"Ecuador" is a song produced by German DJ and record production team Sash! featuring fellow German DJ Rodriguez. It was released in April 1997 by labels X-It, Mighty and Multiply Records as the third single from their debut album, It's My Life â The Album (1997). It is written by Ralf Kappmeier, Sascha Lappessen and Thomas Lüdke, and produced by Lappessen and Tokapi. The song became an international hit, peaking at number one in Flanders, Romania and Scotland, as well as on both the American and Canadian dance charts. It reached the top 20 in more than ten other countries worldwide. The accompanying music video was directed by Oliver Sommer and filmed in Spain.
Scottish Daily Record complimented "Ecuador" as an "intelligent dance hit" and a "catchy number". Daisy & Havoc from Music Weeks RM gave it a score of three out of five, adding that it's "more listenable in our opinion than the mega success 'Encore'".
In the United Kingdom, "Ecuador" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, earning Sash! a platinum certification for sales and streams in excess of 600,000 units. "Ecuador" reached number one in the Flanders region of Belgium, Romania and Scotland and the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
It also reached the top 20 in Austria, France and Iceland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Ecuador" peaked at number three. In the United States, the song was the second number-one on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart for Sash!. It was a more successful dance hit in Canada, becoming Sash!'s first number one on the RPM Dance chart, staying at the top position for four weeks and ending the year as Canada's second-most successful dance single.
The music video for "Ecuador" was directed by Oliver Sommer, who had previously directed the videos for "Encore une fois" and "Stay". It was produced by AVA Studios GmbH and filmed in Lanzarote and Tenerife, Spain. The video features female models appearing like bird-like creatures in a desert landscape.
In 1998, DJ Magazine ranked "Ecuador" number 69 in their list of "Top 100 Club Tunes". In 2020, RedBull.com ranked it number two in their "10 Underrated Dance Songs from the 1990s That Still Sound Amazing", writing, "Yeah, yeah â we know that 'Encore une fois' is Sash!'s most iconic song, but this follow-up â also released in the German duo's breakthrough year of 1997 â is every bit as good. Like its mega-selling predecessor, it didn't matter that you hadn't a clue what the lyrics were: that dinky little trance-pop riff was all you needed."
Original version
In 2006, Dutch Eurodance group Starstylers released âÂÂKeep On Movingâ which samples âÂÂEcuadorâÂÂ. The song charted in Belgium, France, and The Netherlands.
On 15 March 2013, ItaloBrothers released the single "This Is Nightlife", which interpolates "Ecuador".
On 20 January 2023, Portuguese DJ Drenchill released the single "Starlight" featuring Jorik Burema, which interpolates "Ecuador".
On 28 April 2023, in collaboration with Dutch-Moroccan DJ and producer R3hab and Romanian singer Inna, Sash! released the single "Rock My Body", which also heavily interpolates "Ecuador". The single "Rock My Body" was released by the Dutch label Spinnin' Records.