Tony Moran & Joe Gauthreaux feat Michelle Weeks - Let's Find A Place

This mood-setting club track takes inspiration from Voyage's Disco/Hi Nrg classic "Souvenirs." The main "let's find a place...let's keep on moving" hook is from the bridge in the Voyage song. Michelle Weeks does a great job as usual with the main vocals and the divalicious ad libs peppered throughout the dubby track. The main version and edits contain more vocals whereas the Electro Dub has just a few. The latter is more of a peakhour track.

Listen to clips and purchase the song here (iTunes)

Grade: A

MYNC and Mario Fischetti feat Deborah Cox - Everywhere

This is an exciting new collaboration involving producers MYNC and Mario Fischetti and singer Deborah Cox. "Everywhere" is an uplifting big room vocal track with potential to be huge in the clubs and on radio. The song's composition calls to mind Rihanna's hit "We Found Love", however, this goes above and beyond.

-Listen to a radio rip of the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Finbarr Massi & Dan DeLeon Presents Breathwaite feat. Deborah Cox - Show You (Tony Moran Event Mix)

This special private mashup mix was produced by Tony Moran for his 2007 magnum opus The Event. It was combination of elements of Finbarr Massi & Dan DeLeon's track "Show You" and some unused ad libs from Deborah Cox's "House Is Not A Home" which she had recorded new vocals for the club mixes in 2005, and of course some additional production. Additional ad libs from those recording sessions were used on the Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Destroy U Mix of that song. This mashup was one of many highlights on The Event and it had remained unreleased as an umixed track until a couple of weeks back when it was included on a special compilation called Flaunt by Dan DeLeon.

-Listen to a clip and purchase the remix here (Beatport)

Grade: A

Katy Perry - Unconditionally (Nu Collective Demo Mix)

This heartfelt ballad was the 2nd single from her PRISM album. It performed only moderately well after the massive hit "Roar" which preceded it, and then of course "Dark Horse" was huge afterwards. This is still one of many highlights on the album. The song had a number of remixes, however only a couple of them were really well done. The best remix of the song surfaced this week! It is the previously unreleased production by Nu Collective (the trio of Billy Waters, Floor One, and John Michael Di Spirito). Despite the title containing the word 'demo', the remix sounds completely polished and complete. It is a melodic, big room mix staying true to the original, maintaining the emotional element that made the original so special.

Listen to the remix here:

Katy Perry - Unconditionally (NU Collective Demo Mix) by Billy Waters Productions on Mixcloud

Grade: A

David Guetta feat Sam Martin - Dangerous

This is the latest single from the producer/DJ's new album Listen which is due out later in the year. In several interviews, David has mentioned that this album will be in a different musical direction than previous albums. The song is significantly different than his usual in that it is a midtempo. It begins and ends with orchestral elements. One could compare the song to Rihanna's Electro/R&B midtempo hit "Diamonds"  but it's funkier.

Watch the lyric video here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Xelle - Sweat (Remixes)

The dynamic duo's latest single is a playful, sensual song. Just as Olivia Newton-John did with "Physical", the music video flirts with the erotic overtures of the lyrics but uses lots of humor as a distraction when it is about to get naughty. The midtempo Dance/Pop song is super catchy. One will most definitely be singing the chorus after just a single listen! NovoGain has done some remixes. The song is now faster and more uplifting in its transformed state. NovoGain's Higher & Higher dub has a twisted, dark production with harder beats and just a few of the spoken word parts. This is excellent for teasing into the vocal mix though the full vocal mix does have a little bit of the harder intro and outro. The additional percapella and 'ambient mix' versions are basically DJ tools. The former loses all the main programming and keeps just the vocals and percussion while the latter has no percussion.

Listen to all of the remixes here:


-Purchase the original here and the remixes here (iTunes)
-Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Sweet Rains & Reina - Forever (Remixes)

Dance Diva Reina (of "Find Another Woman", "No One's Gonna Change You", and "Miss The Way" fame) teams up with Sweet Rains on this brand new single. It is a lovely song that will work perfectly in the clubs and on radio. The main version is a nice balance between the Electro of today and the melodic House of the 90s. Additional remixes are by Nick Harvey, Nukage, Ranny, and Serving Ovahness. Nick Harvey's big room mixes are uplifting and pretty, but they still pack a punch with the hard beats. Nukage's hard Electro take works, but the aggressive chainsaw synths aren't the best match for Reina's beautiful vocals. Ranny's mix is more suited for peak hour with its tribal production. Serving Ovahness delivers a mix that is a good middle ground between peak hour and full blown anthem. Overall, the original, Nick Harvey, and Serving Ovahness ones are the best of the bunch.

Purchase the remix EP here on iTunes

Grade: A

Avicii feat. Robbie Williams - The Days

Swedish producer/DJ Avicii has had many successes during these last few years. He is all set to release his new artist album Stories. The first single is a guitar-driven Dance/Pop song with vocals by British Pop singer Robbie Williams (of Take That fame) performing the vocals. Robbie's vocals are excellent, blending well with Avicii's production. This one has the potential to be another worldwide club and radio hit and could potentially re-introduce Robbie Williams to the U.S. He had several solo hits stateside in the late 90s and early 2000s but he has not released anything targeted towards that market.

Listen to the song here:


Grade: A

Novaspace - There For Me

This is the latest single from the Swedish producer and DJ. It is an uplifting, euphoric big room Electro/House track. The song is carried by a gorgeous female vocal hook, reminiscent of last Summer's crossover hit "Take Me Home" by Cash Cash. This is underground enough for the clubs, however, it has crossover appeal. This is smash hit waiting to happen.

Listen to the preview here:


Check out Novaspace on Facebook

Grade: A

Joi Cardwell - The Art Of Being

Joi's brand of Soulful House music with thoughtful, inspirational lyrics is always welcome. She has released a handful of singles here and there in between albums. The Art Of Being is the singer-songwriter's first album in nearly 3 years. It contains a few of the singles that were released separately. This is her strongest album to date. Every single one of the songs is beautifully produced by many of the heavy hitters of clubland. All of the songs have a melodic sound that is distinctly classic but also sounds current. Joi's vocals are amazing! There are a couple of revisits to her earlier singles "Jump For Joi" and "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else" as well. Every one of the songs is great so it is hard to choose the best ones, but "Confusion", "Return To Love", "Je T'Adore", "Shot Through The Heart", and "Lucky Charm" really stood out. All of the songs could work as singles. With the recent shift towards early 90s House sounds, this record arrives at just the right time.

 Tracklisting:
1. Lucky Charm (Quentin Harris Production)
2. Return to Love (Director's Cut Mix)
3. Confusion (NovoGain Production)
4. Love Somebody Else (Maceo Plex & John Dasilva Mix)
5. Shot Through the Heart
6. Indian Giver
7. I Just Wanna (Kraak & Smaak)
8. Sweet Sadness (Mlle Lucy Mix)
9. Je T'adore (Life+ Mix)
10. Feels Like Heaven
11. Music Saved My Life (Maurice Joshua Mix)
12. Jump 4 Joi (Mike Cruz Radio Mix)
13. Jump 4 Joi (J Zuart Remix)

Purchase the album here (iTunes) and here (Juno) [Juno has it in lossless DJ friendly/collector format]

Grade: A+

Annie Lennox - I Put A Spell On You

The first single from the singer's new covers album Nostalgia is her take on Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You." The hypnotic production is faithful to the original but updated slightly. The song takes on a more dramatic, almost sinister tone. This recording of it makes it sound like it could be the opening theme of a James Bond movie. Annie's vocal performance is full and rich. She has always excelled on using the darker parts of her voice. This is a fresh and exciting cover.

Listen to a clip and purchase on iTunes here

Grade: A

Kiesza - No Enemiesz

This is the new single from the Canadian singer-songwriter's debut album Sound Of Woman due out on October 21. This is in a similar style as previous singles, though this one is far more bass-driven, and is quite the room shaker. Her uplifting vocals remain the focus. The hook and chorus are super memorable. This is easily her strongest single to date.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Nick Jonas - Jealous

Nick was a formerly a member of the teen group The Jonas Brothers with his brothers Joe and Kevin. They recently went their separate ways. He recently showcased his new, mature musical direction with "Chains" a few weeks back. "Jealous" is a groovy R&B/Electro-pop track. One could compare the style of the song to that of Miguel's recent material. Nick's falsetto-laden vocals are a joy to listen to. The song has already begun to gain traction on radio just a week after its release. This has serious crossover potential and will be a multiformat smash.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Sam Smith - Stay With Me (Mark Picchiotti remixes)

The haunting ballad by the English singer-songwriter has topped the charts in nearly all parts of the world. The song has struck an emotional chord with many due to the relatable lyrics and the genuine vocal performance by Sam. There have been dozens of bootleg remixes which just did not mesh that well with the sentimental vibe of the song, however, the legendary Mark Picchiotti stepped up to the plate and produced some unorthodox Chic-inspired remixes which work perfectly. The Disco/R&B-styled remixes are at a lower tempo. The song is less melancholy in this arrangement.

Listen to the remix here: (it is also available as a free download if you 'Like' Mark's Facebook page)


Grade: A+

Lenny Kravitz - The Chamber

This is the lead single from his new album Strut which will be coming out on September 23. The single was released several months back, however, the music video was a released today. The song is a throwback to the sounds of the 80s but within a modern context. The main guitar riff and programming bear a striking, unintentional resemblance to that of Stevie Nicks' classic "Edge Of Seventeen". It's classic Lenny from the hook to the lyrical style, and of course, his always strong vocal performance.  The song is quite the grower.

Watch the racy cinematic music video: NSFW


Grade: A