"Think It Over"
Jennifer Holliday
Jellybean
On this heavy-hitting commercial, female-vocal record, Thunderpuss 2000 turns their mix out with hard drum programming, perfectly placed keys, and great climactic breaks. Your dancefloor will be screaming. For info, call (212) 777-5678.
- Shawn Christopher


“Roots Manuva” b/w “Dusted”
Leftfield
Columbia
British innovators Leftfield bring the pain on this trippy, spacey gem. Taken from the excellent full length Rhythm and Stealth, both “Manuva” and “Dusted” are showcased here with six very capable mixes. “Manuva,” though, is very cool with its trip-hop vibe and dark, spoken-word vocals, compliments of the “Pressure Drop” remix and the “Howie B. Vocal Remix” – they’re sort of on the Tricky tip. The “Dusted Mixes” are more breaks-oriented with the “Tipper Remix” being an out-of-your-head standout. These are late-night beats, for sure.
– Phil Turnipseed

“You Only Tell Me You Love Me
When Your Drunk”
Pet Shop Boys
EMI
Don’t miss out on this gem. The Attaboy teammates Paul Ingall, Alec Greenhough & Si Brad, who are known for their beautiful mixes on Naked Music, have outdone themselves. This journey into deep house offers funky basslines, a fierce, filtered vocal, and a complete change up toward the end that will blow your mind. Mixes from Brother Brown and T-Total drop a heavier feel.
– Shawn Christopher

*Compilation of the Month*
Machine Soul:
An Odyssey Into Electronic
Dance Music
Various Artists
Rhino

This superb double-CD history lesson would’ve been a perfect aural companion to Simon Reynolds’ excellent rave-history tome Generation Ecstasy (or Energy Flash, as known in the U.K.). Full of songs that serve as genre touchstones (“I Feel Love,” “Planet Rock,” “Strings of Life”) and one-off crossover hits (Gary Numan’s “Cars,” M/A/R/R/S’ “Pump Up the Volume”), Machine Soul is useful for the DJ looking for a genuine connection to the most seminal moments of electronic music’s rich past. From electronica’s industrial underbelly (Throbbing Gristle’s “Adrenaline”) to its ambient movement (The Orb’s “Little Fluffy Clouds”), from U.K. pop hits (The Shamen’s “Move Any Mountain”) to a handful of worthy American moments (Moby’s “Go,” the Detroit stuff) – and, of course, the regulation entries from Kraftwerk (“The Robots”), Underworld (“Rez”) and the Chems (“Life Is Sweet”) – this 28-cut compilation makes the grade and doesn’t reek of quick-buck electronica exploitation. The goods are here, with props to co-producers Craig DeGraff, Johan Kugelberg and Richard Melville Hall (aka Moby).
– Jim Tremayne

“Ghetto Queen”
Dani Girl
Rockboy/Select

Female hip-hop newcomer Dani Girl showcases her mic skills, as well as her considerable vocal chops, on this very appealing new R&B gem. Kicking a very soulful groove with a down-home bounce, Dani Girl’s mic work helps push this cut into the radio-ready realm. A tight R&B number.
– Phil Turnipseed

“Maria, Maria”
Santana feat. The Product G&B
Arista
Wyclef Jean joins forces with Santana to create a beautiful song that makes one think of warm nights and mini skirts in San Juan. Filled with busy percussion hits and a light samba groove, the “Pumpin’ Dolls Mix” at 8:56 is an epic journey into island sounds. Luckily, it also contains that contemporary vibe for the clubs. Very nice and very club-friendly.
– Phil Turnipseed

“Praise My DJ’s (Remixes)”
Justine Simmons Feat. Run
ZYX
This engaging display of hip-hop savvy gets translated into various house tongues by Jason Nevins, Stonebridge, Robbie Rivera and Alex J. The majority of the mixes on this double-disc, vinyl pack revolve around a beat-pounding, bass-laced back track and they vary from hard house-driven dubs to tempting synth-laden deep dance scorchers – interwoven by rhymes by Run of Run-DMC.
– Peter A. Colon

“Do It Properly”
The Collaboration
*69 Records
So, what happens when you take a C+C classic, then pair up Peter Rauhofer and Victor Calderone, two of the hottest remixers on the planet, to add some flavor to it? You guessed it. You get a track that will work your dancefloor into a complete and utter frenzy. (You’ve probably already heard this mix on Calderone’s E=VC2 mix CD.) And as if that weren’t enough, we get a Mark Picchiotti mix that is much softer, more piano-driven, and reminiscent of early M People. Also, Ralphi Rosario’s mix combines some of the best elements of the previous two mixes, while Johnny Vicious’ effort heads further uptempo. A couple of minutes into Vicious’ track, it breaks down to just the a cappella and then hits you with some hard synth keys that will easily keep your party jumping all night long.
– Joe Bermudez

“Barber’s Adagio for Strings”
William Orbit
Warner Bros.

A top-notch peak-hour record remixed by trance genius Ferry Corsten, “Adagio for Strings” is a very musical, but deeply moving dancefloor cut. A string orchestra masterpiece wonderfully crafted by super producer Orbit, the man responsible for the otherworldly sounds on Madonna’s Ray of Light album, “Adagio” holds nothing back and offers a new take on trance. Very hot.
– Shawn Christopher

“2000”
Binary Finary
Orbit
A great remix by DJ Jam X and Dumonde fires up this wicked trance import from Germany. Using the original version’s unbelievably beautiful key riff, their version kicks a much hard- er feel than the original and drops intense breaks that should leave trance fans satisfied.
– Shawn Christopher

“Praise The DJ”
Pusaka
Tommy Boy Silver
If DJs’ heads weren’t already big enough, Thunderpuss 2000 member Chris Cox and DJ Irene team up to bring us this great novelty record that’ll solve that problem. The “Praise The X-10-D Mix” slams for a couple of minutes, then drops and entices the crowd to lift their hands and praise the DJ, then slams again to ensure the crowd is dancing while they pay homage to you. Basically, if you like the Thuderpuss 2000 sound, you’ll love this. A filtered disco mix and an a cappella has been included to give those more creative DJs something to do.
– Joe Bermudez

“Jump for Joi” (Millennium Mixes)
Joi Cardwell
Nervous Records
With their cool new remixes of an old Sound Factory classic, Ritchie Santana and Peter Bailey work their New York hard-house flair. Check these two heavy-hitting big-room mixes – a dub and a vocal.
– Shawn Christopher

“Baby I Like”
Mia K
Bip
Now here’s a cut you probably wouldn’t look twice at in the stores, but don’t sleep on it! On this rollicking radio-friendly house jam, newcomer Mia K drops a groovy cut that has the makings of a hit. Legendary names like Justin Strauss, Mark Kamins, and Joey Moskowitz provide some excellent mixes, with the “Turn Me On” mix and the “Hyper Dub” being the standouts. This could be a sleeper.
– Phil Turnipseed

“One World”
Raker Project
Decibel
With four smoking mixes to choose from, make sure you check out the dark, bangin’ groove of the “Herbicidal Dub” with its sinister bass and edgy synth hits. The original mix gets a little more busy with filtered voices and spooky breaks – great stuff and a definite house DJ essential.
– Phil Turnipseed

“I Learned From The Best”
Whitney Houston
Arista

On Whitney’s latest, Hex Hector and Mac Quayle do what they do best – create an anthem. The vocal mix is where’s it at. With energetic production, a great “Ugh!” sample, and lyrics people can relate to, be prepared to have this requested several times a night for the remainder of the year. On the import version, check for the Junior Vasquez mix, which goes a little more downtempo, but features a very heavy bassline. Definitely worth checking out.
– Joe Bermudez

“Darkside”
Future Primitive
Jellybean Records
Anthony Martinez and Christian Scott have done it again. They’re on a new label, but they come with the same quality we have come to expect. The “NYC Mix” pounds you over the head with brutal synths, drops out, then pounds you some more. The “Dark Tribal” mix offers some great drum loops that you can easily lose yourself in. But to me, it’s all about the main mix, which is just off-the-hook. Rough and tough from the get-go, the main mix goes for nine minutes of sheer intensity.
– Joe Bermudez

“King of My Castle”
Wamdue Project
Strictly Rhythm
After conquering the overseas charts, Wamdue (aka producer Chris Brann) looks to have the same success stateside with this slammin’ new release, which comes with four great mixes. DJs should find something here to their liking. Roy Malone’s “Kings Mix” is way-cool with its stripped down minimal groove and big bassline, while the “Bini and Martini 999 Mix” has a more mainstream appeal – a little busier and bigger. That crazy synth hook, which laces through each mix, is the catch here, along with that memorable chorus.
– Phil Turnipseed

“Gimme Love”
Ron Carroll & Spero Pagos
Feat. Mea Fisher
Soundmen On Wax
The Soundmen hit us off with a sweet disco-sampled floor thumper that sports a retro-flavored theme and a solid NYC house production. The fat funky bassline, Fisher’s soulfully smooth vocals, and the energetic production make this gem a winner. Lovely. For more information, contact (212) 962-4299.
– Peter A. Colon

“Ssst...(Listen)”
Jonah
Nervous Records
This slammin’ cut will be available in two separate 12-inch releases. The first will be the original mix – a hard, floor-stomping trance anthem with a mind-blowing break. The next will include four awesome Junior Vasquez remixes that show his amazing ability to work those funky tribal drums with wicked basslines.
– Shawn Christopher