Beatport New Releases - 10/20/08

Marc's Top 5 House New Releases

• Kid Massive feat. Yota - Just Want U (Original Mix) & (Raul Rincon Rootz Mix)
  One of the things I love about Beatport is that they have a very deep catalog, so I always find great tracks that I don't often hear anywhere. This is a great example -- the Original Mix is piano based that mesh well with Yota's vocals. Raul Rincon's mix keeps gives the track a funkier, dubbier feel with less piano. I really dig both tracks.
  
• Warner Powers feat. Alec Sundrae - Dirty Games (2008 Vocal Mix)
  I've mentioned before that I like groovy tracks and this one has a great classic house/disco vibe. I confess, I missed this track when it originally came out in 2007. The 2008 Mix isn't too far off the original, just seems more filled out with the additonal vocals. Makes me long for the days of Studio 54, unprotected sex and cocaine. Never mind that I'm not really old enough to remember those days, but this is a great track.
• ATFC feat. Lisa Millett - Bad Habit (AFTC's Lectrotek Revisit)
  Ok, I remember hearing AFTC's Bad Habit from around 2000 from a great local DJ and my DJ "Godfather" (or Godmother?) DJ Timmy. Just one of those quintessential tracks that screams, "I am in a gay bar and I love it here!" Thanks ATFC for updating this track. I found another remix not too long ago that didn't quite work for me. This time, ATFC updates the more classic disco sound with an electro feel that still has plenty of energy and ends up still being playful.
  
• Alex Baratinni feat ELO - Last Train to London (Extended Mix)
  Speaking of Studio 54, unprotected sex and cocaine, a remix of ELO! You don't get much more disco than that unless you're Cheyenne Jackson in Xanadu. Another one for you disco afficionados. Honestly, I've been looking for other styles but it looks like there's just a TON of really great groovy/disco feeling tracks that made it in this week. Many more than I'm mentioning.
  
• Ian Carey & The Good Guys - Lose Control (Stefan Gruenwald & Oliver Backens Remix) & (Jerry Ropero & Denis the Menace Remix)
  I confess that while I've spent most of my time in the gay dance scene, I have an affection for the spirit of house music as a whole. This is a track that celebrates that spirit -- that the dance floor is a place for everyeone to be themselves and to let go. Gruenwald and Backens go with a groovy, guitar based track while Ropero & Denis go with more of a tribal, big room style. At the moment, this track seems to be territory restricted -- so it may be a while before we can buy it in the US... which means I'll have to find less legal ways of getting it. Idiots!

Bonus Track: Victor Imbres feat. Francisca London - Don't Let It Get to Ya (Submerge Mix), (Surface Mix) and (Bounce Mix)
Ok, I recommended a track that you couldn't buy, so here's a make-up. One of the things I love about house music is that it has so many different shades and feels and vibes. One of my favorites is tracks that openly try to uplift you and help you let go of life's disappointments and frustrations. As such, two of my favorite tracks of all time are Chicane's Strong In Love (which can still make me cry) and Alright by Red Carpet. Don't Let It Get to Ya is in that same spirit, if not necessarily as emotionally moving as those two tracks. My favorite is the Bounce mix, which has a balance between a stronger bass line and lighter synth elements that give it a substantial feel in my book. The Submerge mix is a close second -- still a strong bass line and a good feel of building energy. The Surface mix isn't bad, just doesn't quite have the same feel as the other two.

Marc's Top 5 Trance Tracks

• Armin Van Buuren feat. Sharon Den Adel - In and Out of Love (Richard Durand Remix)
  I love Armin and I got the original of this track over the summer. Loved it, though it didn't really work as a dance track -- mainly because Armin went with more of a break beat instead of your standard dance 4/4 beat. I was glad to finally see a remix, although Durand gives the track a more aggressive bass line that initially didn't sit well with me. Now that I've listened through it a few times, it makes more sense in the context of the track as a whole. Definitely a track worth getting. Sadly, I couldn't buy it at Beatport, but I did get it at Masterbeat. (Stupid record labels making it hard!) Also worth getting is the Blizzard Remix. The Push Trancendental Mix is pretty but feels a little too happy and bouncy to be appropriate.
• Filo & Peri feat. Eric Lumiere - Shine On (Activa Remix) & (Aly & Fila Remix)
  Ah, trance at it's very best -- happy, euphoric and soaring. I loved Filo & Peri's last track with Eric Lumiere - Anthem. It's great to hear them go from singing an anthem for the one that got away to the heights of Shine On. Lumiere's vocals aren't as textured as they were in Anthem, but they're still easy on the ears. Both the Activa and Aly & Fila Remixes are good, similar in feel.
  
• Ascension - For A Lifetime (DJ Shah Remix)
  What happens when you pair one of my all time favorite trance artists, Ascension (aka Lustral, Chakra, The Space Brothers), with one of my recent favorite remixers, DJ Shah? For A Lifetime isn't one of my Space Brothers/Ascension favorites but DJ Shah gives it a good update. You still get a taste of DJ Shah's more relaxed style at points but it retains the feel of the original overall. I'd love to see DJ Shah take on Someone or Everytime.
  
• Kim Sozzi - Feel Your Love (Extended Mix)
  This isn't the first time Kim Sozzi's gone from your typical house diva style to trance. In this go around, it's hard to hear the Kim Sozzi I remember from "We Get Together" back in 2001 in this track. Not a good or bad thing, it's just impressive that Sozzi sounds like she's been doing trance vocals for years, which is probably a much better career move because trance is MUCH more commercially viable, at least in Europe. While this track didn't blow me away, it's enjoyable and worth a space in your newest playlist.
  
• Giuseppe Ottottaviani feat. Stephen Pickup - No More Alone (Original Mix)
  One of the tough things about trance is that a lot of it winds up sounding the same. The genre has been undergoing some growth -- there's hard trance and you've also got the Eurodance sound -- neither of which really appeal to me. One of the ways to stand out is to use a different sound for the synths -- No More Alone takes this approach. I'm not sure if I like it, but I tend to be a little picky on small things like that. Overall, another decent track worth mentioning.

A quick note -- while these are Beatport releases, I did have problems linking to a couple. I ended up linking to them at Masterbeat, so you can listen and maybe purchase.