Freemasons feat Katherine Ellis - Tears

The British House duo's new single, previewed nearly six months back is finally here. The Electro Disco/House song is just as catchy as their earlier work. Katherine's vocals have a haunting feel to them, reminiscent of the ones in Red Carpet's "Alright" by Ramona Korber. The Futureretro mix is a throwback to the 80s with its Human League sound. The Pegasus mix has that early 90s Balearic House sound. The Pegasus 6AM mix is a softer, uplifting take, excellent for starting off the evening, or ending it.

Grade: A 

Pegasus Feat. Chloe Wolf - Gorecki

Lamb's "Górecki" was a haunting midtempo released in 1997. Though an unusual choice for reinterpreting as a Dance song, this new version is so tastefully done. The haunting feel of the original is maintained while making it suitable for the dancefloor. The subtle orchestral elements which slowly come in are lovely. The vocals by Chloe Wolf are stunning, coming close to Lamb's original. This is just so beautiful.

Listen here:


Grade: A+

Freemasons feat Joel Edwards - Dirty Organ

The British House duo is back with another new vocal track hot on the heels of the dubby "Bring It Back". They fused their usual Disco goodness with some of the Electro sounds popular right now. The title of the song is for the twisted, swirling piano elements on the track. Singer Joel Edwards (of Deepest Blue) provides vocals. It's mostly just a few sung lines and a single "there's something about you, girl" loop repeated throughout the track. In addition to the main club mix, there's a shorter club mix, a radio edit, and an instrumental. This one is quite the grower.

-Listen to clips and purchase here (Beatport)

Grade: A-

Depeche Mode - Heaven (Remixes)

This is the lead single from their forthcoming new album Delta Machine. The song is a Pop/Rock midtempo not deviating too much from their usual, however, there is a subtle darkness to it. The Freemasons remixes of this bring the dark element to the forefront. They kept certain production elements from the original. The song feels more intense at the higher tempo. This is easily one of the darkest mixes the Freemasons have done to date. Overall, this song is quite the grower, and the remix is  excellent.

-Listen to the original here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Freemasons mix here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Coming Soon: Freemasons feat Katherine Ellis - Tears

The UK duo known for their Disco-drenched House productions are back with a brand new single to be released soon featuring Dance diva Katherine Ellis. The production is a slight departure from their usual as it has some more Electro influences and much bigger synths than we are used to. However, the excellent soulful Gospel vocals by Katherine bring it all together. Overall, this song is shaping up to be another hit for them. Look out for this in the next few weeks.

Christophe Willem - Starlite

This is the latest single from the French popstar who is best known for winning on Pop Idol in France 6 years ago. The song is a throwback to the heyday of Disco music. The song interpolates Rufus & Chaka Khan's classic "Ain't Nobody" both in terms of the production and the main refrain ("ain't nobody, loves me better, makes me happy, makes me feel this way"). The stunning production is modern yet has a classic feel making it appealing to a wide variety of audiences. The song's lyrics are a mixture of French and English. Christophe's voice is impressive, immediately calling to mind George Michael and Darren Hayes. The remixes by Freemasons and Priizm are great too. The Freemason mixes basically soup up the original making it more suitable for the dancefloor. The Priizm mix is a lush piano house mix.

-Watch the original music video here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Freemasons remix here (YouTube)

Grade: A+

Rizzle Kicks - Mama Do The Hump (Remixes)

Hailing from Brighton, England, this Hip Hop duo is ready to take the world by storm with their latest single. Produced by Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim), the song is extremely infectious with its guitar riff loops, marching band drums, and that old school styled vocal hook. There's a full package of mixes, however the Freemasons remixes are the one to go for. The main versions start off at a house tempo and then builds into the tempo of the original before going back to the house one again. Elements from the original version are kept and worked to perfection. Their Boozer version is at the tempo of the original as well.

Nightcrawlers feat Taio Cruz - Still Cryin'

This is a club-oriented update to a song sung by Taio and John Reid a couple of years back. Both singers' voices complement each other nicely. The Freemasons, Cahill, LMC, Kenny Hayes, Jorg Schmid, and Hypasonic provide the remixes. The Freemasons keep things simple with a slightly slower mix than usual. Cahill's slightly trancey mix is beautiful as well. LMC and Kenny Hayes make things a little funkier. Jorg Schmid and Hypasonic's mixes are both in that jump-up trance style. Each a little faster than the last. Overall, the Freemasons, Cahill, and Kenny Hayes mixes are the best of the bunch. The Freemasons mix sounds perfect for U.S. CHR/Pop radio right now.

Grade: A

George Michael - I Want Your Sex

"I Want Your Sex" was the lead single off of his Faith album in 1987. A reissue for the album featuring a bonus disc of additional versions and songs, plus a DVD was to be released in late September, however that has been delayed until early next year. Some new remixes of the singles from the Faith album had been commissioned. The Freemasons remixed "I Want Your Sex." They transformed the already great R&B/Dance-Pop track into a massive floorfiller. It begins with an energetic, chugging intro and keeps building until it drops into a lower tempo, nearly identical to the original. Certain elements and sounds from the original are kept. This has the Freemasons signature sound all over it. After nearly 4 minutes at the lower tempo, it builds back up to the original higher tempo. This mix has the same sort of concept as their brilliant Kelly Rowland "Work" remix from a few years ago, which is perfect for this song.

Listen to some of the mix here (YouTube)

Grade: A+

Freemasons featuring Wynter Gordon - Believer

The British duo is back with a new vocal track featuring the vocals of rising star Wynter Gordon. This is just as memorable as many of their previous singles which they have released during the last 5 years. Production-wise, this one is a bit more chilled than their usual Disco/House masterwork. The familiar beats, strings, and bassline are there, however everything else is a bit different. It's very nice. Wynter's vocals are lovely.

Listen to the main Summer Of Pride Mix here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Bittersweet

The much-awaited new single from Ms. Ellis-Bextor is here! Produced and co-written with the Freemasons, who she performed vocals for on "Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer" last year. Biffco and Hannah Robinson assisted on writing duties as well. The result is a catchy and fun song. The Freemasons Extended mix is in a similar vein as earlier work however this is a bit more big room-ish than their usual. Sophie sounds great on this. Her and the Freemasons are a great match.

Grade: A

Amanda Wilson - U Sure Do

Amanda Wilson quickly made a name for herself after performing the vocals on several of the Freemasons' singles and with some other producers in recent years. "U Sure Do" is a solo track from her. Originally recorded by Donna Allen in the 80's, and then covered by a number of artists including Strike in the 90's. Amanda's version can be thought of as the best of all those. The production is disco/house-oriented. Her vocals are top notch. So far only the Club Edit has been made available. This song will work best in a longer mix.

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+

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+

Freemasons featuring Hazel Fernandes - If

This is the latest single from the UK duo. This is their second single to be inspired by the legendary Jackie Moore. 2005's single "Love On My Mind" was based on Jackie's "This Time Baby" as well as Tina Turner's "When The Heartache Is Over" (just the first verses from both). Amanda Wilson performed the vocals on that one. This time, Jackie's "If" from her 1973 album Sweet Charlie Babe has been covered. This originally appeared on their Unmixed album released some time back. Since it is being released now, a new version has been made. The 'Re Rub' is a bit more energetic and emphasizes the vocals. The production is faithful to Jackie's original and singer Hazel Fernandes performs a killer vocal.

Watch the Re-Rub video here (YouTube)

Grade: A