Breach ft Kelis – The Key (Extended Version)
Layo Bushwacka vs Freejak – Finally
Erik Abores – Hold On Mmm Baby (Original Mix Edit)
Sander Van Doorn & Oliver Heldens – THIS
Marc Benjamin ft Nuthin Under a Million – City Lights
Jay Hardway & Mike Hawkins – Freedom
Tiesto – Light Years Away (Tiesto & MOTi Remix)
JETFIRE & SpinRox ft Anabella – Revelation
Uberjak’d ft Nuthin Under a Million – Back 2 Life
Andreas Rodlund and Matt Hewie – Without You The Moose (Extended Version)
Lush & Simon ft Delaney Jane – In My Hands
Orjan Nilsen ft Christina Novelli – Hurricane
Ben Gold ft Christina Novelli – All Or Nothing (Original Mix)
Steve Aoki & Flux Pavilion – Get Me Out of Here
(Picture of Christina Novelli taken at WMC 2014 – courtesy of Ascendance Radio.)
Ok, I will admit it.? As underground and cool as I try to pretend to be, I am such a sucker for UK chart pop.? Just about any girl group they assemble across the pond, if they do the right remix, it will be in my club sets.? So, yeah, I love The Saturdays, Little Mix, and of course Girls Aloud.? When Cheryl Cole took a break from Girls Aloud and went solo with her Kelis “Lil’ Star”-sampling “Fight For This Love,” I became a huge fan and have played just about every single since (“Parachute,” “Call My Name,” “Promise This,” “Under the Sun”). ?Back with her fourth album, Cheryl is getting even popper with “Crazy Stupid Love.”? There’s that horn part which is just infectious (giving Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty To Me” a run for the money), and the “la la la” hook over the jig-dancing staccato/handclap beat, the key change for the chorus, and that oh-so-cute off-beat spoken title line.??? The rap by Tinie Tempah is also quite good, bringing in calls for both a whistle and a wiggle while describing the official love.? The funny thing is that when he repeats “official” it sounds like he is saying “real fish,” which to fans of drag queens means something completely different.??? Steve Smart & Westfunk turn out a solid electro mix which keeps the pop vibe and hooks, but toughens it up for commercial club play.? What makes this perfect for Sunday Funday (aside from it being a girl twirl pop song from Cheryl Cole) is how the video looks so dark and underground that it comes off like satire or camp.? Watching her hump the table while wearing harem paints and a face beat with more make up than a drag queen will definitely put a smile on your face.
When I first heard “Rumble” a few months, it was a headscratcher. To go from her full-on electronic dance album “FleshTone” to this soulful, lo-fi rocking track produced by Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio) seemed like a major jump. Then again, when you listen to Kelis’ musical development over the years, she has always jumped around and experimented with different genres and producers. Listening to the song, it sounds more like a duet with two voices as Kelis sings with quite a deep, almost unrecognizable rasp on the verses – contrasting with the softer, prettier tone of the chorus sounding more like her recent releases. Maybe becoming a chef has made her focus on becoming a bit more rootsy and back-to-basics with real instruments and expanding her natural vocal range for her forthcoming ‘Food’ album coming on NinjaTune. Club DJs need not fear, though, as Breach (Ben Westbeech) has crafted a brilliant production essentially mashing his two recent singles – with the verse having the darker tone of “Everything You Never Had” and the chorus emulating the bouncy fun of “Jack.” Here’s hoping that all the songs on her upcoming ‘Food’ get the same tasty high quality remix treatment as well.
