Beginning January 14th, Beatport will be emailing existing customers with a credit good for 3 FREE songs – if you purchased (at least) one song in 2006.
I’ve been a big advocate of Beatport in the past as they regularly and graciously give away lots of free music. Hopefully, when I’ve directed you to their site in the past, you’ve done some additional shopping on your own. As a mostly dance/electronic music store, their music is DRM free and you get the choice of higher than iTMS quality MP3/MP4 formats plus the option of huge .WAV files.
Check your email inboxes January 14 through 17.
January 12th, 2007
It’s not the gift I intended at year’s end, but I thought I’d share the tracks that got me through last year. Due to no one’s fault but my own, there are simply not enough free tunes still available for download to make up my Year Two CD. (Many of the MP3s I featured were either from Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape compilations or Beatport freebies that are no longer free.) As expected, my tastes are all over the map. So listen, discover and enjoy them as much as I have!
“To Be Loved (Toby Tobias Remix)” by Bent : A unique beat from a truly iconoclastic band. Great to hear new stuff from the duo.
“Born to Fly (Dave Warrin Fly Mix)” by Lisa Shaw : The first of two entries in this year’s iMix featuring incomparable voice of Lisa Shaw. 2006 saw the release of Lisa’s long awaited solo album, CHERRY . I don’t think it burnt up the charts but for me, she can do (almost) no wrong. She also went back in the studio with Blue Six to lend her considerable talents to their new single (out now), “Tropicalia”. Check it out.
“Desire (Christoph Kardek’s Deep Vocal mix)” by Hanna Hais : Perfect deep house au français.
“Philly” by DJ T. : One evening while down in Los Angeles for the holidays, I heard this on KCRW’s Nocturna show. I didn’t want it to end. Always a good sign.
“Magic Love (Ashley Beedle Black Magic Vocal Remix)” by Bent : The second entry by Bent. To say I was obsessed with this song throughout the year would be a gross understatement. Who else but Bent could transform Captain & Tennille’s 1979 track “Love On A Shoestring” into this? Phenomenal!
“Sean (Eric’s 2WFU Dub)” by Aya : Another track I wrote about in a previous post. This kept me going through most of the summer.
“Be Still (Jay-J’s Shifted Up Mix)” by Kaskade : Ryan Raddon (also know as Kaskade) manages to do it again. This lyrical and pulse-pounding remix by Jay-J elevates a mediocre dance number into something that just makes you move.
“Look On the Floor (Angel City Extended Remix)” by Bananarama : From the “I can’t believe it” category comes this fluffy, I-must-be-a-gay-boy ditty replete with requisite cheesy vocoder effects. Once the chorus sinks in though, it’ll stay in your head for a long, long time. So very cheesy but in a good way. It’s kinda nice to hear the Bananas again.
“Don’t You Want Me (King Britt Scuba Mix)” by Jody Watley : Ah, Miss Watley… If you weren’t featured on the first season of Bravo’s “Work Out” I wouldn’t have even known you were still alive. This smooth remix reminds me of why/how you became popular in the first place. An out-of-date track updated for today’s more sophisticated tastes.
“Jump (Extended mix)” by Madonna : Quite possibly one of her best tracks ever. Certainly in my top five of all time by Her Madgesty. And put to the best possible use in The Devil Wears Prada. (Even though this was part of CONFESSIONS… from 2005, and it made my Best of Oh-Five list as a runner-up, the single and its remixes weren’t released until mid 2006.)
“Damage (featuring Tracey Thorn)” by Tiefschwarz : Looks like there’ll be no more Everything But The Girl, sadly. This is as close to their sound as we can get until Tracey’s solo disc comes out, hopefully some time in ‘07.
“Ain’t No Other Man” by Christina Aguilera : I know, I know. You’re not used to Top 40 on my Guide but this song has “it” in spades; A great retro groove and kick ass lyrics. Its this year’s “Crazy In Love”. And that’s not a bad thing.
“Is It Any Wonder” by Keane : These guys had a great year (almost too great if you know what I mean). This song, especially the Tall Paul remix, reminded me how much I missed any new offering by Coldplay.
“He Knows The Sun” by The Legends : One of my favorite songs of late 2005/early 2006 finally arrived at the iTMS. Better late than never.
“Changes” by Tahiti 80 : Another terrific Franco offering. If you can find it, the Borderline remix is tons better.
“Different Sound” by Teddybears : Used to great effect in the Intel Core 2 Duo commercials. Appeals to me in that Goldfrapp-kinda way.
“Koop Island Blues” by Koop : Already said what I had to say about it here.
“No One Else (The Amalgamation Of Soundz Remix)” by Natalie Walker : Killer remixers grab hold of a track and milk it for all it’s worth.
“Warrior” by Andy Caldwell : Lisa Shaw strikes again as guest vocalist making a mellow, must-have track.
“More Shine” by Si*Se : From the very beginning of ‘06, this track stayed on my playlists throughout the entirety of the year, which is almost unheard of. Congrats to the ear at iTunes that brought this to our collective attention. “More” I say!
“Travel In Time” by Kate Havnevik : Sounds a lot like last year’s featured Mint Royale.
“Lazy Lover” by Brazilian Girls : An older song, but new to me, used effectively in an Axe shower gel commercial. Just proves great music can be found anywhere.
“Loosen Your Hold” by South : Nice iTunes Live session from a group of guys just waiting to break it big-time. I’ve featured them before and I’ll continue to do so until the rest of your ears catch up.
“What Now” by Aloe Blacc : Don’t let the warning label deter you. There’s nothing explicit about this song except its perfect leisurely beat. I heard this at the Virgin Megastore and just had to have it.
“Shiva (TC Remix)” by Thievery Corporation : Just lovely, as is almost everything the Thievery boys touch.
“Venice Beach Dub” by Stuph : Let the tide take you…
“Can’t Take It In” by Imogen Heap : 2006 was her breakout year. She managed to put Frou Frou behind her and crafted a unique album (SPEAK FOR YOURSELF) and image for herself. She also honed a fervent fan base. So, despite all her terrific singles this past year, why has this one stuck in my head so? If I could answer that, I’d be a millionaire.
January 11th, 2007
