Tomcraft - Loneliness 2K13

This song was released 10 years ago. It has been remixed and reinvented a few times since then. Built around a vocal loop of part of the verse from Andrea Martin's "Share The Love" (which was remixed to perfection by Hani), the song relies on a strong instrumental hook in addition to the vocals. The new main version stays very true to the original. There are additional remixes by Tujamo and Jaxxon. Tujamo's mix is minimal and has a few nice electro breaks. Jaxxon's mix on the other hand is a far more aggressive take on the main version, resembling the Benny Benassi mix of the original. Overall, the main version is the best of the bunch.

Listen to these versions here:


Grade: A-

Chris Brown - Don't Wake Me Up

Continuing with his foray into Dance/Electronic music, R&B bad boy Chris Brown's latest single is produced by Benny Benassi. They previously did "Beautiful People" together. The production on the main version is radio and club-ready. Despite being severely autotuned, the vocals are pretty good. This song would work well as a downtempo if such a version were to be made. William Orbit also produced a laidback remix version. The vocals have more room to breathe on this version. Both versions are very well-produced. This should be another hit for the singer this Summer.

Purchase the song (iTunes)

• Benny Benassi Mix
• Free School/William Orbit Mix

Grade: A-

Madonna - MDNA (Deluxe)

The highly anticipated 12th studio album is finally here! After the lukewarm reception to her 2008 Hard Candy, she returns to her Dance roots as she did with 2005's Confessions On A Dance Floor. The producers she has worked with this time around are Alle & Benny Benassi, Demolition Crew,  Free School, Indiigo, Martin Solveig, Michael Malih, and William Orbit.

Here is a track by track writeup.

Madonna - Girl Gone Wild

After the quick rise and fall of "Give Me All Your Luvin'" comes the second single. Produced by Benny Benassi, the song in many ways feels like the next logical progression for the new record. Starting with a spoken introduction that almost recalls her "Act Of Contrition" from Like A Prayer, the electro-pop production that calls to mind Dr. Luke's handiwork comes in. Vocally, Madonna sounds really distant and detached from the song. The lyrics are filled with cliches and lack much substance. Despite those major shortcomings, the chorus and bridge manage to be the best parts of the song. In addition to the original, there are remixes by Justin Cognito that basically soup up the original. The remix is actually better than the album version. Overall, this is much better than the mediocre "Give Me All Your Luvin'."

-Listen to the original version without the intro here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Justin Cognito remix here (YouTube)
-Purchase the original version with intro here (iTunes)

Grade: B+