Allright, *cracks knuckles*, let’s get down to business! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Everything’s been straightened out on my end so I’m finally ready to post all the great tunes I’ve unhappily been sitting on, waiting to share. I’ve pared it down a bit since it’s been a while, but don’t get discouraged. I think we should get right down to business, yes? Before we begin, let me just mention that I’ll be in Rochester this Thursday, November 12th, and Syracuse on Friday, November 13th. If any of you want to come out to those events, just email me at dani@danideahl.com and we’ll get it sorted. Syracuse should be insane – I’m playing with Greg Dona (of blog Panda Toes). The last time Greg and I were together, we played beer pong, had a Cheeto fight and got tanked. There are hopes of recreating two out of those three items.

It’s been a little bit since FnDannyBoy has sent something in and this most recent submission makes me very, very happy. His take on Basement Jaxx’s “What’s A Girl Gotta Do” is light, fun and feel good, yet can also be slipped into harder sets. Keeping the funky feel of the original, he adds slivers of his own touches (most notably in the underlying drum structures) to toughen it up and add a stronger backbone.

Basement Jaxx Feat. Paloma Faith: What’s A Girl Gotta Do (FnDannyBoy’s Big Jackin’ Rerub)
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I’ve always been a fan of Chew Fu but he’s been on fire lately, touting the fact that Perez Hilton is all over his Lady Gaga remixes. Personally, that’s not much of an endorsement for me (we can talk about my Perez aversion another time), but he is right on this one. Chew Fu’s remix of “Bad Romance” is spot on. Granted it’s slightly, um, Promo Only Mainstream-ish, but it’s still delicious for those of you who don’t mind a track or two like this. Chew Fu always does a great job of building around the track without losing the key elements that make it great.

Lady Gaga: Bad Romance (Chew Fu H1N1 Club Mix)
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Because of all my tech issues, I was unable to post some of the Halloween-inspired tracks I got in. Better late than never, I guess. I chose two that you could work in regardless of if it’s pumpkin day or not. Yeah, no “Monster Mash” remixes here. WLDO presents an electro house track that is well crafted with rich layers and The American Dream Team’s “Nightmare Disco” has a Psycho-esque sound (you’ll hear what I mean) among grittier synths and chuggy beats.

WLDO: Vincent’s Revenge (WLDO’s Trick the Treat Beat)
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The American Dream Team: Nightmare Disco
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Is anyone else getting slightly tired of “Pon De Floor” remixes yet? I was, until I heard this fun little mashup. For those of you who adore(d) disco house, you should be pretty happy to have this combo of “Pon De Floor” with Knightlife’s “Discotirso”. It strangely works enough for me and I’ve played it out to good reception. Damn, now I want to just listen to disco house.

Major Lazer Vs. Knightlife: Pon De Discofloor (Stefan Sundman’s Boot)
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I’m a sucker for drums, plain and simple. So when I heard the O-God remix of “Run This Town” I was happy. I really want an instrumental of this track. The drums have enough space to breathe where I can hear the resonance and punch they have, and they’re complimented with just the right amount of melodic counterpart. Dee-lish.

Jay-Z: Run This Town (O-GOD Remix)
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And now to take it down a notch. Gloves deliver on a remix for The Scare’s “Could Be Bad”, toning down the original to give it some supporting instrumentals. The result is a tune oozing with sexy synth work and dreamy top notes. I would go as far to say that this could pass as an original in its own right. It’s constructed beautifully and my only gripe is that I wish the vocals were featured more prominently. It’s a minor annoyance in the entire scope of the song though, and the only reason I mention it is that it is a remix.

The Scare: Could Be Bad (Gloves 12″ Megamix)
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This track from Lee Coombs is a teaser for new album “Light & Dark” and should be enough of an incentive to check out the rest that’s offered on the disc. He calls the album a ‘a true tech funk album’ but I don’t necessarily hear that in this particular song. Who gives a &*#$ though, it’s amazing. “Control” is a well-crafted loop-driven electro tune with a diva-esque vocal that compliments the track to perfection. Making those two elements, diva and electro, can actually be quite difficult and I’m pleased to hear the way Coombs has manipulated the vox to integrate it so nicely, from layered stutters to switching to a breakbeat and letting the vocal play out.

Lee Coombs: Control
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Don Diablo delivers yet again. It’s crazy how many tunes this guy perpetually pumps out for the blogging community. This time there’s one original and two remixes, one from Hugo van Dyck and one from Mason (I adore Mason). What’s nice is that each track is distinctly different. Diablo’s original, “Never Too Late”, takes the beat slightly off kilter and integrates guitar and heavy vocals to give it a live feel. I could see this being performed live, actually. The remixes, while not entirely polarized, are quite different with Mason’s more straightforward electro, and van Dyck’s take on “Too Cool For Amsterdam Bitch” pulls it back with an ultra-slick minimal vibe.

Don Diablo: Never Too Late
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Don Diablo: Never Too Late (Mason Remix)
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Don Diablo: Too Cool For Amsterdam Bitch (Hugo van Dyck Bootleg)
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Two new ones from Disco Villains with their signature hit-you-over-the-head electro. While I enjoy both their remixes of FutureFlashs’ “Get Down The Funk” and Shark Attack’s “Ghost Knives”, I’m a little more partial to the latter which, to put it simply, sounds a bit more epic. It’s a remix that was built for big speakers with liberal use of pans, stereo spread and high-pitched synths that are incredibly intense.

FutureFlashs: Get Down The Funk (The Disco Villains Remix)
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Shark Attack: Ghost Knives feat. DJ:EJ (Disco Villains Remix)
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Aaaaand here’s three bonus tracks. I like them, but am not in love with them. But I figure they’re still solid enough to feature them here for you all!

LMFAO: La La La (Dskotek Remix)
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MAU: Toboggan (Rockets Remix)
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Pharoahe Monche: Simon Says (Mikey Mic Remix Rock Edit)
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