s really inspiring for us.

In this case, the idea of using the vocal was totally unexpected because it was from an underground track, not a mainstream hit, but he had the vision that it could work great in a mainstage set. He also loves the way we produced the UK bass drops, so he suggested using some of those distorted rave sounds in the drop. 

The lead synth was originally a simple melody with a 16th rhythm pattern, but after some club tests, we tried this triplet groove pattern, and the result was impressive! It’s a rave track, but it works on mainstream crowds. We love the fact that the process started from a mashup, so it’s aligned with what we do, and it’s a natural evolution for us – a full alignment of all the planets.

“We Don’t Care” came out more than two decades ago. What felt essential to preserve as you prepared to introduce it to a new generation, and what inspired you to take it in the direction you did?

The vocals are definitely the most important element. We had to keep them really close to the original to preserve that “punk-electro” vibe. Then, we had the drop; it's really raw and aggressive, totally the same vibe as the vocal. The original instrumental was based on a rock guitar riff, so we needed to keep it super dirty to preserve the original vibe.

We feel the kind of distorted UK bass synths we used are just a modern version of those heavy guitar riffs; they have the same kind of power, but at the same time, they are based on a melody that you can remember and sing along to. It’s pure power based on a musical riff, so we feel like it’s a perfect 2025 version of the original. We didn’t change the approach at all – we just tried to make it sound modern and fresh.

“Things I Haven’t Told You” has become a crowd favorite since you and Guetta road-tested it. What, in your opinion, is driving its appeal?

The punk vocals are probably the main thing that catches crowd’s attention. It’s like a short moment of silence, and then this voice starts screaming. If you don’t know the track, it almost feels like a speaker is announcing something really important to the audience, so it immediately catches everyone’s attention!

Then, when they understand that it’s part of the song, the acid rave lead starts, and it sounds like an emergency alarm siren…In that moment, we literally see everyone going crazy, waiting for the drop to start. When that happens, everyone goes nuts. It’s pure rave energy!