Hard Hitters

Most of these tracks are from last fall, but I find myself continuously going back to them because they are just dope.

This one just refuses to ever get old. So much love for this heavy track infused with hints Daft Punk and can't wait to hear more from the Oliver duo.

Oliver - Light Years Away



With a title like "Cowboy Bebop" how could you doubt it? I think Royal lassoes in his DJ skillz pretty solidly in this one, as it's original material and not a remix. The bass hits deep and it's short enough to keep your attention without getting carried away.

Royal - Cowboy Bebop

When I said "hard hitters" I was mostly referring to this one by Madeon. (Imperius curse from Harry Potter anyone?) I've absolutely loved this French DJ since he released his track "Pop Culture" back in 2011 with its fascinating video of his hands mixing up several different tracks. Needless to say, his latest here does not disappoint.

Madeon - Imperium

I love the new dimension that Louis The Child brings to Zella Day's "Compass." The wobbling drops are pretty unique and I love the digitalis synth that comes in towards the end of the track.

Zella Day - Compass (Louis The Child Remix)

Even though the lyrics of this track might seem a bit sad and desperate, Amtrac brings some uplifting vibes to it. It's ambient in the perfect way and is a good one to just chill to and find some peace.

Shakka - When Will I See you Again (Amtrac Remix)

I definitely won't be getting over this song anytime soon. Yes, the words are a bit harsh, but it kind of forces you to re-examine your life and ask yourself what the fuck you're doing with your time. I definitely consider myself to be "one of the dreamers," so this is a little motivational to get my shit together, try to be better, and do something that truly matters. With a clever band name such as Hopium, I expect it to be good, and Two Can brings some serious heat with the bass in his version of the track, which really makes it much better.

Dreamers - Hopium (Two Can Remix)

I love this track so much that I tried (in vain--I can't talk that fast without breathing/swallowing) to learn the Kendrick Lamar verse of it. SO FIRE. And this remix by Nightizm makes it even better in my opinion. Songs that convey a real message mean a lot to me; we are all probably luckier (more #blessed) than we can ever truly fathom, so be grateful and go as far as you can with that luck.

Schoolboy Q & Kendrick Lamar - Blessed (Nightizm)

Catching Up: Coldplay Remixes

I hate to be one of those cliche girls, but Coldplay honestly is one of my favorite groups of all time. They cut me deep. So naturally, since I dig the originals of their songs, I will probably like most of the remixes of them.

There were a lot of remixes of the already phenomenal "A Sky Full Of Stars," but I think something that was already so electronically based might be more difficult to play up and a lot of them I didn't really enjoy. Sultan + Ned Shepard's attempt transformed the song into a bit of a cheesy house jam that I felt didn't really work. It's hard to spin off from Avicii, I guess. On the other hand, I really must applaud Instant Party! for his baller remix of this track. For a song that I was convinced couldn't get any better, he really does give it that extra kick that it could use (ahem, BASS). I absolutely love when something good graduates to something even better and he does that in perfecting this track.

Coldplay - A Sky Full Of Stars (Instant Party! Remix)

Continuing with their latest album, Ghost Stories, comes the mystical remix of "Magic" by AlunaGeorge to which I am strangely drawn. It's kind of funky because it does feel like there are a lot of random things going on in this remix. However, I think it does work considering that she pretty much stripped Chris Martin's vocals from the original and did whatever she wanted with them. This remix evolves as it progresses and I really enjoy that aspect of it.

Coldplay - Magic (AlunaGeorge Remix)

Here we might find ourselves in "Trouble" (hehe) in going back to Coldplay's debut album, Parachutes. I love a good Royal Refix, and this one does not disappoint in the slightest.

Coldplay - Trouble (Royal Refix)

Suga Suga Remixed

I don't know if you guys ever loved the original "Suga Suga" by the rap moguls (kidding) Baby Bash and Frankie J as much as I did, but to me, it reflects the perfect nostalgia for early 2000's hip hop (I also know every word). Also, if you watch the video, you can see that blue-eyed Baby Bash is already ahead of the times in sporting his badass bucket hat. (In case you haven't heard, they're making a comeback à la Rihanna.) Anyways, this refix by Royal definitely does it justice in slowing down the original and sticking to the simple choral question: "Suga, how you get so fly?" But really how did you? Hopefully the answer lies somewhere within the beat.

Baby Bash - Suga Suga (Royal Refix)

Crave You Remixed

I absolutely adore the original of this song, and I will admit I was never a fan of the heavy dubsteppy remix that Adventure Club released of it. On the other hand, Royal takes a more minimalistic approach in remixing this sexy yet deeply desperate track as it gets broken down by adding more bass and raising the pitch of the vocals closer to chipmunk status (but not in an annoying manner).

Flight Facilities - Crave You (Royal Refix)