Retro Dannii Remixes

Dannii's Dirty Box is slowly coming to an end and I realise that I haven't paid enough attention to the early years of Dannii's brilliant career. I have collected a handful of early remixes, which will give new fans some indication of Dannii's fabulous roots and remind old fans of Dannii's brilliance.

"Everything I Wanted" was the second single from "Girl". Sadly, it is probably the worst song on the album and basically killed the entire project. The single version was pretty dire but the Xenomania remix is a reminder of how good that outfit used to be.

One of the highlights of Dannii's second album, "Get Into You", is undoubtedly "This Is The Way". In fact, it's still one of my favourite Dannii singles. "The Cool 7" Version" is better yet!

"Success" is a song that is near and dear to all Dannii fans. Here is one of the better remixes.

Dannii is an undisputed master of cover versions and one of her best is "Baby Love".

"Disremembrance" was the third single from "Girl". There are arguably better songs on "Girl" but I still love this. Particularly the "bimbo goth" video, with Dannii crying in what appears to be a graveyard. I have always enjoyed this remix.

I vaguely remember someone requesting "Hallucination". I apologise for not remembering exactly who it was. "Hallucination" was the B-side to "Jump To The Beat" in Australia and "Baby Love" in Japan. I personally think that "Hallucination" is Dannii's trashtastic opus. This song has everything - sirens, barking and Dannii throwing down some hot rhymes - against a crazy 90s house track. Something about it also reminds me of "Justify My Love", if it were covered by Ya Kid K in 1992!

Come And Get It - J.C.A. Featuring Dannii

Since the day that Dannii's Dirty Box first opened its pink flaps to the public, I have been weighing up whether I should do some kind of countdown or make a list of my favourite Dannii songs. It sounds like a lot of fun but I just don't think I could choose between them. However, I am certain that Dannii's collaboration with J.C.A. would, at the very least, be in my top 10. "Come And Get It" is an exquisite slice of dance-pop that should have delivered Dannii her first #1 hit. Instead, the song suffered the indignity of ending up as one of those ridiculous hidden tracks on certain editions of "Neon Nights".

Just when it seemed that all was lost, Dannii's German record company outed itself as the knight in shining armour who would save the song from pop oblivion by announcing that "Come & Get It" would be the 4th Single from "Neon Nights" in Germany. Dannii's fans rejoiced that one of the greatest pop injustices of recent years would be rectified to some extent. The record company appeared committed to making the song a success - remixes were commissioned, promos were released and a video clip was planned. And then, the record company pulled the plug due Dannii being unavailable for promotion due to previous commitments. I think that's code for "Holidannii strikes again".

"Come And Get It" was eventually released as a digital single in Germany and I am very happy to bring it to you with thanks to Tommie. Get ready to enjoy one of Dannii's finest pop moments.

I Can't Sleep At Night - Remixes

"I Can't Sleep At Night" was to have been the 4th single from "The Hits & Beyond". Remixes were commissioned and an utterly slutastic video was filmed, only for the project to be shelved in favour of "He's The Greatest Dancer" - which was also eventually cancelled. I wouldn't have picked "I Can't Sleep At Night" as a single, "Gone" was the obvious choice in my opinion, but it seems incredibly wasteful to throw everything away at the last minute. The video would have ensured some media attention and the remixes are, as usual, excellent. The promotional strategies of AATW remain one of life's great mysteries but at least Dannii keeps on churning out fabulous material.

Thanks to Jay and Tommie for the remixes. Enjoy the brilliant video for "I Can't Sleep At Night". Dannii is scorching hot - I love it!

Robyn Loau Is Back!

Robyn Loau makes a welcome return to the Australian pop scene this week with her exquisite new single, "She Devil". As a former member of the legendary Girlfriend, Robyn is a veritable Australian pop icon. In fact, the blurb accompanying this release claims that Robyn has sold over 500,000 records in Australia (which includes her solo career, Girlfriend and various world music collaborations). I have my fingers crossed that Robyn's comeback will see a continuation of her previous success - despite the minimal promotion and non-existent radio airplay for the single. Robyn is simply too talented to remain lost in the swampy waters of the Australian live music scene.

"She Devil" is a perfect example of why Robyn Loau deserves to be massive. The song exudes class with every delicate beat. "She Devil" is quite a musical progression for Robyn. The original version is an eerie mid-tempo pop song, underscored with electro-bleeps and even a tinge of jazz. The song also boasts gorgeous lyrics and subtle production. I just worry that it isn't instant enough for a first single. The first time I heard it, I thought "She Devil" was terrible. Now, I'm absolutely hooked. I would love to share the superior radio version but the song is being released this week and I would hate to be responsible for anyone not purchasing the single. Instead, I have uploaded one of the many remixes. As usual, Rok Coalition delivers one of the best.

You can hear the original version of the song in the stunning video clip, which was filmed at the 12 Apostles. Robyn looks absolutely stunning as a sea siren and the photography is beautiful. If only they had put as much effort into the nasty single cover.

If you like what you hear, please order the single from Chaos. It will be $5 well spent!

Under The Influence Of Giants

I'm in a rather hip mood today! Firstly, the so uncool she's positively cutting-edge, Laura Imbruglia and now a post about an Indie band. Before you run for the smelling salts, "Mama's Room" is possibly the gayest Indie song ever to be favoured by skinny wankers wearing stove-pipe jeans and retro sneakers. I don't know much about Under The Influence Of Giants apart from the fact that they hail from California and are being hyped by all the usual suspects as the next big thing. If the original version of "Mama's Room" is anything to go by, the band is really not my cup of tea at all. However, there is no denying the glory of this remixed version, which transforms Under The Influence Of Giants from a slightly less insipid Keane, into an outfit that matches the Scissor Sisters for sheer camp value. In addition to having some seriously fabulous cover art, the group also lists a selection of classy influences on their Myspace site - George Michael, Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince!

Candice Alley Returns

Candice Alley has the honour of releasing the first new Australian pop single of 2007. Candice is probably best remembered for the song "Falling", which was a massive Australian hit in 2003. For a while there Candice was hailed as the next big thing until her follow-up single, "Dream The Day Away", and her debut album, "Colourblind", both flopped miserably. Candice was abruptly dropped by her record company and completely fell off the pop radar - until now.

"Before You Go" follows the "Falling" blue print very closely; the only change to Candice's sound is an ever so slight move towards lite-pop/rock and a new glamorous image. Candice looks amazing but I'm still not taken with her as an artist. She makes pleasant music but it is a little too sedate for my liking. However, it is nice to have her back. As far as dull singer-songwriters go, Candice is entirely bearable! The "Before You Go" CD single also offers a wonderfully trashy remix, which I have uploaded for your listening pleasure. I've also included Candice's previous singles, "Falling" and "Dream The Day Away".

If you like what you hear, help keep Candice in fake eye-lashes by purchasing her single from Sanity. Hopefully, a new album will follow in the near future.

Remixing Bionda

Bionda is becoming something of a fixture on this Blog as one of the holy trinity of Swedish pop trash queens, along with the lovely Olinda and Marie Plosjo. Of the three, Bionda is definitely my favourite. Her publicity whoring antics are already a thing of legend. Who else but the woman formerly known as Linda Rosing could squeeze in having sex on national television in the Big Brother house, launching a failed pop career, starting a political party (which garnered only 222 votes in the election), writing an autobiography (well, having one ghost written by a gay journalist) and re-launching a pop career with a tour consisting of three songs - into only a couple of years? As far as I'm concerned, someone should be handing Bionda a Nobel Prize for services to the Swedish tabloids!

One of my favourite songs of 2006 was Bionda's stunning pop anthem, "Forget Me, Forget Me Not". The song shocked everyone by actually charting in Sweden and has become an internet favourite. Bionda's number 1 desperate gay fan, Tommie, recently sent me the remixes of "Forget Me, Forget Me Not" and one of them really stood as being worthy of an international icon like Bionda. The "Snakebyte Floorfiller Edit" is a wonderful piece of Euro-disco that almost manages to improve on the original. This remix makes Bionda sound like a Swedish Dannii Minogue impersonator - which is obviously almost unbearably fabulous. I just had to share it with Bionda's tens of fans around the globe!

For those of you who missed out on the original:

Tommie has also been kind enough to upload the amazing video to youtube. This is seriously fantastic. It's mind-boggling what you can do with $20 and a camcorder! Watch the video here.

Bionda has made such an impact that some incredible fans are petitioning AATW records to sign Bionda - join the petition!