Tag: cyndi lauper

SONG OF THE DAY: Cyndi Lauper – “Time After Time (Remixes)”

Set for release in April is the 30th Anniversary Celebration edition of Cyndi Lauper’s epic debut ‘She’s So Unusual.’ Spawning massive hits like “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” and “She Bop” that have stood the test of time, this reissue will no doubt be enjoyed by many. For clubland, both “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time” have undergone the remix treatment. While I have yet to hear how the Aussie pranksters Yolanda Be Cool have reworked “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” the Bent Collective and Nervo remixes of “Time After Time” have already started igniting dancefloors. The Bent Collective (Danny Verde and Steven Redant) structure their remix as a four-part story – the energetic intro (which has a keyboard hook similar to Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams”), the amped-up verse which keeps the feel of the original while making it club-friendly, the stadium treatment of the chorus with the epic dropout, and the big build-up to the middle bridge, which has a world music anthem feel similar to a Deniz Koyu (Tung/Bong) record. The brilliance in this mix is the way the four parts come together as one and make the classic song sound like a journey. While the Bent Collective mix keeps the lyrics intact, the Nervo twins take some liberties and reimagine the song as a modern festival track – i.e. big beats with all the vocals over a beatless drop. It feels more like a Nervo featuring Cyndi Lauper track rather than a remix of the original – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since it will probably attract a younger generation. Of course, you can’t really discuss remixes of “Time After Time” without mentioning Josh Harris’ remix that was done for the True Colors tour and sounds just as good now as it did when it came out in 2007, or that great white label that brought in Planet Rock beats underneath Cyndi’s voice. No matter which you favor, these remixes will hopefully open the door to more mining of Cyndi’s classics – could you imagine an Avicii remix of “True Colors,” Soundprank taking on “Change of Heart,” Matt Pop making a Morning Music/NRG monster out of “The World is Stone,” or an Armin van Buuren mix of “All Through the Night?”

Bent Collective

Nervo

Josh Harris

Image Courtesy of Sony/Epic.

Cyndi Lauper – “Time After Time (Remixes)”

SONG OF THE DAY: Cyndi Lauper – “Sex is in the Heel”

Gotta love it when a talent like Cyndi Lauper gets involved in Broadway. As one of the musical writers for the Kinky Boots musical rendition, Lauper embarks on this new frontier with the release of the song, “The Sex Is In The Heel” from the show. The extended version of the track packs a punch, and with remixes from Morel, RLP, Danny Verde, Honey Dijon, and Jochen Simms already released to club DJs, Lauper is looking to make a splash in clubland. The track isn’t officially released until July 17th, so until then you’ll have to cool your heels with the mixes until the original version finds it’s way onto your personal media device.

Image Courtesy of Pulsar Megaforce

TOP TEN LISTS: 80s Dance Artists

Artists from the eighties coming back and hitting the dancefloor with even more wonderful dance music

1. Pet Shop Boys

The Pet Shop Boys have more than twenty years at the forefront of electronic pop/dance music. With their catalog of masterpieces, it’s hard to believe that they?ve yet to win a Grammy (despite six nominations), yet The Brits recently recognized them this year with a well-deserved award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

2. Laura Branigan

Unlike Madonna, unlike Cyndi Lauper, unlike Whitney Houston, she was never an icon of that particular decade, though her music from that time period remains just as relevant as that of those artists. She was a singer (and occasional artist) who for a brief period of time embodied the gloriously schizo nature of what pop music can encompass, spanning aerobics anthems (calling “Gloria”), searing ballads (“Ti Amo”), dancefloor apocalypses (“Satisfaction”), and girly-twirl disco (“Solitaire”).

3. Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper’s unique voice and vision have provided us not just with great pop records, but with standards. When you hear a song like “True Colors,” “I Drove All Night,” or “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” only Cyndi comes to mind. Her new album At Last features her interpretations of other’s standards inspired by the stories she has lived. Cyndi’s voice is also memorable whether you hear her live in concert, captured on DVD, or in the mix at your favorite nightclub.

4. Bananarama

And critics say that dance music doesn’t spawn real artists… Twenty-five years into their career as the most successful girl group of all time, Bananarama (the duo of Keren Woodward and Sarah Dallin) have released “Drama,” a defiantly dance album, featuring the singles “Move in My Direction” and “Look on the Floor.” Already a hit on satellite and dance radio, will the ‘rams conquer the states again?

5. Taylor Dayne

When a performer is noted for finding the drama in a song and bringing it forward, you’ll notice a pattern. You can always find vocal drama at its finest in whatever songs that recur with drag queens throughout the world, and that tradition is a mark of quality for those who delight in musical performance.

6. New Order

New Order broke the mold as both an alternative artist and a dance artist in the 80s. Hits like “Bizarre Love Triangle” and “True Faith” are still heard in clubs today.

7. Robert Clivilles

Robert Clivilles is truly a dance music legend. Together with his late partner David Cole, C&C Music Factory redefined dance music as a producer-driven artist medium and successfully brought their international smash hits ?Gonna Make You Sweat,? ?Things That Make You Go Hmm,? and ?Here We Go,? to the people through clubs, video and touring. As a remix team, their work on Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and many others introduced many to the concept of remixing.

8. Erasure

For twenty years now, there has been no more tireless a pair of advocates for the glory of synth-pop than Erasure. Andy Bell and Vince Clarke have been making outstanding pop music that moves the dancefloor and the pop charts, and even when exploring new sounds and textures, their devotion to electronic music has never waned.

9. Tiffany

Everybody loves Tiffany. Her hits “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “I Saw Him Standing There,” and “Could’ve Been,” launched from her infamous mall tour, became pop classics. After spending a couple of years in Nashville, releasing the critically acclaimed Color of Silence album, and a popular Playboy layout, Tiffany moved to Los Angeles and created “Dust Off and Dance” ? the high energy dance album that her fans have been clamoring for.

10. Simply Red

Not many bands can claim that they have lasted for nearly 20 years, making music both creative and relevant. Always embracing dance music to enhance their innate r&b/soul flavor, Simply Red continue to produce wonderful music that spans all genres.