June 30, 2013

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Cazwell & Luciana - Guess What?

This is the rapper's new collaboration with the British electro/pop diva. They celebrate their hotness and sex appeal with this naughty, attitude-laden track. Cazwell's rapidfire delivery is matched by Luciana's ad-libs and shoutouts which bring additional energy to the track. Cazwell and Luciana complement each other perfectly. This is so much fun.

-Buy the song here (Beatport) and here (iTunes)
-Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A
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Beyonce - Standing On The Sun

This song was featured in the diva's H&M television ad a few weeks ago. The full version of the song has been performed on her Mrs. Carter tour. The Summery midtempo is super catchy. It has all the makings of a big radio hit for her. It has greater commercial appeal than much of her 4 material.

There is also a remix by Country Club Martini Crew that is making the rounds. The song is made into a floorfiller that is perfectly suitable for the clubs and radio.

-Listen to the original here (YouTube)

-Listen to the Country Club Martini Crew mix Grade: A
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Priyanka Chopra feat. Pitbull - Exotic (Remixes)

This is the latest single from the Bollywood actress and red hot rapper Pitbull. Produced by RedOne, this club banger is in a similar vein as Jennifer Lopez's "Live It Up", which also involves RedOne and Pitbull. Despite the seemingly ordinary lyrics and conventional production, the addition of the Hindi language hook after the chorus makes it stand out. There are remixes by Cahill, Moto Blanco, and Zumba. Cahill's is their usual funky house goodness. Moto Blanco and Zumba's are a bit closer to the circuit/big room style. Every remix is great.

Listen to the original here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

June 28, 2013

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Mariah Carey feat Miguel - #Beautiful (Louie Vega remix)

The R&B song has been doing its thing on radio for the last few weeks. Earlier this week, Mariah unveiled one of the rap mixes featuring an added verse by A$ap Rocky. Today she unveiled the first dance remix by Louie Vega, one half of legendary House production team Masters At Work. The R&B song translates perfectly into Louie's style as it has a soulful, laidback feel. However, the melody of the production seems to not match the vocals all that well. It seems a little off. The remix really lacks direction in its edit. The full length version might flow better as it may have additional instrumental buildups, however, this edit just falls short. Mariah and her team must be commended for selecting someone who hasn't done a mainstream remix of this nature in almost 8 years. 

Listen to the mix here (YouTube)

Grade: B-

June 26, 2013

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Austin Mahone - What About Love

This is the 3rd single from the rising teen star. The dirty electro/pop track is a fun throwback to the 90s boyband explosion when the Backstreet Boys and N Sync dominated radio. This is easily Austin's best single to date and has the greatest potential to be a big hit this Summer.

Listen to the song here:


Grade: A
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Daft Punk - Get Lucky (Daft Punk Remix)

After a whole slough of bootleg mixes flooded the market, the first and probably only official remix of the song has surfaced. Staying with the Disco aesthetic of the song, they opted for a mix which doesn't stray much from the original. The song has been re-arranged considerably with some new sounds and changes to the way the vocals are sequenced, particularly during the chorus. The song has an overall fuller, warmer sound to it. The single edit had some of that though it seemed like the album version was missing that.

Listen to the full mix:
 

Grade: A
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Cynthia Manley - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You (Remixes)

The Frankie Valli classic has been redone for the dancefloor by singer Cynthia Manley. She was once the lead vocalist for Hi Nrg/Disco act Boys Town Gang in the 1980s. They released a cover of this song as well, but with another vocalist. Paul Goodyear, PnP, and Sinclair & Chatters provide the remixes. Paul Goodyear's classic-sounding straightforward funky house mix retains some of the chords and keys of the original. Phillip Mezzatesta delivers 3 different mixes. The 1015 Folsom mix is a peak hour slice of modern Disco while the Trocadero Delight mix has a harder bassline. The Endup mix has just a small sprinkling of vocals and is mostly instrumental. Sinclair & Chatters' mix has a nice Disco-House flavor. Cynthia does a great job on the vocals giving it a soulful quality.

Grade: A-

June 24, 2013

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Tony Moran vs Deborah Cooper - Heartbeat (The Gold Mixes)

There is another package of remixes of the song that has just reached a new peak of 3 on the Billboard Club Play chart. The new mixes are by DJ Head, DJ Paulo with Alain Jackinsky, Durtyleg, Ennry Sena, Jerome Farley & Joel Dickinson, Mark VDH, and Mauro Mozart. Every single mix is circuit-oriented. The DJ Paulo & Jackinsky and Farley & Dickinson mixes are the best of the bunch, though the others are good too.

Two bonus tracks round out the package including an unreleased private Tony Moran dub of "Real Love" and a new Allan Natal mix of "Live You All Over". Both feature Deborah Cooper on vocals. The dub of "Real Love" is really drummy and tribal as is the new mix of "Live You All Over."

Listen to clips and purchase here (iTunes)

Grade: A
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Alexis Salgado - I Need You (Remixes)

This is the latest from the Carillo recording artist. The song has a yearning urgency about it and Alexis' delivery of the vocals really bring out that aspect. The Shock Pop version  repeats the verse where Alexis sings about the butterflies multiple times like it's a chant. The mix has a twisted, fun feel. Rod Carillo's mix is has a mysterious, foreboding feel to it with the piano loop and dark bass. Noise Mac's dubstep styled mix is really contemporary and dark. Peter Barona and John Hull's big room-oriented mix makes the best use of the vocals. This one ends up being the best of the bunch.


  • Watch the music video for the original here (YouTube)
  • Purchase the remixes here (Amazon)


Grade: A-

June 21, 2013

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Wayne G feat Debby Holiday - Dive '13 (Part 1)

The 2004 club hit has been given a bevy of brand new mixes by Gustavo Scorpio, Isaac Escalante & Xavier Santos, Phil B, Scott Anderson (Solar City), Scotty K, Wayne G with Andy Allder and LFB. Aside from the Scotty K, Drew's mix, and the Wayne & LFB, all of the versions are circuit-oriented with Phil B and Scott Anderson's being the most anthemic. All of those are great. Scotty K's new mix is light and uplifting. It has a delightful 80s hi nrg feel. The Drew and Wayne & LFB mixes are downtempo, ballad ones.

Listen to clips and purchase here (iTunes)

A second package of mixes is planned as well.

Grade: A
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Wayne G - Dora's Bubble '13

Kicking off his Reloaded series featuring updated remixes of earlier songs is "Dora's Bubble." Originally released under the alias Torq Anvil in 2002, the mostly instrumental track is euphoric with the big build towards a synth riff which sounds strikingly similar to the one heard in Airscape's mix of "Kiss When The Sun Don't Shine" by Vengaboys. The new version stays true to the earlier one, freshening it up ever so slightly.

Listen to the new version on Spotify:


Purchase the song on iTunes here

Grade: A
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Sin Morera & Mr. Mig feat. Bianca - Karma

This is a new release from Sin Morera and veteran producer Mr. Mig along with singer Bianca Chavez. Bianca sounds great delivering the intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics. The Eurodance-leaning original version has both club and radio appeal. There are some remixes by Brad Machado, DJ Head, DJ Limitless, and Steve Fokas. Brad Machado's trancey leaning electro/breaks mix recalls some of the breakbeat inflected trance that was popular at the start of the 2000s. DJ Head's mix plays up the Eurodance sound of the original, almost sounding like a slowed down early 2000s Above & Beyond remix. Both DJ Limitless and Steve Fokas provide electro mixes with the former being lighter and the latter being very aggressive. Overall, the original, Brad Machado, and DJ Head mixes are the best of the bunch.

-Listen to clips and purchase here (Beatport)

Grade: A

June 18, 2013

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Cher - Woman's World (Remixes)

The official release of the single finally happened today. The song was first streamed on her official website late last year. The album's release campaign kicked off with the release of the single and a performance of the song on NBC's The Voice.

The new version of the song is very similar to the previously streamed one. That is being considered the demo version. The vocals and production are pretty much the same, but everything is much smoother and cleaner sounding. The song Paul Oakenfold produced song is an empowerment anthem for women in every sense of the word. Cher sounds great.

There are some remixes by Danny Verde, R3hab, and Tracy Young. Danny delivers a hard, dark pulsating circuit anthem. It is the definitive peak hour mix of the song. R3hab's mix has some nice moments, but the noisier sections end up ruining it. Tracy's mix presents her newer sound that is more akin to what is in many of the Electro Dance/Pop songs flooding the radio airwaves right now. This version would actually be the one to use if the song is given a top 40 push. Tracy's mostly instrumental dubs with an emphasis on the piano sections are pretty. Overall, Danny and Tracy's are the best of the bunch.

Listen to the original version here
Danny Verde | R3hab | Tracy Young

Grade: A

June 15, 2013

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Becky Baeling - Diva (Remixes)

The Dance/Pop singer-songwriter and TV personality's claim to fame were the club and Dance radio hits "Getaway" and "If You Love Me" nearly 10 years ago. She released an album called Becstasy. Sadly no other singles were released at that time. One of the album tracks, "Diva", has been given some brand new remixes courtesy of Griffin White, Mike Bordes, Oliver Watts, and Peter Barona with John Hull. It's a Dance/Pop song in its original version. Griffin White's big room-oriented mix is very synthy and pretty. Mike Bordes' mix is in a similar vein, but has an 80s synthpop feel. Oliver Watts also delivers a big room style mix, but this is more mainstream. This will have the widest appeal. Peter Barona and John Hull's mix is the definitive circuit anthem mix for this track. Overall, every mix is superb.

A bonus track on this digital EP is the exclusive new Tony Moran mix of "Supernova Light." The original also appeared on Becstasy. The pulsating, trancey mix is gorgeous. It is an absolutely massive update of the already great song.

Listen to previews of all the tracks on the single and buy it here:



This release will be available at other digital music retailers next week.

Grade: A
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Inaya Day & DJ Escape - Make Some Noise (Part 2)

Weeks after the release of part 1 comes the part 2 featuring remixes by Dom Capello, Razor N Guido, and Stephan Grondin & Nick Bertossi. Dom Capello's contemporary tribal/electro dub with just a few spoken parts. Razor N Guido deliver with their usual tribal goodness. Their Duhb is the treat with the re-created "Distortion" piano hook. Stephan Grondin and Nick Bertossi's tribal mix is also quite good. The late 90s 'pots n pans' sound that was characteristic of that time shines through at just the right moments. Also included is a full acapella. Overall, the Razor N Guido Duhb is the highlight of part 2. The Escape & Coluccio club mix and dub from Part 1 is also included as is radio edit.

Listen to clips and purchase here (Beatport)

Grade: A-

June 11, 2013

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Tony Moran vs Deborah Cooper - Heartbeat (Farley & Dickinson Mixes)

The Jerome Farley & Joel Dickinson mixes of this still rising top 10 Billboard Club Play hit have recently been promoted. These peak hour, tribal stompers are extremely well produced. There are some nice soft piano sections as well as some drummy and synthy sections. Deborah's vocals always remain the focal point of the mixes. A main vocal mix, a dub, and a radio edit make up the package.

A divalicious music video for the original single edit has also been produced.

Grade: A
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Ginny Blackmore - Bones (Remixes)

This is the debut single from the singer-songwriter from New Zealand. The tearjerker's lyrics are powerful as is Ginny's delivery. It's a brilliant song.

There are some remixes by Kassiano, Reflex, Sidney Samson & Killfake, and Tracy Young. Kassiano's mix with marching band drums and dubstep sections give it a darker feel. Reflex's dubstep/pop mix makes the song more uptempo while staying close to the original. Sidney Samson & Killfake's mix is a noisy electro one. The sped up vocals don't sound good here as the production doesn't mesh with the mood of the song. Tracy Young's mix is mostly a dub with just some vocals in the middle. The vibe of her big room mix is close to the original. Reflex and Tracy Young's end up being the best ones of the bunch.

Listen to the original version here (YouTube)

Grade: A
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Sophia May - Anywhere With You

Sophia has been a featured vocalist on a number of tracks throughout the last few years. Her latest solo release is an uplifting, early 2000s Trance/Pop song. Sophia's vocals are absolutely enchanting and soulful. Dark Intensity's big room, synthy production is delightful. The additional mixes by 4 Strings, Carlos Mojica, and Johnny Mac capture the same vibe of the main versions. Johnny Mac's is a little more circuit-oriented while the others are electro/trancey. Overall, all of them are great.

-Listen to clips and buy here (Amazon)

Grade: A

June 10, 2013

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Levi Kreis - Gonna Be Alright (Remixes)

This is the latest single from the Tony award winning actor/singer. The song was previously released over 4 years ago, but it has been given a massive package of new remixes by Country Club Martini Crew, David Lee Rotten, Jared Jones, Joel Dickinson, Josh Harris, Matt Moss, Mission Groove, Naked Highway, Nick Harvey, Twisted Dee, and Wayne G with Andy Allder. Levi's vocals are heartfelt and so lovely.

This is another rare instance where each and every remix is amazing! The Country Club Martini Crew, Jared Jones, Josh Harris, and Matt Moss mixes are in mainstream, funky house styles whereas Joel Dickinson, Mission Groove, Nick Harvey, Twisted Dee, and Wayne G with Andy Allder provide circuit-oriented ones. David Lee Rotten's mix has an 80s synthpop feel. Naked Highway's is aggressive electro-house.

Overall, the best ones are the piano-laden Country Club Martini Crew, the darker Joel Dickinson, the discoey Matt Moss, and Wayne G with Andy Allder mixes.

Listen to the original here:


Listen to the remixes:


Buy at Amazon here and here

Grade: A
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Mike Posner - The Way It Used To Be

Known mainly for "Cooler Than Me", "Please Don't Go" and "Bow Chicka Wow Wow", he is back with a brand new single just in time for Summer. The song's lyrics recall a prior romance, a common theme in Summer songs. The song is super catchy with its Dance/Pop/Rock sound, reminiscent of recent hits such as "What Makes You Beautiful", "One Thing", "Die Young", and "Locked Out Of Heaven." Mike's vocals are great as usual. This song has all the makings of a big hit.

Listen to the song here:


And here's the lyric video (YouTube)

Grade: A

June 9, 2013

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Kelly Clarkson - Tie It Up

The singer-songwriters had done a couple of Country collaborations here and there, most notably with Reba McEntire and Jason Aldean. Now she has a new solo single that she premiered at CMT Fest yesterday. Kelly sounds perfectly at home doing that style of music. She can basically sing almost any style and do it well. This has the potential to do well on both the Country and Pop charts, though it might need a Pop single mix.

Listen here:


Grade: A

June 7, 2013

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Tony Moran's Sand Blast Weekend Podcast

Podcasts are generally not featured here, but this one featured some exclusives that were really worth mentioning. Tony Moran's podcast series regularly includes some classics and unreleased gems from the vault (like the Cher and Donna Summer mixes on prior podcasts).

The latest one includes Tony's rework of The Saint classic "Souvenirs" by Voyage which features Michelle Weeks on vocals which uses just some of the main riffs from the bridge and Michelle singing the vocals. It's a nice update to a song which hasn't really seen any mixes of this sort.

The new song "Where The Sky Meets The Sea" with vocals by Orion is amazing as well. The lyrics are so beautiful.

The main attraction of this podcast is the Tony Moran & Orlanda Fussalva mix of Deborah Cox's "A New Life." This is from the Jekyl & Hyde show Deborah is currently playing the lead in. Deborah is stunning vocally and the production is amazing. This is expected to be released soon.

Also included is the Gustavo Scorpio mix of the top 10 hit "Heartbeat" which features Deborah Cooper and several private mashups and re-edits of some other current Pop Top 40 songs.

Listen to and download the podcast here:
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Offer Nissim - Osa Osa

This is the latest release from the Israel producer/remixer/DJ. This unexpected track is mostly instrumental with just some jungle chants. It's very drummy and tribal. It would go well with other similar styled tracks such as "Voodoo Drums", "Wombo Lombo", and "Elements." This song will fit into a wide variety of sets despite its tribal/house style.

Grade: A-

June 6, 2013

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Selena Gomez - Slow Down

The Britney Spears-esque uptempo is the perfect followup to "Come & Get It" which has yet to peak. The style of Selena's delivery immediately calls to mind Britney's signature style. This ends up being much stronger than its predecessor as it has a killer pre-chorus which leads to a great chorus. The Summery Electro/Pop production is on point. Selena's vocals are strong. This has the potential to be a bigger hit than "Come & Get It."

-Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

June 4, 2013

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Bridgit Mendler - Hurricane (Remixes)

This is the current single from the actress turned singer. It was actually released in October of 2012, but the remixes have been released just now. The midtempo song is partially sung, but mostly rapped. It's a lot of fun. The remixes are by Alex Ghenea, Belanger, Bit Error, C&M, and Frank Lamboy. Alex Ghenea's mix is in a similar style as the original as it he C&M mix. The latter is a bit more Dance-oriented. Belanger's mix has an 80s synthpop sound. Bit Error's mixes are big room-oriented, yet they are also quite mainstream-sounding. Both of these are at a traditional club tempo. Frank Lamboy's mixes are a bit slower in tempo, but faster than the original. Overall, every remix is really good, but the Bit Error and Frank Lamboy ones are the best of the bunch.

-Listen to the original here (YouTube)
-Stream full previews of all the mixes:


Grade: A
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Justin Timberlake - Tunnel Vision

After the monstrous success of the two singles from his The 20/20 Experience album comes the third single. It may be the final single from the album as the second volume of the album is due for a Fall release. The romantic song is another throwback to the glory days of 90s R&B. The drummy production  is perfect for the Summer. It will be quite the floorfiller in the clubs. Overall, this should do quite well.

-Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

June 3, 2013

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Sir Ari Gold - Play My F**kn Remix: A Remix Retrospective

[Note: This review was written based on the 90 second previews on iTunes and not on the full songs as Sweet Muzik hasn't purchased this release yet for reviewing so this is more of a feature/preview.]

Another one of the projects that was funded by his IndieGoGo campaign late last year is released. Instead of a traditional greatest hits album, all of the major singles and selected tracks from his three albums have been given new remixes, and two previously unreleased songs have been added.

Every one of the remixes has a contemporary yet classic sound and updates the songs nicely. The two Jared Jones mixes of "Sparkle" and "Love Wasn't Built In A Day" are some of the highlights. They have a lovely early 90s feel as does the new mix of "Love Will Take Over." Describing how great each and every mix is might be a bit much for this review, but it's rare that all were so well done. The two unreleased songs are terrific, and would be make for great single releases if that were to happen. Overall, this is an excellent collection.

Tracklisting:
1. Play My F**kn Record (Country Club Martini Crew Radio Mix)
2. Wave of U (2013 R.E.mix)
3. Make My Body Rock (Rasjek Rockin' 12")
4. Details of My Life
5. Where the Music Takes You (feat. Sasha Allen) [Quentin Harris vs. Empulsive No Place Like NYC Mega-Mix]
6. Love Will Take Over (WHO's F**kin Remix?)
7. Ride To Heaven (Solar City Buckle Up Radio Remix)
8. Human (Born To Make Mistakes) [Lost Daze Moroder Dub]
9. Sparkle (feat. Sarah Dash) [Jared Jones Inner-Diva Radio Mix]
10. Make My Body Rock (Matt Moss vs. Dr. Brooks Give It Up 90's Mega-Mix)
11. Love Wasn't Built In a Day (feat. Dave Koz) [Jared Jones Transport House Mix]
12. My Favorite Religion (HalfStyle HalfVeryJewish Remix)
13. Where the Music Takes You (Dr. Brooks Ol' Skool Mixtape)
14. Love Goddess (Luv Crew Bombshell Mix)

-Listen to clips and purchase on iTunes here

Grade: A

June 1, 2013

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Vanessa Elisha - Don't Go EP

The R&B singer/songwriter's 5 track EP is now available. It includes "Home To Me" (reviewed here 3 months ago). All of the songs are in a midtempo, quiet storm R&B style. With the recent R&B revival courtesy of Frank Ocean, Justin Timberlake, Miguel, and Tamar Braxton, all 5 of the songs have the potential to do really well with the right promotional push. Those longing for the R&B of the 90s will love all of these songs. "Till Never" and "Blur" are two of the highlights, though every song is great.

Listen and download here:
 
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