Finnish DJ and producer Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen, better known as Darude, has hit out at Labor leader Anthony Albanese for using his famous track, 'Sandstorm,' in a TikTok video.
The Opposition leader was branded a "loose unit" by Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week after Mr Albanese said he supported a 5.1 per cent increase in the minimum wage to match inflation.
"Mr Albanese showed yesterday that he is a complete loose unit on this stuff. He just runs off at the mouth," Mr Morrison said at a press conference in Newcastle on Wednesday.
The Labor Party has since embraced the label, looking to paint the Opposition leader as fun and relatable in a TikTok video posted on Thursday.
But the video, which montages videos of Mr Albanese DJ-ing, greeting actor Russell Crowe and the moment the prime minister called him a "loose unit" over the iconic track, was not received well by the maker of the tune.
"Yeah, because associating my track (let alone copyright-infringing) with politics etc s*** is always great," Darude wrote on Twitter.
TikTok has a number of licence agreements with various artists allowing users to add music to their videos. The Feed is seeking comment from TikTok.
One user replied to Darude on Twitter saying it was a "random" person on TikTok (the video was posted to the Labor Party's official account) and it was a normal part of the app, but the DJ doubled down.
"I don't care (and I don't know) if he's a good guy or not, but it's my name and music associated with politics that I have no part of. You'd think I'd have some say, eh?" the DJ replied.
Others in the comments made light of the moment.
"That politician claims to be a DJ, battle him on the decks king," one user replied, referencing Mr Albanese's occasional DJ set.
The 1999 techno chart-topper is often used in memes and at sporting events.
Last December, the military sendoff for former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which featured an orchestra, was edited to have an orchestral adaptation of 'Sandstorm' play over the footage. The clip went viral and led some to believe the moment actually happened.
It did not.
On Friday, Mr Morrison repeated the "loose unit" sledge at a media appearance in the ultra-marginal seat of Chisholm, held by Liberal MP Gladys Liu.
"That's what happens when you have a party that's loose with finances, loose with the economy," Mr Morrison said.
"You can't afford a loose unit in The Lodge."
However, the Opposition leader is clearly leaning into the label.
Under the TikTok video, the Labor Party account commented, "Thanks @Liberal Party of Australia for the free real estate," tagging their account on the video-sharing platform.
It's not the first time a musical artist has hit out at an Australian politician for using their music.
A representative from the band Dragon in to "humanise" himself ahead of a federal election.
During an interview with the Nine Network and saw the prime minister pull out a ukulele and perform part of the song ‘April Sun in Cuba’, stumbling for a moment on the lyrics.
"It is a cynical move for a politician to co-opt music in an attempt to humanise themselves come election time," the statement from a spokesperson read.
"Maybe if his trip to Hawaii had not been cut short, he could have learnt the lyrics to the rest of the chorus."
