Miami 2010 Picks

Exclusive Preview: R. Kelly "Be my #2" (Terry Hunter Mixes)(Jive Records CD Promo)

R. Kelly - Be my #2 What a surprise to see a top quality soulful house remix commissioned (and hopefully to be released) by one of the major labels... Terry Hunter's take on "Be my #2" by R. Kelly is simply gorgeous, using a sweet percussion enriched backing as playground for R. Kelly's unmistakable vocals which are combined with luscious chords and jazzy keys.

Pirahnahead featuring Diviniti "Believe in me" (Women on Wax Records CD Promo)

Pirahnahead featuring Diviniti - Believe in me Pirahnahead and Diviniti join forces to bless us with the marvelous "Believe in me", a soul oozing production featuring  outstanding vocals and a glorious instrumentation including jazzy keys, lush chords and acoustic guitars in its original form. The remixes are courtesy of Ian Friday who adds his distinctive touch to the song, letting you choose between two exciting alterations. Highly recommended.

More Miami 2010 Reviews

Groove Junkies featuring TC Moses "Far away" (The Remixes)(MoreHouse Records CD Promo)

"Far away" is lifted from the forthcoming Groove Junkies album "In the zone" and features heartfelt vocals by TC Moses. Truthfully, all the mixes of this release are excellent so its hard to pick a favorite... First up is the irresistibly bumpin' Vocal Dub Remix' by Richard Earnshaw (we can't wait to hear the full vocal version), followed by the infectious 'GJ Alternative' mixes fueled with killer keys over a deep backing, Micky More's masterly crafted truly soulful classic mixes and Random Soul's beautifully instrumentated organic remixes.

Charlotte Doreen Small "Rain" (Soul 45 Mix)(Soul 45 Records CD Promo)
Charlotte Doreen Small "Right now" (CD Promo)

As these two upcoming releases prove (both songs are were originally released on her 2007 album "More"), Charlotte Doreen Small is an artist to watch out for in the future, and those who attended here live performances in Miami will surely agree. "Rain" is written by Barbara Tucker and got remixed by Soul 45 honcho DJ Nermin who turns the song into a truly soulful deep house jewel fueled with delicious keys and chords. "Right now" is set to become a crossover hit thanks to the remixes by Charles McDougald which are soulful yet geared towards a more commercial audience, and the Foremost Poets' deeply stormin' underground-esque rework spiced with spacy keys and cool funky elements.

Soulmagic vs Imagination "New dimension" (Soulmagic Records CD Promo)

Back in December 2008, we gave you an exclusive preview of Soulmagic's (Morten Trust & Mikkel Wendelboe) take on the Imagination classic "New dimension", a cheeky and dirty makeover with the electronic backdrop creating a relentless vibe. Now fresh mixes are available, with Soulmagic serving an uber cool 'Classic Mix' which oozes with soulful jazz-funky vibes from beginning to the end, while Jay-J's rework is on a deep, irresistibly thumpin' tip featuring wicked keys and chords. Lastly Shane D takes the track to the main room loaded with electronic synths over a heavily stompin' groove.

Exclusive Preview: Black Coffee featuring Bucie "Superman" (Casamena Remix)(CD-R)

Black Coffee's "Superman" is without doubt one of the most played tunes of this years WMC in Miami, and we believe its only a matter of time until remixes will be released. Count us to the lucky few in possession of the 'Casamena Remix' which takes the song to a whole new level, taking Bucie's sultry vocals and highlight them with a deep hypnotic groove and somewhat dark moody keys. The result speaks for itself...

FAMA "Ring my bell" (Soul-Fi Records CD Promo)

Anita Ward's 1979 timeless classic "Ring my bell" (released on the legendary T.K. Disco label) gets a makeover by FAMA who impresses with a deeply felt vocal performance. Richard Earnshaw adds his unique soulful yet resistless bumpin' touch to the track, while Richie Jones goes for a classic interpretation laced with warm melodies. Next, the legendary John Morales delivers two splendid versions taking the track to deeper grounds. DeepCitySoul contribute a remorseless modern Disco-Funk flavored rework, followed by Ramsey & Ty Devin who go deep and slightly dark on their take.

Solara "Miami 2010 Sampler" (MoreHouse Records CD Promo)

MoreHouse Records have put together a fantastic sampler showcasing the talents of the one and only Solara, including snippets of upcoming releases such as the uplifting gospel-tinged "Pulled me through" and the beautiful laidback "In your dreams" as well as previously released Groove Junkies productions where Solara was the featured vocalist: "Life is what you make it", "Paradise", "Just groovin'", "Sunshine sol brillante" and "Deeper". Also included is the Groove Junkies remix of Ben Watt's "Lone cat" where she provided additional vocals.

James 'Blakstar' John featuring Deon Nathan "Smile" (Whasdat Music Records CD Promo)

James 'Blakstar' John's "Smile" is a wonderful r&b styled production featuring deeply felt vocals by Deon Nathan alongside phat keys and chords over a smoothly kickin' backdrop, nicely re-touched by Pirahnahead on the extended version. BlakWax & Ribeirinho give the track a groovy funk drenched touch and add a sweet jazzy piano, while Pirahnahead's 'On-a-Budget Mix' is a classy melodious workout. Finally, Tom Bulwer deepens the vibe for a hypnotic late night journey.

Mustafa "WMC Sampler Miami 2010" (Staff Productions CD Promo)

Mustafa presents an impressive line-up of guest artists on this five track sampler. Upcoming releases include "Changes" where he teams up with Sunlightsquare and singer Tasita D'Mour for a deep mesmerizing thumper, the uplifting percussion enriched "Feel the reel", a collaboration with Sunlightsquare and Flexie Muiso, and "Love" featuring Tasita D'Mour, a delicious slice of broken beat soul. Also included are the previously released Leo Cuenca remix of "Underlove" and the Sunlightsquare remix of "Can't give up".

Various "Fuzion Records WMC Miami 2010 Sampler" (Fuzion Records CD Promo)

This sampler from Fuzion Records includes selected mixes from the labels last two releases "Feelings" by Fuzion & DJN Project and "Late Nights in Newark EP" by The GRUV Masterz as well as from the forthcoming release "Once in a lifetime" by the GRUV Masterz, a cover of the Talking Heads classic from 1980. The track features uplifting vocals by Emory and percussion by Luisito Quintero and comes in two versions to choose from, with the 'Revisited Mix' reminiscent of the Talking Heads original being on a simple yet very effective deep underground tip, while the 'Club Mix' is a precious vocal house nugget oozing with warm soulful melodies.

Various "Waking Monster WMC 2010 Sampler" (Waking Monster Records CD Promo)

An outlook of things to come from Waking Monster in the near future, with Melchyor A and Keith Thompson collaborating on "Is it the way", a deep soulful production featuring breath taking vocals to be released with remixes by DJ Romain, Louie Gorbea, Enrico Mantini and Paolo Barbato. DJ Leandro teams up with Art-Jones and singer JLuv for the adorable "I need you in my life" coming complete with remixes by Black Coffee and Melchyor A. Last but not least there is Lez with "Habit" featured in the retro-esque DJ Circle remix which will be complimented with mixes by Whiplash & Turner, DJ Nermin, Graham Sahara and Deep Vintage.

Various "DJ Ala Reworks & Edits" (CD-R)

One of the new connections we've established while being in Miami is with San Diego based DJ and producer DJ Ala who handed us a CD with some of his slammin edits and reworks, all of them geared towards the soulful heads and always staying true to the original vibes of the song. His interpretations of "The same love that made me laugh" by Bill Whiters or "You wear it well" by Debarge are simply outstanding, but the other ones - "Think twice" by Detroit Experiment, "Got to get down" and "Burnin' hot" by Peven Everett and "Love you" by Maxwell - are great too.

Various "Negro-Rican Groove Productions" (CD-R)

Another new connection established is with Lex Luthor from Negro-Rican Groove Productions who hooked us up with some of his recent works which includes a truly mesmeric percussive dub workout of the Marvin Gaye classic "Got to give it up", a soulfully thumpin' take on Stevie Wonder's "Send one your love", a deeply stormin' makeover of "Never can say goodbye" by The Jackson 5 (dub included too), the deep house cut "Flash the lights (kell's theme)" and the previously released "Missed BlexXings" (Vital Vibes Records).