Sir Ivan - Hare Krishna

This is his newest single which is based on the "Hare Krishna" chant in the famous play Hair is a positive "love one another" type of song. It's an unusual song to turn into a club track, however, the love and peace aesthetic of the song allows it to work. The vocals are pleasant. There are remixes for this by Tony Moran, Ford, King And White, Hoxton Whores, CR n Sugarman, and the Flash Bros. Tony Moran offers a hard, big room mix with plenty of Indian instruments. This one may work better had a dub been included as the instrumental production is so great. Ford also incorporates Indian instruments into his mixes. King And White's mixes lose the Indian flavor and are more electro-oriented. The production doesn't really fit the vocals. The Hoxton Whores mix doesn't really go anywhere either. It has some good moments though. CR n Sugarman's mix has an early 90's rave sound especially with the synths. It's nice. The Flash Bros. mix has a lot going on. It's tribal/electro with some techy elements. It works. Overall, Tony Moran and Ford's are the clear winners.

Grade: B (for the package overall)
Grade: A (for the Tony Moran and Ford mixes)

Sir Ivan - Kumbaya

This is his latest single which is also a cover of a positive, uplifting type song. "Kumbaya" was recorded earlier this year, but it remained unreleased until now. There are some changes to the lyrics though. It features mixes by Eric Kupper, Christopher Lawrence, and Tony Moran & Warren Rigg. Eric Kupper's mixes are slightly circuit-oriented, but they are really light. They feature some select samples from U.S. President Barack Obama's speeches. Christopher Lawrence takes things in a trancier direction. Tony Moran & Warren Rigg's mixes are their usual circuit anthem, but they are also is in a light epic trance direction. The dub is nicer as there's just some vocals and it gives listeners the opportunity to hear the stunning production. While this release may not be everyone's cup of tea, give it a chance. The production on all the mixes is solid and well-done.

Buy the remix EP here (iTunes)

Grade: A-