Cher - Take It Like A Man (Remixes)

After part 1 came out earlier this month, the second set of remixes by DJ Paulo with Alain Jackinsky, JRMX, and Tony Moran with Joe Carrano were recently serviced to DJs.

Paulo and Jackinsky deliver some really dark and synthy mixes that recall Peter Rauhofer's work. JRMX's mainstream Dance/Pop mix is in a similar style as the 7th Heaven mix. Tony Moran and Joe Carrano deliver with some hard anthemic mixes. They arranged their mix in a way that has lots of peaks and valleys in the energy level to play up the drama at just the right times. Every mix on this second set is great.

Grade: A

Paulo & Jackinsky feat Michael G - Chicky Boom! (Remixes)

The main versions of this dark tribal track were released last year. Some additional mixes have been released. DJ Paulo, Nick Harvey, Stephan Grondin, and Tony Moran with Mauro Mozart provided the mixes. DJ Paulo's own Runway mixes are hard and tribal with the occasional tease of those "Love Is The Message" flourishes and that hypnotic male vocal. Nick Harvey's mix is quite the anthem with a big buildup to a long break and then more of a buildup, then it's over. Stephan Grondin's mix is drummy and minimal. Tony Moran & Mauro Mozart's big room mix is the most mainstream of the bunch. Overall, DJ Paulo's mix is the best of the bunch with the others being great too.

-Listen to clips and purchase here (Beatport)

Grade: A-

Justin Bieber feat Big Sean - As Long As You Love Me (Remixes)

This is the second single off of his Believe album. The dubstep influenced track marks a major change in the popstar's sound. This is far more infectious than the previous single "Boyfriend." Rapper Big Sean's appearance on the song is pretty good.

This is his second consecutive single to have a full package of remixes for the clubs. There are remixes by Paulo & Jackinsky, Ferry Corsten, Audien, and Audiobot. DJ Paulo & Alain Jackinsky's signature big room sound works very well with the song. Ferry Corsten's electro-house mix feels a tad too aggressive for such a light-hearted and fun song. The Audien and Audiobot mixes are in a dubstep style. Audien's mix is a bit more uplifting while Audiobot's is very dark and aggressive. Fans of the original wanting something similar to that will enjoy the latter two.

Watch the music video for the original version here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Lula - Master & Servant Part 1

The underground house diva is back with a new S&M-themed track. Lula's voice is even more hypnotic than usual. Armed with mixes by DJ Paulo, Alain Jackinsky, Ralphi Rosario, and David Lara, this one is for the circuit floors. Minimal and techy-tribal, DJ Paulo's main version is like a percapella and would be fun for layering. Paulo's mix with frequent cohort Alain Jackinsky builds with dark stacky riffs and strange effects all throughout it. Ralphi Rosario's mixes are dark and peakhour-oriented. The dub is just fantastic. David Lara's mix is similar to DJ Paulo's first mix, functioning only as a percapella. Overall, the Paulo & Jackinsky and Ralphi mixes are the best. This is another hot one from the Kult stable.

Grade: A

Faith Michaels feat Camuso - Fetish

Drag performer Faith Michaels makes her clubland debut with "Fetish". Very much in the vein of Shine's spoken word over a circuit production "Stimulating & Exciting" from 1999, this one is just as sexy. There are remixes by Twisted Dee, DJ Paulo, J Zuart, and DJ Polyak. Twisted Dee's mix is very dark and sleazy. DJ Paulo's tribal take is much more peak hour-ish. J Zuart's mix is similar in style of Paulo's mix, but with some interesting builds and drops. DJ Polyak's mix has an 80's synthpop undercurrent while remaining tribal. All of these mixes are circuit-oriented. All of the mixes are really good, however, the DJ Polyak one stands out.

Check out the music video here (YouTube) NSFW
Purchase the single here (Amazon)

Grade: A-

DJ Paulo - Deep In Your Diva

Known for his energetic tribal brand of house music, DJ Paulo is back with a new track entitled "Deep In Your Diva." For the most part, it is an instrumental with some fun vocal samples intercut in between the various synths and rhythms. Although it lacks a formal vocal hook, this one is still plenty catchy. This track is based on DJ Paulo's own private remix of Beyonce's "Diva" from last year. It's basically the same instrumental without Beyonce's vocals. Overall, this works much better as a separate track. .

Purchase the main version here (Masterbeat)

Grade: A-

Whitney Houston - I Didn't Know My Own Strength and I Look To You

These are two of the three singles from her comeback album I Look To You to be remixed. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" saw a couple of mixes by Peter Rauhofer and Daddy's Groove a few weeks back. Immediately following that, "Million Dollar Bill" saw mixes by the Freemasons, Frankie Knuckles, Warren Rigg, and Peter Rauhofer. It just topped the Club Play chart.

Starting off the month of November right, additional mixes for "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" and  new ones for "I Look To You" have been promoted to DJs.

For "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", there are mixes by familiar collaborators Junior Vasquez and Jonathan Peters. Junior's mixes are dark and big room oriented. The Drama Intro one is a little milder. The choice "It's Not Right But It's Not Okay" vocal samples are a nice touch. Jonathan Peters continues in a slightly lighter direction, however, his is quite good as well.

For "I Look To You", there are mixes by Johnny Vicious, Dio, Giuseppe D, and DJ Paulo. Johnny's club mix begins in a tribal electro style but then suddenly it becomes uplifting and melodic when Whitney's vocals come in. Absolutely stunning. His Warehouse mixes are much harder and more electro. Dio's is a funky, electro-house affiair. Quite nice. Giuseppe D's is a Eurodance with a hint of circuit/tribal mix.. The addition of the piano is lovely. DJ Paulo's mashup is an interesting tribal/electro type mix. It's a well-done mashup. It doesn't feel like a mashup as it matches so well.

Overall, the mixes for both tracks are superb.

The mixes will be available for purchase in the coming weeks.

Grade: A+

Ralphi Rosario featuring Shawn Christopher - Everybody Shake It

Featuring the vocals of legendary House vocalist Shawn Christopher (of "Another Sleepless Night" fame), "Everybody Shake It" is yet another song that will soon become a classic. It could be thought of as this Summer's next big anthem the way Oceana's "Body Rock" was the anthem of the Spring.

Ralphi's main mix is a nice disco/house affair. Really light and classy. His Big Room mix is really hard and driving. Dave Aude's is pure electro/house bliss with the "French Kiss"-esque production that is so apropros given that Shawn Christopher was the vocalist on the Songbird Sings version of the Lil' Louis club classic "French Kiss." The Lego mix is much more electro-ish. DJ Paulo's is tribal/electro-0riented. Not as dark as some of his other work, but effective.

Buy and listen here (Amazon)

Grade: A

Kristinia DeBarge - Goodbye

She is the daughter of James DeBarge of the legendary 80's group DeBarge. This is her first single. Sampling a bit from Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye", the song is quite catchy and addictive. It does sound like a milder version of Britney's "Womanizer". That song has spawned a number of similar songs, especially with the production. Kristinia's voice is decent. She seems interesting enough.

There are remixes of this song by Mike Rizzo, Hot 22, and DJ Paulo. Mike Rizzo's are in a similar direction as the original. He keeps the swing beat. It's really good. Hott 22 and DJ Paulo's mixes lose the swing beat. Hott 22's are really nice, classy House mixes. Very pretty. DJ Paulo's are not as dark as one may expect given his previous work. These are a nice blend of tribal/electro sounds. A strong package overall.

Masterbeat is selling the remix package.

Grade: A-

Jimmy D. Robinson - A Tiny Shoe

A poet, Jimmy D. Robinson's poem "A Tiny Shoe" form his latest collection Timewarp has been turned into a song. This is not the first poem of his that has been transformed in this fashion. Recordings of the spoken words were given to various remixers and they created productions to match. The first set of mixes by Tracy Young, Josh Harris, and Bruno Linares has already been released. A second set of mixes by DJ Paulo & Todd Dutkevitch, Twisted Dee, and Rafael M will be released soon.

Overall, Tracy's mix works the best from package 1. The hard, but melodic production is perfect. The spoken words just float over the production in an unusual but effective way.

While this may not be for everyone, this is definitely something different. It's really worth checking out.

Grade: A-