Santana and Wyclef feat Avicii and Alexandre Pires - Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way)

To herald the arrival of the FIFA World Cup, several festive songs have become the anthems of the games. Other songs composed specifically for the World Cup by Pitbull & Jennifer Lopez with Claudia Leitte, Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Aloe Blacc have also become quite popular. This one by the legendary Carlos Santana with Wyclef Jean on lead vocals, production by Avicii and additional vocals by Alexandre Pires ends up being a rousing, tribal anthem that is sure to get people up on their feet and into the mood. It's a positive and universal song. There are a number of club mixes of the song, however, Cutmore's is the best as he stays close to the original making it a little dancier.

-Watch the lyric video here (YouTube)
-Purchase the song here (iTunes)

Grade: A

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love (Cutmore Remixes)

The pro-same sex marriage themed song which was a timely hit this year has received some remixes by Cutmore. This song is an unlikely choice for a remix, however, Cutmore has approached this in a manner which reconciles the rap parts and Mary Lambert's hook into different tempos with the remix going back and forth a couple of times. Macklemore's rap parts are done at a lower tempo while the hook is at the higher one. The piano-based production is uplifting. The second verse has been omitted, possibly due to the use of a certain slur (used within the context of referencing it so it's not being used in an offensive manner), but it would have been nice had the verse been included.

Listen to the remix here (YouTube)

Grade: A- (would have been an A if it had the 2nd verse)

Jewel - The Greatest Hits Remixed

Singer/songwriter Jewel is no stranger to clubland as a number of her singles have been remixed for dancefloor consumption, and she even dabbled in some Electronic-influenced music with her 0304 album.

Christina Aguilera - Let There Be Love (Remixes)

This is reportedly the 3rd single off of her Lotus album. The uptempo is produced by Max Martin and Shellshock. The song's production immediately calls to mind Ke$ha's "Tik Tok", Katy Perry's "California Gurls", Usher's "The DJ Got Us Falling In Love", and Madonna's "Girl Gone Wild." While the song's lyrics aren't terribly exciting, it's still a lot of fun. Christina sounds great.

Remixes for the song were serviced recently by Ark Angel, Cutmore, DJ Kue, Jump Smokers, and TV Noise. Ark Angel's R&B/Dubstep mix is pleasant. It has lots of buildups and breakdowns. An edit of that could help it on radio. Cutmore's big room House mix maintains the chord progression but really beefs it up in terms of bass, beats, and synths. DJ Kue's mix is in a similar style, though slightly less melodic. The Jump Smokers doesn't deviate that much from their formula and is good. TV Noise's electro mix changes up the structure of the original and makes it dub-like.

Overall, Cutmore's mix ends up being the best of the bunch.

Listen to streams of all the mixes on Soundcloud (these were NOT uploaded by Sweet Muzik)

Ark Angel | Cutmore | DJ Kue! | Jump Smokers | TV Noise


Grade: A

Shakira - Waka Waka

This was the official song of the FIFA World Cup this year, which has already come and gone. Although it's a bit late to be reviewing this song here, there is a fabulous dance remix of this by Cutmore which is worth checking out.

The original is a festive, feel-good dance-oriented track. The lyrics are a tad on the sappy side, but still good. Shakira's vocals sound great too. Cutmore's remix keeps the happy vibe of the original and gives it a lush, disco-house makeover. It's very elegant. His recent work has been top-notch, and this is no different.

Watch the original version here (YouTube)
Listen to the Cutmore remix here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet (Cutmore Remixes)

Although this song became a single nearly a year ago, it has just recently been remixed. There have been a few other remixes done for his earlier singles. Cutmore provides the remixes this time around. His mixes are beautifully done. The piano-driven house mixes call to mind some of the masterpieces Frankie Knuckles and David Morales were known for creating during the 90's. Michael's vocals sound wonderful already and they go so well with the production. Cutmore did a brilliant job on this.

Watch the remix video here (YouTube)

Grade: A+