Donna Summer - MacArthur Park 2013 (Rosabel Mixes)

This song was originally recorded by Richard Harris in 1968. Donna Summer covered the song in 1978 for her Live and More as part of the 17 minute "MacArthur Park Suite" which also contained "One Of A Kind" and "Heaven Knows". The exquisite cinematic production by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte was a perfect match for Donna's pitch perfect, soaring vocals. The song was a number one hit and it remains one of Donna's most famous recordings.

The song was remixed by Laidback Luke for the Love To Love You Donna remix album released last month, however, he opted to use a limited amount of vocals. Celebrated production duo Rosabel (Abel Aguilera and Ralphi Rosario) have done additional mixes which are more vocal oriented. They wisely retain much of the soul of the original, keeping many of the instrumental elements and the vocals. The verses and choruses have been used, but sadly, the bridge has been omitted. The short single edit of the original did not have the bridge either so perhaps they did it based on that. Only the longer 7" mix and the "MacArthur Park Suite" have that. Their main club, mixshow, and radio edit are all based on the same production, just in differing lengths. Their Dark Dub however is an entirely different production bearing no resemblance to the other versions. It's a driving tribal production with some previously unheard spoken vocals by Donna as the focal point. Despite the omission of the bridge in the vocal mixes, the mixes are still excellent. The dub is really fun too.

Grade: A

Donna Summer - Love To Love You Donna

This is the first posthumous release for the Queen Of Disco. It is a collection of brand new remixes that were produced just for this collection. This collection only covers a limited part of Donna's multi-decade career, but it focuses on the most important time when she had a string of hits.

Here is an overview of each track:

Love To Love You Baby (feat. Chris Cox) [Giorgio Moroder Remix]
This orgasmic odyssey clocking at almost 17 minutes in its original version back in the day is re-imagined in an "I Feel Love" aesthetic by Giorgio Moroder and Chris Cox. Despite the production being re-arranged as much as it has, the sensuality quotient is still very high. This song is every bit as erotic as it was in 1975.

Dim All the Lights (Duke Dumont Remix)
It is a shame that this one only uses so few vocals because the production was rather promising. It basically loops the same line over and over for much of it.

Hot Stuff (Frankie Knuckles & Eric Kupper As Director's Cut Signature Mix)
This song's Disco meets Rock production is appropriately minimized in this 90s House rework which incorporates a few key instrumental flourishes and hooks from the original, however, the Rock elements are sorely missed.

I Feel Love (Afrojack Remix)
One of the most influential songs in all of Dance/Electronic music has been updated ever so slightly picking up the tempo, but the soul of the song and that signature arpeggio hook that has been sampled and ripped off countless times is left intact. There have been a number of remixes of this song over the years which strayed too far and left much to be desired. This is one of the best mixes of the song ever done other than the Rollo & Sister Bliss one from 1995.

Love Is In Control (Finger On the Trigger) [Chromeo & Oliver Remix]
While certain melodies from the original were kept, this mix ends up sounding far more dated than it should.

Sunset People (Hot Chip Dub Edit)
The Disco vibe of the original is maintained though the tempo is lowered just a little. This would have worked better as a full vocal mix.

Working the Midnight Shift (Holy Ghost! Remix)
The Once Upon A Time album track is reinvented in a Kevin Saunderson/Inner City style. The industrial sound of the original is there too, just changed up a bit.

Bad Girls (Gigamesh Remix)
The song from the double album of the same name about the ladies of the evening is given an 80s synthpop styled reworking. The Disco/Rock vibe of the original has been entirely stripped away.

MacArthur Park (Laidback Luke Remix) [Instrumental Version]
It's puzzling why the instrumental was put on the standard edition instead of the vocal mix which is on the deluxe edition. It's a good instrumental, but the vocals really bring it home.

I Feel Love (Benga Remix)
After the amazing Afrojack mix, this one is totally unnecessary. There are hardly any vocals and the few teases of the original that are there just don't work.

On the Radio (Jacques Greene Remix)
The remix of this evergreen classic just sucks out all of the fun that the original had. The effects on the vocals make them sound so distant.

Last Dance (Masters At Work Remix) [Short Version]
The classic closing song at any club was already cinematic and over the top in all of the right ways, but this remix lacks the power and urgency that the original had. The orchestral elements that are there from the original feel out of place with the watered down production.

La Dolce Vita
This previously unreleased, unleaked song seems out of place on this collection because every other song has been released before in some fashion. It's a great track and sounds fairly modern courtesy of Giorgio Moroder's forward-thinking productions, but it would be more at home on a collection of Donna's unreleased songs (and there are possibly hundreds of those!).

Our Love (Krystal Klear Remix) [Bonus Track]
This one has been re-imagined as a soulful House track with a hint of electro in the bassline.

MacArthur Park (Laidback Luke Remix)
This should have been on the standard edition in place of the instrumental version. This one maintains the melody of the dramatic original which was in that epic "MacArthur Park Suite", adding some new bells and whistles, and of course some noisy electro buildups. This is still pretty decent.

Bad Girls (Boys Noize Club Mix)
This cut up rework is also unnecessary as it feels so messy and noisy.

Sunset People (Hot Chip Re-Edit)

This longer version of the mix on the standard edition is good for the clubs, but it might be too much for some listening at home unless one is into this sort of thing.

Overall, this remix collection ends up being rather disappointing with more than half of the mixes being underwhelming due to questionable production choices and the handling of the vocals. Cutting out 90% of the vocals and using just a fraction of them is not appropriate for someone like Donna. Her songs are meant to be heard with all the verses, choruses, bridge, and ad libs that made her originals so loved and memorable. The clear standouts of this collection are the Giorgio Moroder & Chris Cox mix of "Love To Love You Baby", the Afrojack mix of "I Feel Love", the Director's Cut mix of "Hot Stuff", the Laidback Luke mix of "MacArthur Park" (with the vocals), the Gigamesh mix of "Bad Girls", and the Holy Ghost! mix of "Working The Midnight Shift". 

Purchase the Deluxe Edition here (iTunes)

Grade: C

Kristine W. - New and Number Ones Club Mixes Part 2

This is the second volume of the New and Number Ones album featuring some brand new remixes as well as some previously unreleased rare ones.

Here is a track by track overview of the digital edition (the CD edition does not include track 11, however "So Close To Me" is supposed to be released as single very soon):

1. Lovin' You (Soul Seekers Club Mix)
This brand new funky electro-disco rework of the hit maintains much of the melody that is characteristic of the original. It's really well-done.

2. Happiness (Twilight Club Mix)
This darker take on the song from The Power Of Music is delightful.

3. Love Come Home (Kristine W. & Frankie Pharoah vs. Bitrocka Epic Duet Mix)
The edit of this appeared on the first volume of this album. This is so uplifting and pretty.

4. Everything That I Got (Offer Nissim's Tel Aviv Mix)
This mix was released a short time after the initial remix packages had been made available. This one could be thought of as an entirely new track as it centered around some spoken parts and ad libs instead of the verses and chorus.

5. Clubland (Junior Vasquez Big Horns Club Mix)
This was done around the time of the Thunderpuss mixes and the original however this was not released properly. It has circulated on the internet, but now it's finally here in great quality. This is a festive horn-laden mix with select elements of Royal Party's "Can You Party" and Lil Louis' "The Conversation" in it.

6. Sometimes Like Butterflies (Simon Langford and Soul Seekers Summer Club Mix)
This gorgeous cover of the Donna Summer b-side appeared on the first volume of this album, however, it gets extended and a little harder here.

7. Stand in Love (Stonebridge Alternate Radio Mix)
A slightly different version of this was released a few years ago for sale through the now closed Perfect Beat digital store when they had a large number of rare and unreleased Kristine material. Stonebridge's treatment makes it more uptempo.

8. Shower the People (Welcome & Joe Carrano Vegas Nightclub Mix)
The full version of this remix was made available as a bonus download with the purchase of the "Everything That I Got" CD maxi from Kristine's website last year. The midtempo was made over into a lush disco/house floorfiller.

9. Sweet Mercy Me (Junior Vasquez Icon Club Mix)
This was also made available as part of the Perfect Beat digital release of the unreleased material, however, this is a much clearer, restored version than the one released before. This had been at the top of many collectors' wishlists for almost 15 years and it was worth the wait. This mix is quite the club anthem.

10. Wonder of It All (Joe Carrano Progressive Club Mix)
The previously unreleased mix is far more anthemic than any of the previously released mixes. This is easily one of the many highlights of this album

11. So Close to Me (Tony Moran Destination Mixshow Mix)
This brand new mix by Tony Moran and Joe Carrano is in a trancey, big room style. It ends up being more chill than anthemic as the beats could have been a little harder.

Overall, this is a solid collection of tracks as it includes some of the rarest mixes and they have been beautifully remastered.

Grade: A

DJ/Remixer Peter Rauhofer, 48 passes away

The Grammy winning DJ/remixer/producer/record label owner lost his battle with brain cancer today at the age of 48. Originally from Austria, Peter began his career working as a record label A&R for Gig Records. He made forays into DJing and production a short time after.

Peter's first major release was under the alias Danube Dance with "Unique." which went on to be an underground hit. Under his most famous production alias of Club 69 with Eric Kupper and Georg O'Luksch, "Let Me Be Your Underwear", "Sugar Pie Guy", and "Take A Ride" followed. These appeared on the full length album Adults Only released in 1995. A second album, Style was released in 1997. In addition to usual vocalist Kim Cooper, he introduced a new singer Suzanne Palmer who had only done a handful of songs at the time. "Drama", "Much Better", "Alright", and "Muscles" were the major hits from the album. After Twisted Records closed, Peter created the Star 69 label to release his own tracks as well as for a number of other artists. Amuka, Lula, Offer Nissim with Maya Simantov, and Suzanne Palmer were some of the label's biggest successes.

In addition to the original productions, Peter remixed almost every major artist including Annie Lennox, Beyonce, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Deborah Cox, Depeche Mode, Donna Summer, Duran Duran, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, k.d. lang, Kristine W, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Nelly Furtado, Pet Shop Boys, P!nk, Rihanna, Seal, Scissor Sisters, Shakira, Toni Braxton, Tori Amos, Whitney Houston, and Yoko Ono. These are just some who he did remixes for. Of the aforementioned artists, he notably remixed Madonna's songs more than any of the others. Peter won a Grammy in 2000, and was nominated again in 2001 and 2004 (for his mix of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful"; the category of Best Remixer used to be for a body of work for a particular year until it was changed in 2002).

In just the past year, Peter had begun to actively remix again completing both official and private mixes of Adele, Alicia Keys, Gossip, Inaya Day, Janet Jackson, Kazaky, Madonna, Miasha, Mika, Offer Nissim, P!nk, Rihanna, Scissor Sisters, Swedish House Mafia, Toni Braxton, Tori Amos, and will.i.am & Britney Spears.

In addition to his many remixes and productions, Peter DJed regularly, often playing his many private collection mixes. For several years, he had a regular residency at the legendary Roxy club until its closure. He also played at Spirit and Stereo at various times too. He notably played at The Saint At Large's Black Party held at Roseland. Peter had his Work party events several times year, often co-headlining with other newer DJs.

Despite the many changes in Dance music both in terms of tastes, styles, and industry shifts, Peter constantly reinvented himself staying relevant and successful more than 2 decades. He leaves behind a tremendous body of work that is almost unparalleled by any of his contemporaries. He will be truly missed.

Condolences, messages, and stories may be posted and shared on his official Facebook page here

Some of Peter's best remixes:

Eurythmics - 17 Again (sorry, it won't let me embed)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIfsXlSMbYw

 

Jim Heinz Mixes Now Streaming!

This is a special posting announcing that a number of the mixes Jim Heinz produced with Jonathan Peters from the late 90s up until about a couple of years ago are now being streamed as a part of the Melodic House Renaissance project. Jim was known for his work on the harder, darker mixes often bearing the Sound Factory Mix or Dub name. He has also done a number of solo mixes.

Several of the famous mixes he worked on include Amber's "Above The Clouds" (the Velvet mix), Aubrey's "Angel" (a solo mix), Donna Summer's "The Power Of One" (the Sound Factory mixes), Karissa Noel's "Corrupt", Luz Divina's "In Your Eyes", SaFire's "Exotique" (a solo mix), and Whitney Houston & Deborah Cox's "Same Script, Different Cast" (the dub).

The playlist in which all the mixes are:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQAQxV07PGnubqgOhLKNaCoo_byTtc0t

Nearly all of the remixes are unreleased and previously unavailable. Some of the highlights include remixes of Alicia Keys, Gloria Gaynor, Kanye West, Kelis, Luz Divina, Roxette, Sash!, Whitney Houston, and many, many more.

-Jim Heinz's Facebook Fan Page is available here for the latest updates and other information.

4 Rare and Unreleased Donna Summer songs

The Queen of Disco passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. In addition to the vast number of releases she had, there are many songs that have remained unreleased and unheard for a long time. Among them were "My Life", "Love On And On", "Valley Of The Moon", and "Adonai." Certain versions of these four songs have surfaced during the last few months since her death.

Donna Summer - Stamp Your Feet (Joel Dickinson Pride 2012 Mix)

Legions of fans said goodbye to the legendary Queen Of Disco as she passed away suddenly last month. Her last major album release was the Crayons album from 2008. "Stamp Your Feet" was the second single from that record. It was remixed to perfection by DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio and Jason Nevins.

Just in time for the Pride festivities of 2012 comes this revisit of the joyful number by Joel Dickinson. The production is absolutely lovely with the big synths and hard beats, complementing Donna's amazing vocals. This is a wonderful update and a great tribute to the Queen.


The remixer has kindly provided download links of the remix in both MP3 and WAV.
MP3: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?6jpa6dwrflor5g9
WAV: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xhcftxstcxc7xno

Grade: A

O'Mega Red feat Donna Summer - Angel

This is the latest single from the rapper. He teams up with Queen of Disco Donna Summer for this midtempo track. O'Mega raps while Donna sings the hook and vocalizes in the background. This is yet another new avenue for the veteran singer. They complement each other wonderfully. Compared to most contemporary rap, the lyrics are quite positive and tell a story. Donna sings the hook in a vocal style that is different from what most are used to, but you can tell it's her. Overall, this is quite lovely.


Purchase the song here (iTunes)
Listen to the song here:

Grade: A-

Donna Summer - To Paris With Love

"To Paris With Love" is her latest single. Co-written by Donna and longtime collaborator Bruce Roberts (most notably on the duet "Whenever There Is Love" and "I Got Your Love"), Donna sings about her love of the French city. The song is very light and delicate in its original version. Donna's vocals are much more subdued than her usual. This sounds like something one may hear at a posh cafe. There are some club mixes of this by Wawa, Craig C, and Mendy (so far). Wawa's mix is electro/dance-pop oriented. This gives the song some much needed energy. Craig C's mixes are in a similar direction but a little harder. Mendy's is electro/house-ish as well. The Wawa one is the best of the bunch so far. Additional mixes were announced so those may be released at a later time.

Listen to the original here (YouTube)
Purchase the remix EP including the original here (iTunes)

Grade: B+ (for the original)/A- (for the Wawa mix)

Donna Summer - Fame (The Game)

This is third single off of Crayons which was released earlier this year. "I'm A Fire" and "Stamp Your Feet" were the two earlier singles. It's an uptempo Dance/Rock track. It is an interesting commentary about fame and almost all of the things associated with it. Some of the parts are sung and some parts are sort of rapped/spoken, particularly the verses.

This song really lends itself well to being remixed. Remixes by Dave Aude and Ralphi Rosario are coming soon.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Amber & Zelma Davis - No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)

The highly anticipated release of clubland legends Amber and Zelma Davis' cover of "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" happens today!












As promised last month when the collaboration was first announced, here is a review.

The vocals by Amber and Zelma Davis are absolutely fantastic! Both of their voices complement each other very well. They do justice to the Barbra/Donna original.

The mixes are by Pathos V2 and Solar City. Pathos V2 did two main mixes. The Classic version bears a slight resemblance to the original one in terms of production elements. But overall, this one is a nice marriage of the classic and the modern. The Kickout mix is a bit more Circuit/Pop-ish. This too has some splashes of the original. Solar City's mixes are a bit more Circuit-oriented. Excellent synth work and semi-hard beats are the highlights. The full club mix is nearly eleven minutes long! The buildup and breakdowns are truly remarkable. One of the best mixes Solar City has done this year. All versions are well-done though.

In addition to the digital release, a CD single has been released. Perfect Beat has some copies left for sale.

Grade: A

Amber & Zelma Davis - No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)

This is indeed a cover of the Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer song, with Clubland legends Amber and Zelma Davis delivering the vocals.

There have been a few covers of this song over the years that have attempted to recapture the magic of the original, but none have been able to do so until now. Kym Mazelle with Jocelyn Brown and k.d. lang with Andy Bell have done covers that were fairly decent.

Pathos V2 and Solar City provide the remixes this time around.

Watch Amber and Zelma talk about how they got together and the process of recording this song. There are also some clips of the song.

The digital release of the mixes will be happening on August 12, 2008. A special limited CD single is going to be made available, however, it is only available if pre-ordered by August 1, 2008 following the directions on this page in the first post by JMCA.

The tracklisting of the single:

01. Pathos V2 Classic Mix (5:12)
02. Pathos V2 Kick Out Radio Edit (3:48)
03. Pathos V2 Kick Out Video Edit (5:11)
04. Solar City Radio Edit (3:53)
05. Solar City Album Edit (5:12)
06. Solar City Epic Mixshow (6:38)
07. Solar City Epic Club Mix 10:49)

Based on the first previews of this song, it sounds quite promising and could prove to be quite successful.

A more thorough review will be posted here after the release happens.

Donna Summer - Crayons (Album)

This is her first proper studio album in almost 20 years (just about). The album is a mix of accessible Dance, Pop, R&B, Rock and even a little bit of Country. Donna's voice still packs the same amount of punch as it did during the 70's and 80's. She impresses on all the songs.

It opens with the sing along anthem "Stamp Your Feet". It's impossible to get through this one without dancing even a little. "Mr. Music" is a lovely ode to music. This one has the makings of a club hit. The title song isn't about children using crayons with their coloring books. It's a Reggae/Dancehall club banger which features additional vocals by Ziggy Marley. This is a fun track. On "The Queen Is Back", she isn't singing about herself returning. It's pretty general. "Fame (The Game)" is an aggressive track with quickly-sung vocals in the verses. "Sand On My Feet" is the Country-ish song. It's a simple guitar-driven song. "Drivin' Down Brazil" is guitar-drive as well, but this one is a tad more uptempo. It's a slightly poppier "La Isla Bonita." The previously released single "I'm A Fire" follows. It is a nice laid-back, sophisticated vocal track. "Slide Over Backwards" is very Country-ish as well. Donna delivers her vocals in such a way that she sounds like Rod Stewart and Tina Turner. It's not as bizarre as it sounds. "Science Of Love" is a Dance-oriented R&B and Rock track. This one works surprisingly well. This is a stand-out. "Be Myself Again" is a haunting, wrenching ballad. This best showcases Donna's vocals. With sparse production and a hypnotic piano, this one could translate well into a club remix. "Bring Down The Reign" is a mid-tempo Dance track with a chanting and tribal beats. This is very haunting as well.

The bonus track on the Circuit City and Japanese editions is called "It's Only Love." It's in a similar vein as "I'm A Fire." This is a solid Dance track that should have been on all editions of the album. It's worth seeking out these editions for this song. The CC edition is available on the website.

Grade: A-

Donna Summer - I'm A Fire

After her last outings in 2005 with "I Got Your Love" and "The Power Of Love/Love Power", she is back with a new album (coming in May) on a major label (Burgundy). Her latest single "I'm A Fire", aimed at the clubs and Dance radio just topped the Billboard Dance/Club Play charts. Donna worked with Sebastian Arocha Morton.

It comes loaded with a plethora of mixes by Solitaire, Craig C, Rod Carrillo, Redtop, Baggi Begovic, Matty and Lost Daze, in addition to the original. All of these mixes are available as a limited 2 part CD maxi available through PerfectBeat. Some of the mixes are also available for purchase through the various digital download stores.

Overall, this single is much stronger than her previous ones from '05. Donna's vocals are on-point and she sounds fantastic. It's hard to believe that Ms. Summer is approaching her 60's and her vocals sound just as crystal clear and smooth as they did back in the days of Disco. Keep up the good work!

Grade: A