Saturdance

Zendaya All Day Long

July 27, 2013 0 Comments

I’ve had Zendaya’s “Replay” on repeat since receiving an advance copy a few weeks ago. The remix package for the Disney star’s debut single was officially released on Tuesday, and now I can share the two revamps that have been jockeying for over-and-over-and-over-again status everywhere I go.

First up, Ralphi Rosario turns in a reliably storming club remix. Always have to give it up to the Chicago house music legend, whose circuit sound has served many a pop/R&B diva well. Zendaya may only be 16 — much too young to claim such a title — but Ralphi’s remix of “Replay” suggests she’s on her way to joining those rarified ranks:

Newcomer Belanger, who’s become a go-to remixer for Hollywood Records artists (Demi Lovato’s “Heart Attack,” Bridgit Mendler’s “Hurricane”), continues to impress. On “Replay,” he breaks from the original single’s 8-bit bleeps, substituting dramatic stylings to transform Zendaya’s pop/R&B song into an epic dance track.

The stuttering vocal treatment in the remix’s final third is a fantastic throwback to ’80s-era dance music. But triggered atop Belanger’s insistent production, the repetition doesn’t sound preciously retro in the least.

Contributions from Jason Nevins, It’s The Kue, Riddler, and Jump Smokers round out the “Replay” Remixes package. You can hear those here, if you like.

Purchase Zendaya – “Replay” (Remixes) via iTunes, Amazon MP3.