JULY TUNES, BABY!

Wassup, baby? Here, in no particular order are my picks for July Tunes.

We start up with a new remix of Amy Winehouse's Rehab. It's by Desert Eagle, and unfortunately, it isn't available on iTunes. It's an ol'skool, rockin' big-beat style remix, with heavy emphasis on the horns and vocals. It's pretty much the same tempo and swing-style as the original, but features samples and hooks not featured in the original version... like Amy Winehouse shouting, "What's up baby?" in the background. Good stuff.

Also making the rounds this month:

With Love [Vission vs Dave Aude Remix] Hilary Duff - a hot little mash up of two of the remixes from Ms. Duff's hot new album. The only thing missing is the great bridge from the original.

Buttons [Dave Aude Button Fly Club Mix] Pussycat Dolls - I'll admit to being a late-comer to the PCD bandwagon, thanks to my cousin Sandra. (She hooked me into watching their reality show this past Spring.) But more rewarding than diving into their yummy, pop-fluff album has been tracking down the killer remixes of their music.

Take On Me [Feelgood & Dave Aude Mix] a-ha - I guess you could say that July is Dave Aude month on my iPod. He's a remixer I've known about for a while (since Madonna's Music album), but his work in the past few years, from bootlegs to mainstream releases, has been improving in leaps and bounds. This remix is a classic, updated. Great for the treadmill.

Yoo Hoo [Album Version] Imperial Teen - I first heard this song during my first Sundance Film Festival, back in 1999. It's taken me all this time to find out who sang it, what it was called and to track down a copy. It's a little bit of late-90s alt-rock, dirty pop. Not for the faint of heart.

Beautiful Liar [Album Version / Freemasons Remixes] Beyonce & Shakira - This little bonus track from Beyonce's last album is what I'd call a slow burner. When you first hear it (or see the over-the-top sexy video) it won't impress you much. But you'll find yourself humming it later, and it will haunt you until you buy it. It is available from iTunes and GoMusic.ru, but the remixes are only on the Russian site (for now).

Who Is Watching [Tondepth Remix] Armin Van Buren feat Nadia Ali - One of the most gorgeous, mysterious prog-house tracks in years. It's nice to see Nadia Ali, vocalist from iiO, branching out.

Other songs still rocking my iPod include: Can You Read My Mind by The Killers, The Wings [Gabriel & Dresden Remix] by Gustavo Santaolalla and One Day In Your Life [Any Version] by my girl, Anastacia.