February 26, 2014

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Aiden Leslie - Nobody Said (The Remixes)

The Dance/Pop song's remix package was released yesterday. Aiden shows off his smooth falsetto along with some great harmonies on the catchy song. The remixes are by The All Nighters, Frank Lamboy, Georgie Porgie, Joe Gauthreaux, and Klubjumpers. The All Nighters deliver a mix that is electro house driven. Frank Lamboy's 80s Hi Nrg meets contemporary House mix is so pretty. Georgie Porgie and Joe Gauthreaux both deliver big room mixes, however, Georgie's is darker while Joe's is more peak hour. The Klubjumpers mix has a big room undertone but it's more mainstream. Overall, every mix is great, but Frank Lamboy's is the best of the bunch.

-Listen to clips and purchase the mixes here (iTunes)

Grade: A
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Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time (Remixes)

The evergreen classic has been remixed by Alex Gaudino, Bent Collective (Danny Verde and Steven Redant) LordWardd, and Nervo as part of the promo for the 30th anniversary edition of the She's So Unusual album which includes additional material in the form of alternate remixes, edits, and dubs that were previously unreleased on CD or in digital form. This song was also remixed by Eddie Baez and Josh Harris in 2005 when Cyndi remade the song with Sarah McLachlan for her The Body Acoustic album.

Alex Gaudino's mix is the most melodic of the bunch, using all of the vocals and some of the chords and keys from the original. Bent Collective's big room mix is vocally driven but takes an unorthodox approach to the backing melody. LordWarddd's mix has an 80s synthpop vibe. The dissonant melodic structure is a bit jarring at first, but it's actually done quite well. Nervo's experimental approach omits most of the vocals. It's understandable that they tried something different but it doesn't work well here. Alex Gaudino and Bent Collective's mixes are the best of the bunch.

Listen to some of the mixes here: (YouTube)


The Nervo mix is available as part of the pre-order for the new edition of the album here (iTunes)

Grade: A-

February 24, 2014

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Kamaliya - Never Wanna Hurt You (Prince Igor)

This is the Ukranian Pop/Opera singer's latest single. Her current album Club Opera fuses together the sounds of clubland with opera classics to make some contemporary Pop songs. The instrumental production of this song is based on The Rapsody's "Prince Igor" from 1995 which featured Warren G rapping and Sissel Kyrkjebø singing. That song incorporated a small part from the Russian opera Prince Igor, specifically the song "Улетай на крыльях ветра" which Sissel performed. That same part is used as the refrain on this song. The song is haunting and gorgeous. Kamaliya has an amazing voice.

An uptempo single mix is expected to be released soon along with a full remix package and music video. Fedde Le Grand also remixed this, however, the song sounds radically different at the higher tempo, though he did create an alternate break with just the opera section.

-Listen here (YouTube)
-Buy the song here (iTunes)

Grade: A
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Estelle - Make Her Say (Beat It Up)

This is the soulful recording artist's new single from her upcoming album. After the suggestive "Freak" on her last record, she begins things with another racy song that leaves nothing to the imagination. The explicit song calls to mind Madonna's "Erotica" as it is mostly spoken with a little singing along with Lorde's recent work when it comes to the minimal production. The tempo is in line with "Erotica" too. While the song is catchy, the hypersexual nature of the song is a bit over the top, seeming vulgar and trashy versus being sexy and sensual.

Listen here:


Grade: C+
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Wisin feat Jennifer Lopez & Ricky Martin - Adrenalina

This is the new single from the artist's new album El Regreso Del Sobreviviente. The uptempo, club banger features Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. It's interesting that the latter two artists have never collaborated on any music before despite both becoming popular in the U.S. at the same time when the 'Latin explosion' happened at the end of the 90s. Jennifer and Ricky complement Wisin perfectly. The song has already begun to get a lot of airplay on Spanish stations. There is no word on whether an English version will be recorded, but it would be great if they did. This will have no trouble smashing in the clubs as this is already suitable for the dancefloor, but it's screaming for some remixes. A sexy music video featuring all 3 is currently being filmed.

-Listen to a clip and purchase the song here (iTunes)

Grade: A


February 19, 2014

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Sudad G feat JM Browne - Love For You

This new release recalls the brand of House of the 90s heard on the legendary Strictly Rhythm label, but with a modern twist. JM Browne delivers a lovely, soulful vocal. The main version will fit into a variety of House and mainstream sets. Sandro Valentino's remix recalls David Morales' 90s work from the live instruments to the lush production style. Fry & Chizo's mix is more contemporary with an Electro sound. Almond Brown's mix is more circuit-oriented. Overall, every mix is great, but the Sandro Valentino mix is the best of the bunch.

Purchase the digital single here (iTunes)

Grade: A

February 18, 2014

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Karl Wolf feat Timbaland & BK Brasco - Magic Hotel

This is the Canadian artist's latest single that has already begun to rise up the charts. Timbaland and BK Brasco join him. The R&B/Dance track has all the makings of a huge hit and has the potential to do well in the U.S. and around the world if it were to be released as such. The song has a decidedly old school yet contemporary feel that would make this appealing to a wide audience. The vocals are incredible.

-Purchase here (iTunes)
-Listen here (YouTube)

Grade: A

February 16, 2014

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Joi Cardwell - Jump For Joi 2014

The original came out 20 years ago! It went on to be one of the soulful singer's many famous hits. It was last revisited in 2000 by Richie Santana and Peter Bailey. This new mix by frequent collaborator Mike Cruz updates this song for today's dancefloors with a hard tribal, electro production. The vocals remain the focus of the mix. This new mix also precedes Joi's upcoming new album. The full remix will be released in March.

Listen to a preview of the mix here:


Grade: A
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Lana Del Rey - Young And Beautiful (Offer Nissim Remix)

The haunting original was given an official remix by Cedric Gervais who had previously remixed "Summertime Sadness". That other remix managed to be picked up by mainstream radio and it was a huge hit all over the world. The "Young And Beautiful" mix was cut from the same cloth. The remix sadly lost some of the charm that the original had.

A couple of days ago, Offer Nissim has posted a remix he made of the song that stays true to the original (it actually uses the minimally produced song to get the vocals). It begins in a dark, beatless fashion as the original does. As the vocals come in, it builds up and the beats come in. After somewhat of a buildup, a riff finally arrives. The riff is inspired by Deep Zone's underground classic "It's Gonna Be Alright (Help Is On The Way)". The second verse plays after that. Only the bridge has been omitted, however, that's okay.

Listen and download here:


Grade: A
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Mariah Carey - You're Mine (Eternal)

After several false starts with a couple of singles that didn't perform as expected, the official lead single from her new album due out this May has been released. It is cut from the same sensual cloth as 2008's "Touch My Body", but it isn't quite as commercial. This one has multiple hooks and other sections versus the traditional verses and choruses. The slow groove of the song is really hot.

There is an alternate remix which features additional vocals by Trey Songz. His heavily auto tuned vocals do not mesh well with Mariah's soft, delicate ones, but his backing vocals during the verse do.

Dance mixes by Jump Smokers and Kurd Maverick have also been released. The Jump Smokers remix uses just a handful of the vocals, selecting just some bits of the climax which makes the mix feel incomplete as there is nothing leading to those vocals. It's very sloppy. Sadly, the Kurd Maverick mix uses even less vocals. It's puzzling that both remixers chose to omit the stellar vocals as they did.

Listen to the 4 versions here (YouTube)



Grade: A-
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Jason Walker feat Bimbo Jones - Tell It To My Heart

This was Taylor Dayne's debut single in 1987. It went on to be a huge hit in the clubs, on radio, and the charts. The song has since been covered and remixed many times. The singer known for his distinct divatastic vocal style has remade this. He comes extremely close to matching Taylor's powerful delivery while also making it is his own. The main version is produced by Bimbo Jones and is in a funky big room House style. Additional remixes will be released in the coming weeks.

Listen to it here:


Grade: A

February 11, 2014

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Lady Gaga - Do What U Want (Remixes)

Due to some unexpected behind the scenes issues with her management, the release of the remixes and the video were put on hold, however, it appears that those issues have been resolved. Dance mixes by DJ White Shadow, Kronic, Samantha Ronson, Steven Redant (with and without Amp Lexvas) will be released on February 25.

DJ White Shadow's remix is at a similar tempo as the original and has the R. Kelly vocals. This has fun 80s vibe. Kronic's EDM heavy mix is a tad noisy, however, it includes some additional vocals not heard in the other versions. Samantha Ronson's mix is interesting, however, it lacks cohesion. Steven Redant delivers 3 different mixes that include the Christina Aguilera vocals. His Madrid mixes are more mainstream while the Barcelona mix is more suited for peak hour. The third mix with Amp Lexvas is in an Inner City throwback style complete with those "Good Life" keys. It is also at a lower tempo, allowing the vocals to sound a little less frenzied. The separation of some of the ad libs and backing vocals adds nicely to the mix.

-Listen to all of the mixes here (YouTube, on Lady Gaga's official channel)

Grade: A

February 7, 2014

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Bouvier and Barona feat Amber Dirks - Dominate My Love

Those looking for a massive big room vocal track need to look no further! Released a couple of days ago, this song packs a lot of punch. Club diva Amber Dirks soars on this gem, particularly on the main version by Bill Bouvier with Peter Barona. Additional remixes are by Edson Pride, Julissa Veloz, Manny Lehman, Oliver Watts, Peter Brown, and Rod Carillo. Edson Pride's mix is in a similar style as the original as is Manny Lehman's. Julissa Veloz and Rod Carillo deliver mixes that recall Offer Nissim's style circa 5 to 7 years ago. Peter Brown goes in a Garage House direction. Oliver Watts delivers a big room mix that would also work well on mainstream floors. Overall, every mix is great.

-Listen to clips and purchase here (Beatport)

Grade: A
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Mel B - For Once In My Life (Remixes)

Formerly known as Scary Spice of the mega successful UK girl group Spice Girls, this single was released a couple of months ago. The catchy Dance/Pop track has already been huge all over. It has been slowly creeping up the Billboard Dance chart in the last few weeks with nearly 4 dozen remixes. Most of the remixes are anywhere from good to great, however, the best of the bunch are by NovoGain. The hard, tribal mixes make this song into the anthem it was meant to be. There is a nearly 10 minute version and a shorter 7 minute one. Both are incredible

-Watch the music video for the original here (YouTube)
-Watch the music video for the NovoGain remix edit (YouTube)

Grade: A

February 5, 2014

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Ryan W - Hardcore

This sexy new single serves as a followup to 2012's "Don't Come Lookin". This is just as catchy as previous singles, but the naughtier, racier direction of the song makes this one even more fun. The robotic autotune effects added to the vocals work well here when coupled with the techy electropop production. A full remix package will be released in the coming weeks along with the full music video.

-Watch a teaser of the music video here (YouTube)
-Purchase the original version here (iTunes)

Grade: A

February 3, 2014

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James Blunt - Bonfire Heart (Remixes)

Released nearly 6 months ago, this heartfelt midtempo has finally gotten some remixes. The Pop/Rock original is absolutely gorgeous. James' vocals coupled with the lyrics make this amazing. There are remixes by Dave Rose, eSquire vs. Offbeat, Flatdisk, and HIIO. Dave Rose basically sandwiches the original between a progressive House production. eSquire vs. Offbeat also go in a progressive direction, however, the vocal sections are softer, highlighting them. Flatdisk's approach is similar to the Dave Rose's, but the production is harder. HIIO's big room mix is progressive as well and only uses the chorus, but, it's a great mix overall. eSquire vs. Offbeat's ends up being the best of the bunch.

-Listen to the original here (YouTube)
-Buy the original here (iTunes)
-Buy the remixes here (Beatport)

Grade: A-
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Savannah Lynx - Colors

This is the latest single from the newcomer. The uplifting song is sung beautifully. The lyrics are so pretty. The vocals call to mind some of the vocal Trance of the mid 2000s. The production on the original is really great too. Tracy Young provides some remixes that don't stray too far from the original. She maintains the synth riff and chords of the original but adds a few electro breaks.

-Listen to the original version here (Soundcloud)
-Buy the original here (iTunes)
-Listen to the Tracy Young version here (Soundcloud)

Grade: A
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Disclosure feat Mary J. Bilge - F For You

Originally released last year, a brand new version with R&B diva Mary J. Blige surfaced a few days back. The slick, housey production is a perfect match for Mary's powerful vocals, which cannot be praised enough here. Mary's vocals plus a club oriented production of almost any style have always worked well in the past as evidenced by the many remixes of her own songs. This is two tons of fun.

-Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A
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Kylie Minogue - Into The Blue (Country Club Martini Crew Mix)

The new single is off to a great start all over the world in its original version. The first remix package with mixes by Patrick Hagenaar, Roger Sanchez, and Vanilla Ace has been released. Patrick's mixes are in a similar vein as the original, whereas Roger Sanchez switches things up with a Deep House mix, however, he opts to pitch shift the majority of the vocals making Kylie sound strange. Vanilla Ace's dubby treatment has a 90s Rave sound to it.

Country Club Martini Crew has produced the definitive remix of the song keeping the main vibe of the song intact, but at a higher tempo. This works in every way.

-Listen to the Country Club Martini Crew remix here (Soundcloud)

Grade: A
 
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