REVOLUTIONS - ARCHIVES
Our former singles reviews and news column, by Editor Shawn Wallace, where he gave the latest Vinyl and CD singles a spin.

January 2004

Here it is 2004!! But before we jump ahead, lets take a quick look back at my picks for the Top 10 Singles of 2003. This list is loaded with cuts that range from an artist claiming his throne, a multi-talented producer experiencing mainstream notoriety, the triumphant rebirth of a pioneering electronic band, and hip-hop wunderkinds getting us to shake it like a Polaroid picture!

Revolutions TOP 10 of 2003

1. Paul Van Dyk "Nothing But You"
   This was clearly the song of the year showing that the German DJ/producer is securely perched at the top of his game.
2. Motorcycle "As The Rush Comes"
   You couldnt escape this track, it seemed to be on a new compilation every week.
3. BT "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)"
   The mainstream embraced BT in a big way in 2003 on the heels of this crossover hit for the man once dubbed the founder of trance music.
4. Underworld "Two Months Off"
   Back and better than ever, Underworld gave us one of the most uplifting tunes of the year.
5. Kaskade "It's Me, It's You"
   The title track for Kaskades debut album gave us an insight into the realm of a wonderful talent who deserves our attention.
6. Outkast "Hey Ya"
   Big Boi and Andre 3000 shot to the top of the charts in 2003 in no small part due to this electric track.
7. Seal "Get It Together"
   Grammy-nominated, need we say more?
8. Murk "Believe"
   House legends Oscar G and Ralph Falcon at their best.
9. DJ Hyper "Catnip"
   One of the surprises for me this year was how many times I played this, it seemed to never leave the crate.
10. Bent "Magic Love"
    A lush tune that made The Everlasting Blink one of my favorite albums of the year.

Honorable Mentions:

* P. Diddy featuring Kelis "Lets Get Ill"
Nobody had Miami talking more this year more than the Bad Boy himself

* Panjabi MC "Beware Of The Boys"
This track showed yet again that there are no boundaries for music to travel

Now its time to get this new year started off right and we have found a few tracks tracks sure to so just that including the return of Simply Red, who is sure to become yet another band to experience a resurgence of interest following the release of club mixes for their single "Fake" (Simplyred.com). Jumping on the cover train, the rising production duo of Christopher Ruskis and Wen-Kai Ying, known as Chris and Kai, have joined with original Pretty Poison vocalist Jade Sterling to bring "Catch Me" (Yoshitoshi Recordings) a cover of the 80s hit "Catch Me I'm Falling" with a flip side featuring the stunning cut "Suffocation" which has been spreading like a virus on its own from New York to Miami. Chris and Kai have also contributed remixes to the "Sumo Yes We Will" release on Yoshitoshis sister label Yo!.

Solu Music continues to become one of our favorites labels for sultry smooth deep house and with the release of "A Night At The Barracuda", that are sure to attract even more attention. Also on the softer side of the dance music experience is Erin McKeown, who has released the perfect cocktail hour track "Cosmopolitans" (Nettwerk America). McKeown is a singer/songwriter who has been gaining accolades for her work from Philadelphia to Boston to Detroit and New York. Born and raised in Sumatra, up and coming singer and producer Astrid Suryanto has embraced her exotic heritage with the seductive "Rainwater" which features a quiver of remixes ranging from Victor Calderone to Mr. Velcro Fastener just to name a few. Reggie Benjamin featuring Chynna "Doll Ride" (2-Xcentrix) with remixes from Grammy-nominated producer Maurice Joshua, E-Smoove, Mandy Maxx, and Martin The Boogieman Luna.

Also be on the lookout over the next few weeks for upcoming releases from Jaymz Nylon on the Belgian label Foreplay, including "I'm Checkin' You" (Foreplay (Belgium)), and Brandy feat. Derek "Sensual (Jaymz Nylon Remix) (Foreplay (Belgium)). And dont miss Black By Birth feat. Ronyx "Get It Right" (Mainsqueeze (U.K.)) produced by: Andrew Brown (Champion Soul) and Jaymz Nylon. For more information, check out http://www.jaymznylon.com/news.html

And for all of you fans of the free download, we have a couple sure to get your fidgeting little trigger fingers to click away. Visit www.mano-destra.com and dont let the graphics throw you, these tracks deserve a listen.

Or if you are craving something a little more melodic and emotionally driven, check out the Honeyroot mp3 for Sweet As Honey (Just Music). Click for Windows Media stream : Real Media stream : Free MP3 download. (Presented in conjunction with Just Music, www.justmusic.co.uk)

Well that's it for now, I'll see you next month!!! And again, Happy New Year!

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Materials for this column (vinyl, CD/CD-R, and MP3 format only) should be sent to: Shawn Wallace - Raves.com - PO Box 150665 - Altamonte Springs, Florida 32715-0665