Army Of Lovers - Rockin' The Ride (Remixes)

The Swedish Dance/Pop group were very successful during their heyday of the early 90s with their brand of high camp song and over-the-top videos and performances. After several reunions since they parted ways, they reunited for Melodifestivalen in their original configuration in the hopes of representing Sweden at Eurovision this year, unfortunately, they didn't make it through. The new song is in the style of their older songs, though it lacks the flair and excitement of their earlier hits. Some contemporary Electro sounds are in there too. There are additional remixes by SoundFactory, NORD, and Madax. SoundFactory's mix is what one would expect--it does improve upon the original. The dub is far more enjoyable. NORD's mix is is trancey and has good energy, but the campy feel of the song doesn't mesh that well with it. The Madax mix is a warped Dubstep style mix with pitch shifting and everything. Overall, the SoundFactory dub is the best of the bunch.

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

Grade: B

Shirley Clamp - Step By Step (Remixes)

Released earlier this year, this is the comeback single from the Swedish popstar. It is a lovely inspirational Dance/Pop song. This is a bit of a departure from her usual work, though fans of her other songs that had remixes will appreciate this. Shirley is an amazing singer and sounds great on a variety of productions.

SoundFactory provides remixes for this. The Radio Remix version is in a similar vein as the original though it makes it a little more uptempo. The Club Remix is harder hitting. These are great mixes for a great song.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Eric Saade - Popular

He placed 3rd at the final of this year's Eurovision contest, representing Sweden. Stylistically, it is very campy, calling to mind the work of BWO or Alcazar. Eric's vocals are pretty good. The lyrics may be a tad cliched, but that's okay. SoundFactory completed several remixes. The circuity mixes stay true to the original, making it a little more accessible for the dancefloor. The dub has a different harder, darker production with just a light sprinkling of vocals. The remixes improve upon an already good song.

Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Gravitonas - Religious

This is the latest single from the Swedish duo which includes the legendary Alexander Bard (of Army Of Lovers, BWO, etc). This electro/rock/pop song is very catchy, just as most of Mr. Bard's other work. The fun song has a number of remixes, however, go straight for the SoundFactory and Full Intention ones. SoundFactory's is circuit-oriented, but a has a chill piano in many places. Full Intention's mix has a 90's classic house feel. Both improve upon the original considerably.

-Listen to the SoundFactory mix here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Full Intention mix here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Taylor Dayne - Facing A Miracle (Remixes)

This was the official song that this years Gay Games VIII this past Summer. It brings dance diva Taylor Dayne back to the scene after a short break. "Facing A Miracle" is a midtempo synth-pop track in its original version. Although some of the lyrics may seem a bit cliche initially, Taylor's vocal delivery makes them more powerful.

There are some alternate versions and remixes for this by SoundFactory, Audio Assembly, and DJ MichaelAngelo & Gabriel Gates. The Pop Up Symphonic mix is a bit dramatic while the Electro African Groove mix adds some ethnic flavor.

SoundFactory's mixes are dark and anthemic. The club mix meanders a bit, and is rather busy at times, while the radio edit is more concise, keeping all the good parts. The key change feels a bit forced in the club mix. The dub bears only some resemblance to the vocal mix.

Audio Assembly's mixes have a milder, subtle production, allowing for the vocals to truly shine. The drums are really great. Additional DJ/production tools including an acapella are available too.

Finally, there's the DJ MichaelAngelo & Gabriel Gates mix. It's a Eurodance-styled mix with hints of trance, calling to mind Valentin's work. Overall, the whole package is really solid.

-Purchase the original and alt mixes here (Amazon)
-Purchase the SoundFactory mixes here (Juno)
-Purchase the Audio Assembly mixes here (Juno)
-Purchase the DJ MichaelAngelo & Gabriel Gates mix here (Juno)

Grade: A/A- (it's somewhere in between and A and A-, like a 97.5%)

Nouveau Riche - Stay

Although this single was released back in 2007 in Sweden, this is just getting released in the U.S. via ISV Entertainment. "Stay" is a cover of the Mynt & Kim Sozzi song from 2005. The Dance/Pop duo's take on this is very true to the original. In addition to the SoundFactory mix from the original release, the U.S. release includes mixes by Julian Marsh, Klubjumpers and Dirty-Z. Julian's mix is a nice blend of uplifting Trance with some hints of Circuit. Klubjumpers provide an in-between Electro/Dance mix. Dirty-Z's is a hard, aggressive Trance mix a la Friday Night Posse or Alex K. SoundFactory's is included as well. His mix is lighter than his usual and is almost like the original Mynt version. A special CD maxi was made available for purchase this week through Perfect Beat that includes all the mentioned mixes plus one mix of each of Nouveau Riche's earlier singles and a megamix. It's a great deal. Overall, the song and its accompanying package is very good.

Grade: A