Top 11 Remixes of 2011

Spyke

After overcoming my slight obsession of trying to always hunt out the newest remixes of every new song I heard, in 2011 I took a much more refined approach and became very selective. So there are no longer over 30 remixes of One Republic's Apologize on my itunes and I'd be quite surprised if I added more than 30 throughout the entire year. So here it is my run down of the remixes of the year that you might have missed out on....

1 Ke$ha - Blow (Cirkut Remix)

I was meaning to write a post about this for ages at the start of this year but after it never really took off in the UK I opted to review the more subtle but superior The Harold Song. For all of you who have seen The Inbetweeners Movie then you may well recognize this version as it features on the official soundtrack. I jsut think it is a fantastic version of an already high energy track.

2 Katy Perry - ET (Tiesto Remix)

This song helped me understand the popularity of Katy Perry's 4th cut from her Teenage Dream album. Having Kanye West feature on the single helped boost the success of the track (whilst removing the amazing middle eight of the track) but in every sense, I could not fathom why this distinctly average 6/10 track was selling just SO well (in the US in particular). This remix really helped it click; and I was actually pleased to hear both Little Mix and Amelia Lily perform highly effective versions of the track on this year's X Factor.

3 Labrinth Feat. Tinie Tempah - Earthquake (Star One Remix)

Great single from Labrinth here which had quite a bit of longevity on the charts (holding stronger than the song that kept it off the top - Read All About It). I think this just puts an entire new spin on the track, especially through the opening minute, even having heard the original single mix I had no idea where this was going to take me.

4 Rihanna - S&M (J Cole Remix)

Unintentionally my friend and I discovered this remix a matter of hours after it had been leaked online. What sort of countdown would be complete without some for of Rihanna feature? At the time it was fair to say that we had definitely listened to S&M enough but this gave the song a whole new leash of life for us, and it wouldn't be the last we'd see of J. Cole in 2011...

5 Nero - Promises (Skrillex Remix)

I'm pretty sure that Cher Lloyd is challenging Nero for this to be the lowest selling #1 of 2011 (probably an accolade neither really want). As far as Nero tracks go it is ok but this remix does gives it the edge to make it into my top 5 of the year.

6 Calvin Harris - Feel So Close (Nero Remix)

From a Nero track to a Nero remix. It really has been Calvin Harris' year! If he was slightly disappointed that both this and Bounce were unable to top the UK charts I'm sure being the sole writer and producer behind Rihanna's global #1 We Found Love acts as some pretty good consolation!

7 DJ Fresh Feat. Sian Evans - Louder (Flux Pavillion Remix)

This is the only version of the track I own and it is just so energetic - there's no wonder Lucozade got behind this song, but whenever I do hear the original it does sound lacklustre in comparision.

8 Example - Changed The Way You Kissed Me (Mensah Remix)

In 2011 some artists went for the 'On Air On Sale' tactic and some went for the 'Let's wait over 2 months before we release it' tactic. Needless to say they didn't coincide very well and the latter approach usually lead to some large opening week numbers. By the time this track got released I was well and truly over it; thankfully this remix was on hand to help me out.

9 LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem (Benni Benassi Remix)

When a song is all set to become a UK million seller, I do try and appreciate it for what it is and this remix helped demonstrate that it is just a really good partying song. Does it deserve to be one of the 150 biggest selling singles EVER in the UK? No.

10 The Wanted - Glad You Came (Alex Gaudino Remix)

Great summery song. Good remix to go with it.

11 Britney Spears - Till The World Ends (Ke$ha & Nicki Minaj Remix)

In some senses this track is a superior version of Ke$ha's Blow - it has better production, video and star quality. So why is this track #11 on the countdown and not #1? Firstly having a guest is a very risky business and there is a very fine line between what works and what does - here having Nicki Minaj clucking does not work. Secondly as much as I do love 'Woah oh oh oh' moments in tracks - having 30 seconds intervals of them does not compensate for a chorus unfortunately.

JLS - 3D

A ridiculous and ridiculously fun album track off 'Jukebox'

McLovin

This song is a lot of fun. But it is also very silly. It has one of those incredibly clunky lyrics that makes you stop what you're doing and listen to it again and again just to make sure you correctly heard what Aston just sung:

'I wanna love in 3D, I'm gonna turn you on just like a TV'.

It's not like they've tucked it away in the second verse or anything sneaky like that. It's in the song roughly 47 times. But this post isn't to heap scorn on an obviously hilarious line. Aside from potential sexual tension with electrical appliances, '3D' is in fact an incredibly catchy song that is a highly enjoyable part of JLS' third album, 'Jukebox'.

The opening spoken word intro reminds me of Michael Jackson's '2000 Watts' (another quite silly song). Where JLS's track differs is that they remembered to write a tune. I have always been a fan of Aston's light vocals, and there's an earnest quality in his delivery here which I find really endearing. The harmonies in the bridge are lovely, and aside from the synths sounding oddly crunchy in places, the production is lively and bouncy.

Part of me wishes they'd released this as their next - albeit career-suicidal risky - single. Considering they're going to begin their 4D tour soon, this would have served as the perfect run up to it. Imagine a fantastically absurd video with plenty of nods and winks from the group, knowing essentially that what they're singing is pretty stupid, but they're in on the joke as well so it's okay to have a bit of a giggle about it all. 'Do You Feel What I Feel?' is perfectly acceptable as a third cut, but it's hardly a daring choice (and definitely not the third best song on the album: the hit rate on 'Jukebox' is impressively high).

'Do You Feel What I Feel?' is out January 1. It is well worth checking out the video is you haven't already. It's sort of like Justin Bieber's 'One Time' house-sitting promo, except with more snow.