Rihanna - Umbrella

This is the lead single off of her 3rd studio album Good Girl Gone Bad. The original has the feel of an 80's pop ballad. It's a nice, simple track that almost got ruined with Jay-Z's rapping. It's really unnecessary. Remixes by Josh Harris (as Lindbergh Palace), Jody den Broeder and Seamus Haji with Paul Emanuel take this song to the clubs.

For all the mixes, it is worth mentioning that the vocals were sped up instead of being slowed down. The album version has one of those "dangerous" BPMs which could be very tricky when remixing. Some unofficial mixes have already contained a slowed down vocal because slowing down was easier than speeding it up. Rihanna has a lot of vibrato in her voice so that could cause some problems. But all the mixers handled this one very well.

Harris' mix has a lite 80's synth pop feel to it.

Den Broeder did two main mixes. The Deconstruction mix is very electro with lots of fun blips and beeps. Without the beats, it would sound like a slowed down drum n' bass track. The bassline is absolutely hot. And vocal effects on the "eh ella eh ella" parts are really creative. The Lush mix is a little more circuit, but it is also very electro with a hot bassline too. This also has the 80's kind of sound to it. The style of this one calls to mind some of the sounds of Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Eric Prydz.

And finally there are Seamus Haji and Paul Emanuel's mixes. Theirs are super electro. It's a little more underground sounding.

Overall, all the mixes in this package are really impressive. All of them should garner plenty of airplay and spins on the dancefloor.

Tony Moran - Something About You

This was recorded over a year ago with lead vocals by none other than Tony Moran himself. Yes, he sings. He had done a few songs during the Freestyle era, as well as a cover with Nicki Richards of "High" by Lighthouse Family and most recently a cover of When In Rome's "The Promise."

Offer Nissim had originally charted this in his top 10 as early as April of last year. He has done multiple dubbish style mixes which feature only a handful of vocals. Jody den Broeder did a slightly more circuit/electro mix which is full vocal, and of course there's Tony's own Circuit Mix which is full vocal as well.

Tony's dazzling, warm vocals just float beautifully atop the productions. He sounds totally amazing. He needs to sing more often because he just sounds so good. As of now, no release has been planned for the song as a single. Until then, Tony's mix can be heard on Brett Henrichsen's current CD for Masterbeat.

Brett Henrichsen - Masterbeat Presents Winter Party 2007

As he has for the last several years, circuit DJ extraordinaire Brett Henrichsen brings the latest installment in the Masterbeat series. A handful of recent hits and a bunch of previously unreleased goodies make up this edition. Mixed end to end, this mixed CD keeps the flow going at a great pace without getting boring. The 5 rare and unreleased Tony Moran-associated tracks on here are worth buying this compilation alone. This is a must-have.

01. Deep Influence - Fiesta Fatal (Tony Moran & Deep Influence)
02. Inaya Day - U Spin Me (Mike Cruz Club Mix)
03. Outwork Featuring Mr. Gee - Elektro (The Cube Guys Delano Remix)
04. S. Blush - It's My Life (Tony Moran's Extended Mix)
05. Tony Moran - Something About You (Circuit Mix)
06. Noel - I Feel Alive (Tony Moran & Jody den Broeder Mix)
07. Suzanne Palmer - Free My Love (Offer Nissim Mix)
08. Offer Nissim Featuring Maya - For Your Love (Club Mix)
09. Red Carpet - Alright (Tony Moran & Jody den Broeder Mix)
10. Soul Logic - Let's Get Together (Harrington's Tribal Anthem)

This is currently available on the Masterbeat website and at Perfect Beat.