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-

Britney Spears - 3

This is a new song that will be a part of an upcoming Britney singles collection due in November. There had been speculation for the last few days about what the song would be about. It turns out it's about a threesome. It's written in a way that's naughty without bordering on obscene. It could fit in with songs from both her Blackout and Circus albums, but it's still pretty different. The uptempo will be quite a floorfiller in clubs. Pretty good overall.

Listen to "3" here (MySpace)

Grade: B+

Sun - Fancy Free

Having had a handful of club hits in the U.S., the Singaporean singer is all set to conquer the Pop charts with "Fancy Free." This is not her first attempt at such a feat. A couple years ago, she released a song called "China Wine" which featured Wyclef Jean, Tony Matterhorn, and Elephant Man. It was unable to get her noticed. But this one should most likely do the trick. It's extremely catchy and upbeat and could be huge on both Pop and the Club charts. Remixes are in the works at this time. This is the lead single off of the new album entitled Cause A Ruckus.

Buy the original version of "Fancy Free" here (iTunes)
Watch the music video here (YouTube)
Check out some of Sun's other songs from Cause A Ruckus here (official website)

Grade: A-

DJ Scott Mann featuring Amuka - It's Over

Amuka became known for the club anthem "Appreciate Me" in the early 2000's. And now she is back after a few months with a new track called "It's Over." It is yet another song in that "my man is no good" vein. On paper this sounds good, but in practice, not so much. Amuka is quite a capable singer, but the full power of her vocals isn't unleashed on "It's Over." It's warm at best. Given those limitations, the remixes by Edson Pride and Bryan Reyes with Amy Alderman are appropriate. Edson Pride's is the best of the bunch with the lush big room production.

Buy the single here (Masterbeat)

Grade: B

Sarah McLachlan - One Dream

She is back after somewhat of a long break with a new song called "One Dream" which was recorded especially for the 2010 Winter Olympics which will be held in Vancouver. Stylewise, this doesn't stray too far from Sarah's usual which could be a good thing. New material from her is always a good thing as it has been quite a while since she has released something new. Her last proper album was released in 2003. Her vocals sound great. The lyrics are uplifting and beautiful.

The digital single will be available for purchase one September 29, 2009. Until then, listen to a clip here (Amazon)

Grade: A-

Jump Smokers - Don't Be A Douchebag

Jumping on the train of these novelty club jams is Jump Smokers with "Don't Be A Douchebag" which is a hilarious and somewhat searing look at these regular fixtures at nightclubs. While this may not be amazing or thoughtful, it will generate plenty of laughs. It begins very much in the same way as Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" with a similar spoken intro. The electro/pop production is quite good though. The vocals are very similar in style to LMFAO (of "I'm In Miami Bitch" fame).

Watch the music video here (YouTube)
Buy the song here (iTunes)

Grade: B+

NOW That's What I Call Club Hits

This is the first release in a new series from the people behind the other NOW compilations. The concept of NOW That's What I Call Club Hits is a bit different from some of the other current hits compilations such as those from Ultra Records or those Total Club Hits type ones. While the song selections may be similar, those are all continuously mixed. This NOW one is unmixed for the most part. Some of the songs have been sequenced and edited in a way that there is no silence between the shift from one track to the next, but each track begins like it's supposed to.

Almost all of the songs appearing on the compilation are radio edits. Only a few are slightly longer. If those longer ones were shorter, a couple more tracks could have been included.

Here's the tracklisting:
01. Black Eyed Peas - "Boom Boom Guetta" (David Guetta's Electro Hop Remix)
02. Sean Kingston - "Fire Burning" (Dave Aude Radio)
03. Flo Rida - "Right Round" (Benny Benassi Remix Edit)
04. Pitbull - "I Know What You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" (More English Radio Edit)
05. David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland - "When Loves Takes Over" (Electro Radio Edit)
06. Kid Cudi - "Day 'N' Nite" (Crookers Remix Radio Edit)
07. Keri Hilson feat. Kanye West and Ne-Yo - "Knock You Down" (Bimbo Jones Radio Remix)
08. Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake - "Love Sex Magic" (Jason Nevins Sex Club Radio Mix)
09. Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain - "Blame It" (The New Devices Remix)
10. Lady Gaga - "Lovegame" (Dave Aude Radio Edit)
11. Kelly Clarkson - "My Life Would Suck Without You" (Chriss Ortega Radio Mix)
12. P!nk - "Please Don't Leave Me" (Digital Dog Radio Edit)
13. Katy Perry - "Waking Up In Vegas" (Calvin Harris Remix Edit)
14. The Killers - "Spaceman" (Tiesto Remix)
15. Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne - "Let It Rock" (Filthy Dukes [Radio])
16. Bad Boy Bill feat. Alyssa Palmer - "Falling Athem"
17. Empire Of The Sun - "Walking On A Dream" (Kaskade Remix)
18. Depeche Mode - "Wrong" (Thin White Duke Remix)
19. Jackson 5 - "Dancing Machine" (Polow Remix)

The tracklisting of the compilation is quite strong overall. Even though a majority of the songs/remixes featured have been released digitally, they have not been released on a CD of this nature unmixed. In addition to the Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, Rock and Alternative acts, some choice Dance/Electronic ones have been included, making this compilation quite eclectic.

The compilation will be released in the U.S. in both CD and digital form on September 22, 2009.

Buy and listen to clips of all the songs here (Amazon)

Grade: A

Madonna - Revolver

This is the second of two new songs that will be appearing on the forthcoming Madonna greatest hits collection Celebration which wraps up her tenure on Warner Brothers. A demo of this had surfaced a few months back featruring a different vocalist. The final version is almost identical, except that Madonna is on this now. The Dance/Pop track has a swing-beat which has been utilized a lot during the last couple of years. While not as catchy as "Celebration" or some of her other songs, this is quite a grower. Lyrically, it's pretty sexy and leaves no new stone unturned. Lil' Wayne's small part on the song actually sounds okay and works. It's a lot more palatable then some of his other recent appearances on non-rap/hip hop songs. There's no word on whether a music video will be filmed or when this will be going to radio, but hopefully it will be soon.

Grade: A-

Alicia Keys - Doesn't Mean Anything

This is the latest single off of Ms. Keys' forthcoming new album. While this single was highly anticipated, this song covers little new ground. It instantly calls to mind earlier hits "No One" and "If I Ain't Got You" in terms of both the production and lyrics. "Doesn't Mean Anything" feels almost too identical. This is pleasant and will probably do pretty well.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: C+

Janet Jackson - Make Me

Just a few hours after she gave a fitting tribute to her late brother, she is giving her fans a little 'gift' in the form of a new song entitled "Make Me." There is no word about whether this is a single or off of any upcoming project at this time. But it seems this is another tribute to her brother's contributions to music and culture. It is fitting that there is an interpolation of his song "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough." The production is Disco/Electro-House/Pop-oriented. It's very retro but modern. Janet's vocals are clear and strong. She sounds great.

Listen to it here

Grade: A

Leomeo featuring Diva Avari - Give Me Love

French DJ Leomeo is all set to conquer clubland with his latest single "Give Me Love." Featuring the vocals of Diva Avari who has been featured on a handful of other songs throughout the last few years. Although her claim to fame was her appearance on a remake of Yazoo's "Don't Go", this one is sure to increase her fame tenfold. On "Give Me Love", she delivers a great performance. It's a simple, fun Dance track with very catchy lyrics. The production is really great on the main version. The original is light circuit/house-oriented. Pagano's mix continues in that direction. Aural Devil's Minimal Mix is an interesting electro/house affair. Aural Devil's S. Paulo Mix is a bit ligher and has a "I Feel Love" type production. The GML mix is very minimal and afterhours-ish. Additional mixes are to be released in the future.

Watch the sexy music video here (YouTube)
The mixes reviewed above are available at Beatport right now.

Grade: A

Robbie Williams - Bodies

This is the first single off of his upcoming Reality Killed The Video Star album due in November. It is written by Robbie himself, Brandon Christy, and produced by Craig Russo. Trevor Horn, Guy Chambers and Mark Ronson. It marks an interesting change in Robbie's overall sound. Some of the styles and sounds he had experimented with over the years have found their way into this song. It's a nice mix of those. It has bits of Rock, Pop, Dance, and Disco. It all works quite well. The song is very catchy. Robbie sounds great as usual. The single will be released in the UK in October. The music video premieres in two days.

Listen here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Leona Lewis - Happy

This is the first single off of her second album entitled Echo. Co-written by Evan Bogart, Ryan Tedder, and Leona Lewis herself, it is also produced by Ryan Tedder. "Happy" is a midtempo, pseudo-epic track. It definitely goes beyond some of what Ryan Tedder has come up with in the last few months. Leona's vocals are really stunning on this. Lyrically, this is pretty good too. This would work well remixed. This seems like something Jason Nevins, Moto Blanco or Tony Moran could do really well.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Chicane - Hiding All The Stars

This is a new single from UK-based producer Nick Bracegirdle. It is a followup to "Poppiholla." While that was an instrumental, this one has some vocals. The track has an epic electro/house feel. It's almost metallic sounding in some places. The vocals are interesting. Samples from the main riff in Gary Numan's "Cars" make several appearances in the song. Unfortunately, the samples don't seem to fit that well due to their placement and short length. Perhaps a remix that integrates them a little better could do the trick. A creative edit removing the samples could help to salvage the track. This pales in comparison with earlier efforts.

Listen to the main version here (YouTube)

Grade: C+

Chelley – Took The Night

Although this came out a few months back, this one is still getting plenty of interest. It is one of a few songs of this style released this year. Yes, the bitch/runway track is back and better than ever. There have been a few every year, but not nearly enough. And even fewer that became classics. This one could very well become one of those. The attitude-laden “Took The Night” is playful and fun while being a floorfiller. Although the lyrics are quite minimal, the new version featuring rap by the Mims includes some new lyrics. Hopefully a version without the rap, but with the new lyrics will be released.

Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Buy the song here (iTunes)

Grade: A

Ron Perkov - Miss You

This is his latest single after nearly 18 months. Having had a circuit-oriented release of some sort every so often, this one is tailormade for that very scene. Written and produced by Tony Moran, this one isn't nearly as memorable as other releases, but the various mixes on the release help to make this resonate more with DJs and fans alike. The main version by Tony Moran and Warren Rigg is their usual uplifting, tribal goodness. Manny Lehman, Twisted Dee, and DeMarko!'s mixes are in a similar direction. Twisted Dee's is a bit more housey while Manny's is more uplifting. DeMarko! manages to be in between both styles. Mike Rizzo's mix isn't circuit-oriented. His mix is perfect for Dance radio and mixshows. A good package overall.

Buy it here (Masterbeat)

Grade: B+

Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Bill (Freemasons Mix)

Yes. The Freemasons have remixed Whitney's disco throwback single off of I Look To You. They are a perfect choice for this song. They have made an already great song even better. Think of this as a meatier version of the original. It's a lot more hard-hitting and would fit into a variety of sets. The label wisely released the mix just one day after the album was so fans can get it right away. Peter Rauhofer has also been asked to remix this song.

Buy it here (iTunes) and here (Amazon)

Grade: A+