Madonna - Ghosttown (Remixes)

The second package of remixes of the power ballad have been released. Armand Van Helden, Mindskap, and Offer Nissim. Armand Van Helden's mixes are a throwback to the 90s and feature a Deep House production and a killer bassline, however, the majority of the vocals have been removed and the few that are there do not fit with the production. Mindskap's mix is in a similar vein, however, it has even less vocals. Offer Nissim saves the day with his two mixes. The first is the Drama mix which begins with a stunning orchestral intro leading into the first verse. This mix contains nearly all of the vocals. The mood of the original has been perfectly translated into remixed form with this one. The other mix has a proper intro and is just slightly harder and omits the first verse. This one feels more like a vocal dub. The Drama mix is easily the best mix of the song so far.

-Listen to the mixes on Madonna's YouTube channel

The remix EP will be released for purchase in mid May

Grade: A

Duck Sauce - It's You

The duo is back with another quirky new single. This isn't as bizarre as their last outing "Big Bad Wolf." The Motown-esque vocals coupled with the swirling electro production make for an unlikely marriage of sounds, but it manages to work. There are nearly a dozen remixes, but none manage to come close to the original version.

Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: B+

Various - Soul Jazz presents Voguing

This is a collection of songs that were the soundtrack for the unique dance style that first began in the underground dance clubs of New York in the late 70s. The Soul Jazz label in the UK has put together a collection of Disco, 80s Synthpop, and early 90s circuit tracks that were favorites of Voguers. Spread across 2 discs, all songs are full length and in their hit versions. The sound quality is great. Disc 3 is a continuous DJ mix by NY legend Junior Vasquez featuring nearly all of the songs from the first 2 discs. This collection is also available in vinyl and MP3 editions, however the MP3 edition omits all the Salsoul and West End tracks. This is an impressive release overall.

View the tracklisting, listen to samples, and purchase the compilation here.

Grade: A

Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand

Duck Sauce is a collaboration made up of Armand Van Helden and A-Trak. Their current single "Barbra Streisand" got significant attention earlier this year at the Winter Music Conference. The quirky, semi-instrumental samples heavily from Boney M.'s "Gotta Go Home." There are a few added vocals. This song has little to do with the legendary Barbra Streisand aside from the name. It's an interesting track overall, however, the original Boney M. track is certainly worth checking out as that is a bit more exciting than this. If any good can come from this, it's a great way to introduce Boney M. to a whole new generation.

-Listen to the Boney M. original here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Duck Sauce track here (YouTube)

Grade: B

Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer (New mixes)

"Rhythm Is A Dancer" has endured as a club classic ever since it came out in 1992. There have been multiple revisits to this classic, most notably the 1996 mixes by Rollo, the 2002 mixes by CJ Stone (and others), and just over a year ago by Tom Novy. The main version on this new remix is basically a mashup with the late 90's trance track "Carte Blanche" by Veracocha. It's an interesting mix. "Carte Blanche" on its own is a slice of epic trance. The "Rhythm Is A Dancer" vocals don't seem to go that well with the Veracocha track. It just feels really forced. The Moam mix is basically an electro-sounding version of the mashup. However, Armand Van Helden's mix is quite fun. It has enough of the elements and melody from the original that made it such a classic. All the effects applied to the vocals and instrumental bits are totally crazy. This calls to mind some of the handiwork of Armand's from the past, like when he would make a remix that used a few select portions of the original track that didn't sound boring for even a second (think of the CJ Bolland "Sugar Is Sweeter", Tori Amos "Professional Widow", and NuYorican Soul "Runaway" mixes he did). This could be considered in that category too. Overall, the Armand mix is the highlight of the bunch.

Listen to the mashup version here (YouTube)
Listen to Armand's mix here (YouTube)

Grade: A-