SLAG PATROL

Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake – 4 Minutes (Rebirth Remix)
Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake – 4 Minutes (Junkie XL Remix Edit)

What can I say? The unremixed original has grown on me and these remixes are quite good. The ‘Rebirth Anthem’ mix, by Marcos Castellon, is the most complete of the remixes I’ve heard in that it’s excellent throughout. The Junkie XL mix hits the highest highs–its reworking of the ‘If you want it’ chorus is absolutely ace–but the first two minutes and last two minutes are kind of boring. Very excited to hear this album.

Kylie Minogue – In My Arms (Sebastien Leger Remix)

This is a great, more serious, slightly sinister take on In My Arms. Big improvement on the saccharine original chorus. Sebastien Leger did a fantastic remix of Justin Timberlake’s What Goes Around last year; the quality of this mix doesn’t come as a surprise.

The Veronicas – Untouched (Listen Deep Remix)

As you’ll recall from the original, the chorus was the weakest part of the song and like the Kylie track, this remix is a big improvement (even though it takes the strings away). The beepy synth works well.

David Guetta – Baby When the Light

Pretty chilled as dance tracks go. I’m slightly skeptical of David Guetta, because he’s French, but I do like the video.

David Guetta – The World is Mine (F.M.I.F. Radio Edit)

I heard this and first thought it was excellent for a followup (to Love Don’t Let Me Go), but then discovered Guetta actually made it in 2004 and it’s just now getting wide US release. But it’s great. The ‘the world is mine’ vocal sounds like David Gahan from Depeche Mode, but the only vocal credit I could find was to JD Davis, and the main beat (but not vocal) is from an old Simple Minds song. I hope this becomes massive.

Beyonce & Shakira – Beautiful Liar (Freemasons Radio Vox)

Popjustice brought this one to my attention–pre-remix it would be generous to call Beautiful Liar mediocre, but Freemasons have taken another okay Beyonce song and made it brilliant. It was tough to decide whether to post the short radio edit, longer club edit, or full 11 minute club mix, but I think the punchy radio edit gets the message across best.

Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson & D.O.E. – Way I Are

Popjustice also did a great review of the new Timbaland album recently (in which they determined, on a track by track basis, that nothing on the album is as good as Maneater. But what is? They still gave it an 8 out of 10). Way I Are is too short and has a few too many Sexyback-style “Yeah!”s, but it’s still very good.

Madonna – Like A Virgin (live 2006)

This rework of Like A Virgin is both dramatically different from the 1984 original (adding Stuart Price synth chords and beats) and also quite similar–the spirit of the song remains intact. It’s from a concert at Wembly in London last summer.

three fantastic remixes–

Madonna – Jump (Jacques Lu Cont Mix)
Sugababes – Push the Button (DJ Prom Mix)

Both of these are about 8 minutes long–normally I like shorter mixes and radio edits that get right to the point, I guess I get bored during repetitive longer mixes, but these two remixes are very good. Very lush, great builds and crashes, evocative. I wasn’t very impressed with Stuart Price’s recent remix of The Killers’ When You Were Young, but that song wasn’t that great to begin with. This rework of Jump is much better. And the Sugababes track is off their Overloaded remix album–it’s quite good.

Paris Hilton – Nothing in this World (Kaskade Radio Remix)

Like everyone else, I really should hate Paris Hilton. But Nothing in the World as it’s originally mixed is incredibly catchy. And this remix changes it entirely, makes it almost angry, much like perhaps my favorite song of 2004, the Above and Beyond remix of Britney Spears’ Everytime.