Pet Shop Boys - The Pop Kids

This is the first proper single from the English duo's upcoming 13th album Super. This is the second song to be heard from the album after the mostly instrumental "Inner Sanctum" was released as a teaser for the new direction of the album. The song's lyrics tell a story of two friends who met at university and shared a friendship during that time through their mutual love of the club scene. The story is given a proper conclusion in longer The Full Story remix which has an additional verse. The song's production is in a 90s House style. It has the deep tribal beats and the characteristic pianos. Some parts of the piano hook recall the main riff in Bizarre Inc's rave classic "Playing With Knives". This element is played up to great effect in the PSB Deep Dub version. Marc Kinchen and Offer Nissim provide the remixes. MK's take is in a similar vein as the original but in his usual straightforward classic House style. Offer Nissim's mix is dark and dramatic just as the remix name indicates. It contains most of the vocals and they have been spread out a bit. Both are really well done.

Listen to the remixes here:


Grade: A

Adam Lambert - Ghost Town

Newly signed to the Warner Bros. label, the American Idol alum has released the lead single from his 3rd album The Original High. Produced by Pop wunderkind Max Martin, the song fuses Acoustic and Folk elements with 90s House. The deep bassline that comes in 1/3 of the way through the song is reminiscent of Marc Kinchen's signature sound which has recently made a comeback. Adam's vocals sound fantastic from the ballad sections to the uptempo sections. It's one of the strongest singles he has released in a long time.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Wankelmut and Emma Louise - My Head Is A Jungle (MK Remix)

German producer Wankelmut released this single featuring Australian singer Emma Louise last year and it went on to be a top 10 hit throughout much of Europe. It is a fun Dance/Pop track in its original version. There were additional remixes by MK which transformed this into a 90s handbag House anthem with plenty of happy piano elements. The remix is in MK's signature style with his distinct beats and trademark vocal cut ups. This takes the song to the next level. A radio edit of the remix is about to be released in the UK so this can do better the second time around as MK's sound has made a huge comeback in recent months.

-Pre-order the single here (iTunes)
-Listen to the original here (YouTube)
-Watch the MK remix video here (YouTube)

Grade: A

DJ Cassidy feat Robin Thicke & Jessie J - Calling All Hearts

After the massive success of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", Duke Dumont's "Need U 100%" and Storm Queen's "Look Right Through" (as remixed by MK) throughout the world, there has been a recent revival of the Disco sound. DJ Cassidy's new project on Columbia records involved nearly a dozen major players in the music industry, fusing together sounds of the past and present. Robin Thicke and Jessie J sound perfectly at home on this stunning Disco number, complementing each other so well. This has all the makings of a club hit and a possible crossover hit.

Listen to the original here (YouTube)

Grade: A+