Roger Federer Just Dropped a Vinyl Dance Single

Corey Seymour
Updated
“Play Your Heart Out” was recorded in the Mojave Desert with Beastie Boys producer Money Mark.

Perhaps because it’s not enough to simply be the greatest player to ever play the game of tennis, a stylish family man, and a philanthropist supporting a host of educational causes in southern Africa and Switzerland, Roger Federer has Renaissance-manned himself into a new career as a . . . percussionist? Beat-maker?

His new single, “Play Your Heart Out”—recorded in the Mojave Desert with producer Money Mark, the longtime Beastie Boys collaborator who’s also worked with everyone from the Rolling Stones and Yoko Ono to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Jack Johnson—is built from acoustic samplings of Federer smacking a tennis ball in his inimitable sort of way. From there, it’s all Mark, who slices and spins the sounds in his inimitable sort of way, adding some keyboard synths on top (the sans-keyboard B side, “Chum Jetze,” is an unplugged, almost ambient take on the concept).

Only catch: The tune’s only available as part of Wilson’s new Limited Edition RF97 Kit, which will run you about $600 but includes Federer’s new racket, a custom Bluetooth tennis ball–shaped speaker, both vinyl and MP3 versions of the single, and a photo book.

So what’s the verdict on the tune? The best comparison would be to Kraftwerk’s 1983 “Tour de France” single. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? De gustibus—but there’s no arguing that both communicate a love of their sport.

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