Manika - I Might Go Lesbian (feat. Tyga)

This is the latest from the singer-songwriter. It is an Electro/Pop midtempo club banger about being tired of men. The lyrics are a little over the top and hilarious, but that's what makes the song memorable. Coupled with the DJ White Shadow-esque production, the song is super catchy. Tyga is a good accompaniment to Manika's rapid fire lyrics. There is a club remix by the Jump Smokers which plays up the Electro aspect of the song.

-Listen to the original here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Jump Smokers remix here (YouTube)

Grade: B+

Mariah Carey - You're Mine (Eternal)

After several false starts with a couple of singles that didn't perform as expected, the official lead single from her new album due out this May has been released. It is cut from the same sensual cloth as 2008's "Touch My Body", but it isn't quite as commercial. This one has multiple hooks and other sections versus the traditional verses and choruses. The slow groove of the song is really hot.

There is an alternate remix which features additional vocals by Trey Songz. His heavily auto tuned vocals do not mesh well with Mariah's soft, delicate ones, but his backing vocals during the verse do.

Dance mixes by Jump Smokers and Kurd Maverick have also been released. The Jump Smokers remix uses just a handful of the vocals, selecting just some bits of the climax which makes the mix feel incomplete as there is nothing leading to those vocals. It's very sloppy. Sadly, the Kurd Maverick mix uses even less vocals. It's puzzling that both remixers chose to omit the stellar vocals as they did.

Listen to the 4 versions here (YouTube)

• Original
• Remix with Trey Songz
• Jump Smokers remix
• Kurd Maverick Remix

Grade: A-

Rod Stewart - Sexual Religion (Remixes)

The legendary artist is back with a brand new album. The Dance-oriented Pop song is a bit of a departure from his usual. It has the feel of something Enrique Iglesias or would have done in the late 90s. Rod's voice is in great form despite being on the scene for so long. The lyrics are really great and age-appropriate.

There are some remixes by Baggi Begovic and Jump Smokers. Only a handful of Rod's songs have received the remix treatment, most notably "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and "Human." Baggi's mixes are euphoric and anthemic while Jump Smokers are more mainstream. Both have done a great job. Baggi's are the best of the bunch.

-Listen to a preview of the original here (YouTube)
-Listen to a preview of the Baggi Begovic mix here (Soundcloud)
-Listen to a preview of the Jump Smokers mix here (Soundcloud)

Grade: A

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

Joe Jonas - Love Slayer (Remixes)

This is the former Disney star's second solo single. After a midtempo, he is shooting for a club-oriented track to showcase his versatility. Vocally, Joe is surprisingly strong. The original is pretty club-ready, however, there are some remixes by Ralphi Rosario, Stephan Grondin & Alain Jackinsky, Static Revenger, and Jump Smokers which take the song to another level. Though Ralphi's mixes are in a similar vein as some of his recent mixes, this sound works perfectly here. The Stephan Grondin & Alain Jackinsky mixes are harder, and better suited for peakhour play. Their Vocal mix with early 90's rave pianos works better than the Tribal mix which feels a little too over-produced. The Static Revenger mixes have a tinny, gritty electro-house sound which somehow works. The Jump Smokers basically souped up the original version, making it a little more epic for the dancefloor. Overall, the Ralphi Rosario mixes are the best of the bunch.

Grade: A-

Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me (Remixes)

This debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 based on just a week of sales, and has now begun to take off on radio. Remixes for this have begun to be promoted. Abe Clements, Adrian Lux & Nause, Jump Smokers, Mike Rizzo, Ocelot, Smoke n Mirrors, The Alias, and Tracy Young have remixed this so far. Since there are so many mixes, it would be a bit much to describe all of them in great detail.

The Abe Clements, Mike Rizzo, and Tracy Young's mixes are the best of the bunch. All are equally energetic, especially Mike's. Abe's incorporates the dubstep section nicely. Tracy's is dark and tribal, and her handling of the breakdown is a bit unexpected. Adrian Lux & Nause, Jump Smokers, Ocelot, and Smoke n Mirrors mixes are a bit on the busy and noisy side, and are just okay. The Alias mix sounded promising but feels a bit too metallic and is painful to listen to.

An extended version of the original is desperately needed and would be a great addition to this package.

Grade: B (for the package overall)/A- (for Abe, Mike, and Tracy's versions)

Tino Coury - Up Against The Wall

Following up his debut single "Diary" is his new one "Up Against The Wall." The Electro/Dance/Pop song is much catchier and better showcases Tino's vocals. He is much more in his element with a song like this. The production is gritty and energetic. The remix by Jump Smokers adds some additional rap, plus a grimier Electro sound. The original is the better version though.

-Listen to the original (YouTube)
-Listen to the Jump Smokers remix (YouTube)

Buy the original here (Amazon)

Grade: A-

Katy Perry - Firework (Remixes)

This is the third proper single from Teenage Dream. The anthemic "Firework" is catchy as it is empowering. The uptempo number has an underproduced electro/house sound to it.

There are plenty of remixes of this one by The Wideboys, Fred Falke, Jump Smokers, and Nick Harvey & Billy Waters. The Wideboys mix is in a similar vein as the original with a slightly funkier sound. Fred Falke's has an 80's synthpop sound to it. The Jump Smokers mix is a tad edgier than the others. Finally, there's the circuit mix by Nick Harvey & Billy Waters which truly turns this song into the anthem it was meant to be. This is the strongest mix of the package. Overall, all versions are good, but the last one is great.

-Purchase the digital single here (Masterbeat)
-Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Jump Smokers - Don't Be A Douchebag

Jumping on the train of these novelty club jams is Jump Smokers with "Don't Be A Douchebag" which is a hilarious and somewhat searing look at these regular fixtures at nightclubs. While this may not be amazing or thoughtful, it will generate plenty of laughs. It begins very much in the same way as Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" with a similar spoken intro. The electro/pop production is quite good though. The vocals are very similar in style to LMFAO (of "I'm In Miami Bitch" fame).

Watch the music video here (YouTube)
Buy the song here (iTunes)

Grade: B+