Masterbeat New Releases 11/23/08

There are a couple of new tracks out that I wanted to cover, so I decided to combine the House and Trance reviews into one.

• Donna Summer - Fame (The Game) (Ralphi Rosario Club Mix)
  The Queen of Disco is back with another single from her latest album, Crayons. Donna goes with a rock feel and plenty of electric guitar in the album version. The remixes, with the exception of the Ultimix Extended Album Version, each take a different angle on this track. Dave Aude's remix takes a lighter approach while Dan Chase isn't quite what I would describe as electro, but has a bit of that vibe while feeling somewhat thin and low energy. Ralphi Rosario ends up coming out with a track that captures more of the feeling of the original track, while adapting it for your mainstream big room dance club. Ralphi's tracks are always very distinctive, this track is no different. At the same time, Ralphi's style definitely works for this track.
• Brandy - Right Here (The Departed) (Moto Blanco Club Mix)
  I haven't heard much from our girl Moesha in a while... My favorite track of the bunch is the Moto Blanco mix. While I generally like Moto Blanco, a number of their remixes sound far too similar for my tastes. They do a good job with keeping things high energy with a groovy feel but without sounding like a carbon copy of their other remixes. In fact, this track gives me a hint of something I would expect out of the SoulSeekerz. That is a very good thing. Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel put in a good showing as well, just a bit more relaxed than the Moto Blanco mix.
  
• Aquilia - Dreamstate (Oliver Lieb's LSG Mix)
  I've said before that I prefer my trance to be pretty and with great vocals. That said, there's a lot of different trance out there, and some great tracks without significant vocals. Oliver Lieb's mix of Dreamstate combines all the elements I like -- good energy, pretty and euphoric elements, while giving you just enough vocals so that you can grab ahold of this track.
  
• Moussa Clarke & Terrafunk - She Wants Him (Blake Jarrell's Panty Dropper Mix)
  For those of you who like covers of your favorite classic rock tracks on the dance floor, Moussa Clark takes part of the Police's Don't Stand So Close to Me and trances it up, while keeping the rock vibe. Ok, it's not Sting's vocals and you never get to the iconic "Don't stand so..." that I love, but I still like this track. Definitely worth a listen.
• Ascension - Someone (Signum Mix) & Chakra - Love Shines Through (Vocal Mix)
  Okay, these aren't new tracks by any sense of the word, but for those of you who haven't been following the genre for long or just want to own two of the best trance tracks of all time, Ultra has included them in their Classic Trance America release. Both tracks are by the duo also known as The Space Brothers, Ricky Simmonds and Stephen Jones, who have released under the names Ascension, Lamai, Chakra & Lustral. In my own mind, Simmonds & Jones represent some of the very best that the trance genre has to offer. Two essential tracks for any dance music lover.