echeblog: Masterbeat New Year, New Releases!

Masterbeat New Releases - 1/12/09

It's 2009 and while many have been busy with the holidays, I was rather pleased that Masterbeat has a number of great new tracks. Here's hoping their second year in existence is even better than the first!

Mariah Carey - I Stay In Love (Jody den Broeder Club Mix)
I've never been the biggest Mariah Carey fan, but she's had some good tracks, especially recently. I Stay In Love is a light ballad that translates well onto the dance floor. Not as catchy as Touch My Body, but still worth a listen. Jody den Broeder's Club Mix keeps things relatively light, which feels right for this song, in my opinion. den Broeder also has a House Mix, which is piano-based and has more energy than the Club Mix. Ralphi Rosario's Big Vocal Mix feels a little heavy for this track. I like his Melodic Radio Mix, I'd have preferred a full length version.
Solange - Sandcastle Disco (Lost Daze Extended Club Mix)
Yes, she's Beyoncé's little sister and I'm a little (okay a LOT) tired of Beyoncé at the moment, but I dig Sandcastle Disco. I enjoyed her last single - I Decided, as well as the videos for both tracks. They've both got a good dose of whimsy to them, which makes Solange more fun on the ears than her sister right now. There are some decent tracks in this release, none of them quite capture the vibe of the original track. The Freemasons have a remix and normally I love their stuff. This one is pretty standard for them -- very Freemasons, but they're not able to pull off the marriage of this track with their style. It sounds okay, but it came off sounding somewhat formulaic. DJ Escape and Tony Collucio offer a more dramatic Circuit-style feel, which gives the track more of feeling of angst. Lost Daze is my favorite, with an almost electro-vibe that's got a little more juice to it but still ends up being fun.
The Pussycat Dolls - I Hate This Part (Moto Blanco Club Mix)
I have a confession: I like this track. I know, while I didn't officially swear to secretly hate every PCD track, I UNOFFICIALLY swore and I just broke that vow. It just goes to show you that a good remixer can work wonders. In particular, Moto Blanco goes with their standard groovy vibe and makes this track FUN. Pussycat Dolls with disco-y goodness! While the Freemasons weren't able to marry their style with Mariah, Moto Blanco succeeds here. Dave Audé and Digital Dog have tracks that just plod along... Karmatronic goes with a more trancey feeling, which works for a while but ends up sounding a little whiney. Moto Blanco all the way.
Matt Zarley - Here I Am (Ayhan Sahin Crystal Ball Mix) and (Love to Infinity UK Club Mix)
I have a some friends who take an instant disliking to male vocals, but Matt Zarley comes up with a feel good track that I'm very glad to have found. He's got a great voice and on top of it all, he's hot, gay and I'd TOTALLY sleep with him. While Matt's had other releases and has been hitting the gay scene recently, this was my first exposure to any of his stuff and I'm hooked. My favorite is the Ayhan Sahin Crystal Ball Mix that's a little more stripped down, featuring piano and acoustic guitar that I love. Love to Infinity, Solar City and Rafael M each have good mixes. Love to Infinity is a more mainstream sound with high energy and lots of piano. Solar City also comes up with another strong effort.
Wemixer - Revival Changes (Starplayerz Vocal House Mix)
Taking a break from the more pop-oriented tracks, I was really struck by the vocals, that reminded me somewhat of Annie Lennox. The track is very lush and and the synths flow well, supporting the vocals really well. Not a long track, but something I really enjoyed.
Stefano Prada - Forever Young (Extended Vocal Mix)
Okay, I know there are still some children of the 80s out there. Alphaville's Forever Young was one of my favorites. Stefano Prada's no Alphaville, his vocals aren't great and being Swiss, his slight accent ends up leaving the lyrics feeling a tad off... but he gets so many points for reviving this track that I like it anyway. The electric guitar also reminds me of Peter Presta's revival of Boston's More Than A Feeling. Prada doesn't pull it off quite that well, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.