Yoko Ono - Open Your Box (Remix Album)

This is not a re-release of the single she released a few years ago. However, this is a collection featuring a bunch of remixes done of her songs over the last few years. Some of her recent club hits include "Open Your Box", "Kiss Kiss Kiss", "Yang Yang", "Walking On Thin Ice", "Everyman/Everywoman", and "Hell In Paradise." In addition to those, there are some previously unreleased remixes and there's the new cover she did of "Give Peace A Chance." Multiple mixes for several tracks are included in this 14 track set. It's completely unmixed. However, all songs are not in their original club lengths. They have been edited down so they would be suitable for mixshow use and consumers who may not feel like listening to a 12 minute remix. The editing is really well-done so the flow of the mixes doesn't feel interrupted. These mixes are harder and a lot dancier, and are suitable for the clubs unlike Ono's previous remix collection Yes, I'm A Witch, which contained downtempo reconstructions of her classics. The full club mixes are available for sale at iTunes and the CD maxis for some of them may still be available through some careful eBay searching. Overall, this is a must-have for fans of Yoko Ono's Dance music career and those who enjoy something a little out of the ordinary.

Star 69 Sampler

This free sampler features a decent selection of songs from the Star 69 label. Some older ones, some recents and a few that have not been released in an unmixed form. This is available exclusively at participating Borders locations all over the U.S. In many cases, it is located next to the new releases section where Offer Nissim's Forever Tel Aviv is displayed.

Here is the tracklisting:
01. Suzanne Palmer - Free My Love (Offer Nissim Mix)
02. Starkillers - Scream (Kobbe and Austin Leeds Mix)
03. Angel Moraes - Music Is Your Life (15 South Mix)
04. Anton Fielding & Tiny Stix - Fever's Coming (Original Mix)
05. K&S Project - The Music (Peter Rauhofer Mix)
06. Club 69 featuring Kim Cooper - Warm Leatherette (Saeed Younan Mix)
07. Offer Nissim featuring Maya - Be My Boyfriend (Original Mix)
08. Little Green Men - Through With You (Chus & Ceballos Mix)
09. Offer Nissim featuring Maya - For Your Love (Original Mix)
10. Suzanne Palmer - Luv 2 Luv (Original Mix)

Offer Nissim featuring Maya - For Your Love

This is the lead single off of Offer and Maya's forthcoming followup to First Time. Although Second Time was released a few months ago, it was basically a re-release of First Time with a bonus CD containing some previously unreleased remixes of their tracks. This is the true second album. Early Summer has been the time they have thrown around as when the project may be released, but that is all subject to change.

This track follows a slightly different structure as some of their previous releases. It contains only a small number of lyrics, however, they are done in such a manner that one may not notice that aspect. Maya showcases even more of her impressive vocal range. She sounds very angelic. The production differs a bit from their previous releases. The signature beats and bass are present, however, the synths are much more prevalent. The parts without the beats feature these gorgeous housey pianos circa 1993 (think of the pianos in Masters At Work featuring India's "I Can't Get No Sleep"). However, it is reverbed and becomes a part of the whole track. Maya's soaring vocals over those portions sound just so amazing.

The Original Mix has a proper intro with beats. On the other end, there is the Intro Version with the gorgeous building 2 minute beatless intro. It has a nice layering of the synths and pianos as well as some Maya vocal samples. After the beats come in, it is just like Original Mix.

Remixes by Peter Rauhofer, Kobbe, Masi & Mello and Manolo & Gold round out the new CD maxi that will be released on April 10, 2007, the same day Offer's Forever Tel Aviv will be released.

Peter's mix is a nice hard, tribal stomper with dark electro synths. It is more of a return to the anthemic style he dabbled in for a while in the early 2000's. It works really well. Peter's previous mixes of Offer and Maya have been lukewarm, however, this one is red-hot! The part with the recreated Original Mix elements is killer! Totally unexpected.

Kobbe's mix is a simple dirty, electro house mix in the same vein as something that Starkillers would do. It works well.

Masi & Mello go for a more mellow mix. The beats are very minimal. The deep penetrating bass is hot while the pianos in the mix are very chill. A very paradoxical mix that works quite well also.

Manolo & Gold offer a very aggressive, synthy, tribal mix. This mix could work as a bridge between house and trance sets. It would lend itself well to both. Maya's vocal are perfectly suited for all types of music, especially trance.

Overall, this remix package is very good, in comparison to previous Offer and Maya ones.

The CD maxi will be released to some stores as well as Amazon.com and Perfect Beat, and the mixes can already be purchased on the Star 69 website.

Nelly Furtado - Say It Right

This was the third single off of Nelly Furtado's critically and commercially acclaimed album Loose. Though this came out a long time ago, many mixes of this have been done, both official and unofficial. This mid-tempo ballad had been a frontrunner for being a single since the album was first released in the Summer of 2006. Many had been clamouring for remixes which came just in the nick of time. Just as it took off on Pop and Rhythmic formats, it got played on Dance stations in the original mix which clocked in at a danceable 123 BPM.

Bad Boy Bill, Friscia & Lamboy and Peter Rauhofer did the official mixes this time around.

Bad Boy Bill's mix was funky house and a bit electro. It did help bring out some of the emotion of the song. It's the most accessible of all the mixes.

Friscia & Lamboy have done a tribal/electro hybrid mix. It's a very simple electro mix. It's a good peak hour mix. This one would work best on Dance radio.

Peter Rauhofer has done three mixes!

Part 1 is a mild tribal/heavy electro mix. There lots of interesting synths and unusual synths. It works really well. Some may find it to be excruciating because of the "clashing" of the synths in some places. It's very unique. This is the big room mix of choice.

Part 2 is also known as the "Trance Anthem." It is a much darker mix. This has the feel of mixes done during Rauhofer's trance experimental phase in the late 90's when he did mixes for Pet Shop Boys, Eurythmics and Ayumi Hamasaki. It's not as big room and trancey though as say something Tiesto or Above & Beyond would do. However, it is very uplifting and really brings out further beauty in Nelly's vocals. This is one of Peter's best mixes in a while. And this is the mix of choice for this song.

Part 3 is basically a toned down version of Part 1. It's much shorter and concise. It's not as "schizophrenic" with the "clashing" synths. It bears a striking resemblance to Trentmoller's remix of "What Else Is There" by Roysopp. Peter may have been influenced by that slightly as he has been playing that song for the last several months in his sets. This is really dark and twisted.

There's many unofficial mixes of this song as most DJs wanted to tailor this song for their own sets. Cajjmere Wray, Peter Bailey, Scott Ferguson & Michael Tank and even Junior Vasquez have done mixes.

Cajjmere Wray's mix is very dark and driving. The deep synths and chugging beats give this mix a lot of energy. Quite well done.

Peter Bailey continues in that same vein and his mix is very minimal and sparse. The beats are very simple as is the rest of the production. The real highlight is the rest of the mix. There's some cool synth work and vocal effects. This mix is a bit long, however, some creative DJs could cut it down a minute or two and go between the sparse and complex portions of the mix.

Scott Ferguson & Michael Tank have done a very energetic circuit mix. It's almost appropriate to call this a trance/circuit mix. The synths and driving beats are quite amazing on this one.

And finally there is the mix by Junior Vasquez. His is the newest one of them all. He premiered his new mix at the Onyx event at Pacha in NY this past weekend. It has yet to be heard by the general public. However, those who were in attendance said that the mix was one of the best Junior mixes of the year. There has been some talk of the mix seeing an official release in the future. No further details available at this time.

What remains to be seen is how many mixes will be done for the next single "All Good Things (Come To An End)."

Dangerous Muse - Give Me Danger

Peter Rauhofer has done a remix of this song. The mix is a nice mix of electro and tribal, more electro though. It's a nice peak hour/late night type of mix. The vocals are really hypnotic and just flow so well with the remix production. This is going to be huge all over very soon.