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:

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.

Whitney Houston & Jordin Sparks - Celebrate

This is a new song Whitney recorded with the American Idol just a few days before she died. "Celebrate" is from their upcoming movie Sparkle. The song is a rousing, feelgood Disco/House/R&B track. It calls to mind "Million Dollar Bill" from her last album. Both Whitney and Jordin sound great together. The two divas complemented one another beautifully.

There is no word on whether this song will get remixes but Joel Dickinson has already made a fluffy teadance ready anthem. He includes a couple of lines and high notes from "Million Dollar Bill" that fit so well adding to the playful atmosphere of the song. The beats are hard but the Disco-lite production calls to mind a dark room with a shining mirrorball at the center.

Listen to the original here (YouTube)

Listen to Joel's remix:

The remixer has kindly provided a limited time download of the remixes in 320 KBPS MP3 and WAV formats.
320k MP3: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?3d25a92jw3598n2
24-bit WAV: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?u7ivy4ijc3o9jbt

Grade: A

RIP Whitney Houston

Singer, actress Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48 as confirmed by her publicist earlier today. There is no word on the cause of death at this time. A full investigation is currently being conducted.

Whitney was scheduled to make an appearance at Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party this evening.

The daughter of singer Cissy Houston and cousin of Dionne Warwick, two musical powerhouses in their own right, Whitney began singing in the church before she caught the attention of Clive Davis. Known for her distinct soaring, powerful voice, she had many, many hits including "Saving All My Love For You", "Greatest Love Of All", "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", "So Emotional", "I Will Always Love You", and "It's Not Right But It's Okay." Her signature song is "I Will Always Love You" from the movie The Bodyguard, in which she also acted with co-star Kevin Costner. Despite her nearly quarter of a century career, she released only 6 proper studio albums (7 if her Holiday album One Wish were to be included).

In addition to The Bodyguard, she acted in Waiting To Exhale, The Preacher's Wife, and the forthcoming Sparkle due this Summer. Filming for the movie was completed late last year. Whitney also made contributions to the soundtracks for the first three. She was also heading into the studio to record some new music for the movie or for a new album in recent weeks.

In recent years, Whitney's personal life became tabloid fodder as she was involved in a tumultuous relationship with singer Bobby Brown and had a very public drug addiction. She eventually sought treatment and had appeared to overcome her addiction.

She made a brief musical comeback in 2009 with the release of her I Look To You album and accompanying concert tour. However, reviews were mixed as many noticed Whitney's voice had changed dramatically, most likely a result of years of substance abuse.

Whitney leaves behind a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, 19.

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+

Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Bill

This is the next proper single from her comeback album I Look To You. Written by Alicia Keys, this one is an uptempo. This is the first uptempo that the general public has heard from this album. It is an R&B/Disco-oriented track. It sounds like it came out of the mid 70's. But it does not sound dated (think of Mary J. Blige's "Just Fine"). It has that classic feel. Some may consider this to be a departure from the Whitney of the past, but she sounds quite at home on this track. With an extended version and some club mixes, this could be massive in the dance clubs. Whitney's vocals are in finer form on this. She just lets loose and has a great time, as will the listeners when they hear this song.

Grade: A

Whitney Houston - I Look To You

This is the now-confirmed lead single off of Whitney's forthcoming comeback album of the same name. "I Look To You" is a nice throwback to the Whitney of yesterday. Already rising up the Urban and Urban AC charts, this has already connected with a number of her fans who have been waiting patiently for her return. Vocally, Whitney is on-point. Noticeably missing are lots of the vocal acrobatics that made Whitney so famous, but just enough are present. This is a great start to her comeback. The album I Look To You will be released on August 31.

Grade: A-

Whitney Houston - I Didn't Know My Strength

After lots of different information about a possible comeback making the rounds for the last couple of years, it looks like the time is now. A release date of September 1, 2009 has been set for her album entitled I Look To You. There had been all sorts of rumors about the present state of Whitney's vocals. She still sounds pretty good. Not as amazing as she used to be, but what many loved about her vocals is still there. The song is very confessional and honest. However, the verses and choruses do not build up to any sort of climax as she did on earlier work. Even then, this is still great.

Listen to it here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Grammy Special on CBS Tonight

There will be a special airing on CBS tonight at 8PM featuring 25 of the greatest Grammy performances as chosen by the fans.

Watch the 50 videos that were in contention.