Barry Harris - Toronto World Pride Set

Barry Harris, best known for his work with Chris Cox as Thunderpuss from 1997 until 2003. During their time together, they produced chart-topping remixes with their distinct tribal, big room sound with melodic elements for many heavyweights of the music industry including Amber, Britney Spears, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Donna Summer, Enrique Iglesias, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Shakira, Tamia, and Whitney Houston. Both Barry and Chris have continued to produce ever since they split in 2003.

Earlier this week, Barry released an extract of one of his live sets for Pride containing a number of brand new reworks and updates to some of the songs that him and Chris had remixed as Thunderpuss. Many of the new mixes contain elements from the original mixes they did, but they also contain contemporary sounds as well.

Part of or full tracks included in the set:
Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azaela - Problem
Barry Harris feat. Pepper MaShay - Dive Into The Pool
Barry Harris feat. Pepper MaShay - I Got My Pride
Britney Spears - I'm A Slave 4 U
Chad Jack - Gag On It
Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya & P!nk - Lady Marmalade
Ed Sheeran - Sing
Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX - Fancy
Katy Perry - Birthday
Kon Kan - I Beg Your Pardon 2K14
LeAnn Rimes - Can't Fight The Moonlight
Madonna - Don't Tell Me
Madonna - GHV2 Megamix Part 2 ("Ray Of Light", "Deeper And Deeper", "Music")
Mary J. Blige - No More Drama
Queen - We Will Rock You
Simone Denny + Barry Harris - Drama Queen (Texting U)

Suzanne Palmer - Hide U

Tamia - Stranger In My House
Whitney Houston - It's Not Right But It's Okay

Listen and download here:

Club 69 Back Catalogue Now Available For Purchase!

Club 69 was a production team comprised of the late Peter Rauhofer, Eric Kupper, and Georg O. Luksch. They had a number of hits with their own productions as well as the many remixes they did. Up until recently, only the Best Of Club 69 compilation comprised of the singles and select album tracks from the Adults Only and Style albums was available for digital download. It is unknown when it happened, but all of the Club 69 CD maxi singles, the 2 albums, and the ReStyled remix album released in the U.S. are available now. Some of the remixes, dubs, edits, and DJ tools found on the vinyl singles, promos, import editions have not been made available at this time. and iTunes is the only digital store selling these at the moment. Hopefully other stores like Beatport will carry these so DJs and collectors can purchase them in WAV format.

Here is what is available (the links are for iTunes and will let you hear clips of every track and purchase if you wish to):

Singles

• Diva / Fantasy
• Sugar Pie Guy / Warm Leatherette
• Let Me Be Your Underwear / Always Unique
• Much Better / Drama
• Alright
• Muscles
• Diva (New Mixes)
• Let Me be Your Underwear (New Mixes)
• Warm Leatherette (New Mixes)

Albums

• Adults Only
• Style
• ReStyled (Remix Album)
• Best Of Club 69

Suzanne Palmer - Joy

The club scene would not be complete without a current release from Suzanne Palmer. The legendary big voiced diva is back with a song she co-wrote with Georgie Porgie. "Joy" is quite the anthem. The Gospel style vocals she is known for are on full display here. The song has a 'classic' sound to it already. The lyrics are great. There are plenty of remixes by Georgie Porgie, Funk 3D, and Tommy Love. Georgie's Anthemic mixes are circuit-oriented. Those loving the sounds of DJ Paulo, Ralphi Rosario, Tony Moran will love these. Georgie's Electro House mixes are a little lighter but the beats are similar to that of the Anthemic mixes. Funk 3D's mix sounds like a meatier Freemasons mix. Tommy Love's mix is also in the circuit style. The added piano and electro elements give it a different feel. It's the most mainstream of the bunch. Overall, every version is great with Georgie's Anthemic being the best.

Listen to clips of the mixes and buy the release here (Beatport)

Grade: A

Jason Jayma feat Nana D'Aquini - Fame

This is indeed a remake of the Irene Cara classic. After Suzanne Palmer and Naturi Naughton's takes on this song comes a cover more faithful to the original, especially with the vocals. Swedish singer Nana D'Aquini who does vocal duties this time around also covered this back in 2000, however, her version did not see a stateside release. Fans of the original should definitely check this one out as the vocal arrangement remains very faithful to the original. That said, the vocals are really good. Jason Jayma's circuit-styled production is dramatic and driving. The dub is even harder-hitting than the main version. Overall, this is one of the better covers of the classic. The single will be released on February 22 in the U.S.

Listen to a preview of the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

DJ Dan - Fascinated

This is a remake of the Freestyle classic made famous by Company B in the mid 80's. Suzanne Palmer and Carol Jiani most notably recorded and released covers of this as well. This remake is really faithful to the original both in terms of production and vocals (that familiar riff is there too!). The main version could basically be thought of as a modernized version of the original. The Late Night mix loses a bit of the original flavor. DJ Bam Bam's mixes keep only a little bit of the original feel. Chew Fu however uses just the right amount. In addition to the original, Chew Fu's is the best of the bunch. Fans of the original must check this out.

Listen to clips and purchase the release here (Amazon) and here (Juno)

Grade: A

Offer Nissim - Pride All Over 2010

This is a new continuously mixed compilation showcasing some of his recent productions and remixes. It begins with two new Epiphony tracks including "Mr. Charming" and "Boxing Ring." "Mr. Charming" sounds like the darker cousin of their earlier hit "Out Of My Skin" while "Boxing Ring" has some electro influences. Next is Offer's remix of "Why Tell Me, Why" by Anita Meyer which is based on the original. He beautifully turns the light Disco track into a club anthem. Following that is "The One & Only" with Nikka is a pretty, uplifting but dark track. Suzanne Palmer's cover of Melba Moore's "You Stepped Into My Life" is up next. It features additional vocals by Maya Simantov. It's mostly instrumental except for the few vocal samples and occasional breaks with Maya's vocals. The electro-tinged production with buildups and breakdowns is really fun. The next two tracks are in other languages including Greek and Turkish, respectively. Shlomi Saranga's "Essi" is a dark, moody track with some emotion-filled vocals. "Yeni Beni (Out Of My Skin)" is a cover of Epiphony's "Out Of My Skin" sung by a male vocalist. Some Epiphony vocals are used too. Ivri Lider's "F*** Off Berlin" is next. It's rather dark as well. It must be mentioned that it's not a song bashing the city of Berlin. Following that is a twisted techy-tribal update to Flickman's "The Sound Of Bamboo." Two more classic songs in other languages come next. The French "Nuit Magique" by Lara Catherine and the Hebrew "Adaa'in Kan" by Shoshana Damari. Both are really stunning. The latter is really haunting and dramatic. The compilation closes on a positive note with "Freedom To Y'all" by Mickiyagi. The unexpected 'symphony' break in the middle is a lovely touch. Overall, this is a good compilation. The mixing could be thought of as 'segueing' as each track does blend seamlessly into each other, but only for a few seconds at the end. The standouts include the Epiphony, Suzanne Palmer, Shoshana Damari, and Mickiyagi tracks.

Grade: A-

Suzanne Palmer - Big Love

It has been a while since we have had something new from her. She is back with "Big Love." It is based on the same set of vocals which were in Pete Heller's 1999 international club hit "Big Love". That track was based on Stargard's 1979 song "Wear It Out." Suzanne really delivers on this track. The lack of lyrics other than the two main lines throughout the song make you long for some verses and choruses. Peter Rauhofer's main mix is electro/tribal tinged. It has a lot more energy than some of his recent work. It has a nice hard, driving bassline and some pretty synths. The Muzzaik mix is in a similar direction but a lot more minimal. Etienne Ozborne & Peter Brown's mix has a little more going on but is very repetitive. Peter's is the mix of choice.

Purchase the 3 mixes here (Star 69's own store)

Grade: A-

Yinon Yahel featuring Maya Simantov - Bringing You Home

After this was premiered more than half a year ago, this finally gets a release. "Bringing You Home" is yet another Maya Simantov vocal track that that strikes an emotional chord with the listener. Many of the songs her and Offer Nissim recorded in the past dealt with the subject of love and loss, topics that they turn into some really mesmerizing songs. Yinon's production is progressive/electro/tribal. The beatless parts are absolutely stunning. The main riff is reminiscent of the riff used in Offer's mixes of "Home" by Suzanne Palmer nearly 4 years ago. It's a nice nod to the past. This is a great track overall.

Buy the main mix here (Amazon)

Grade: A

Suzanne Palmer - Fame

Nearly a few months have passed since DJ Bill Bennett brought us an anthemic cover of Big Pig's "Breakaway" featuring the vocals of Inaya Day. Another cover will be the followup. This time it is "Fame" originally by Irene Cara. Circuit diva Suzanne Palmer is the vocalist on this one. Some have said it was almost blasphemy to cover such a classic. The same has been said about many covers that turned out fine. And this one is no exception. Ms. Palmer nails it. Comparisons will definitely be made between the original and this new cover, but this cover is totally comparable. A release of this cover with some additional club-ready mixes by Bill Bennett will happen in a few weeks. This is yet another single off of his forthcoming mega album Big Muscle Of The Rhythm. Songs featuring the vocals of Thea Austin, Pepper MaShay, Lonnie Gordon, Celeda, Marty Thomas, Noa Tylo and others will be on the album. Check out the radio mix at Bill's MySpace.

Grade: A-