So much for independent women. When the ladies of the disbanded Destiny’s Child want to hit the clubs now, they ring up some fine fellas from across the pond.
Destiny’s Child was no stranger to the dancefloor when the group was churning out hit after hit, and Beyoncé picked up the mirrorball mantle when she went solo (remixes of “Baby Boy” hit #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart, and “Me Myself And I” reached #3). In 2006, looking to turn tracks from her sophomore solo effort, B’Day, into club hits, Beyoncé hooked up with Russell Small and James Wiltshire, the UK production team known as the Freemasons.
The duo’s disco magic proved a perfect match for Beyoncé’s vocals. Freemasons made “Déjà Vu” better than before and the otherwise-screaming “Ring The Alarm” downright listenable. Last summer, they continued their streak by shaking up the Beyoncé’/Shakira duet “Beautiful Liar.” Not long after, Ms. Knowles released a digital EP compiling these remixes, plus Freemasons’ take on a fourth B-Day track, “Green Light.” Hear here:
Purchase Beyoncé – “Green Light” Freemasons EP via Amazon, iTunes.
Another founding member of Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland, hasn’t exactly been burning up the charts like Beyoncé. Her second outing, 2007’s Ms. Kelly, was nearly dead on arrival here; lead single “Like This,” a collaboration with rapper Eve, topped out at a weak #30.
Taking a page from her sister in song, Rowland’s team turned “Work” over to the Freemasons. The reworked “Work” became a monster hit overseas, topping the charts in Bulgaria and Poland, and reaching #4 in the UK. Rowland says the Freemasons mix “took it to the next level,” though for reasons not quite clear, “Work” wasn’t released as a radio single in the States. Hear here:
Purchase Kelly Rowland – “Work (Freemasons Mix)” via Amazon, iTunes.
Rounding out the Destiny’s Child trio, Michelle Williams is launching her secular solo career after releasing two inspirational albums. The first single from Williams’ forthcoming (and fittingly titled) Unexpected, “We Break The Dawn” is an arresting ode to dancing ’til the sun comes up. Such all-night-long lyrics require inspired club mixes, so another of the DC gals’ go-to remix teams was called up for dancefloor duty, Italy’s Karmatronic (Beyoncé’s “Ring The Alarm,” “Listen”; Kelly Rowland’s “Daylight,” “Comeback”).
While I love the distorted keyboards of the original track, Karmatronic amps up the clubtastic vibe. Hear here:
Purchase Michelle Williams – “We Break The Dawn” via Amazon, iTunes.
Though she learned the ropes as a background dancer and vocalist for Destiny’s Child, Solange Knowles’ initial set, 2003’s Solo Star, didn’t stike DC-like gold. But Solange kept busy behind the scenes, writing for big sis Beyoncé (“Get Me Bodied,” “Upgrade U”) and Kelly Rowland (“Love”). And guess who had a hand in Michelle Williams’ “We Break The Dawn”?
Now Solange is ready to release her sophomore set, Sol-Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams, August 26. The album features contributions from Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Adele), Cee-Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley), and Boards of Canada (yes, really, though via sample). With an ear for retro and electro, S would appear determined to step outside of B’s shadow.
The Neptunes-produced first single, “I Decided,” is carried by a old-school Supremes beat. The Freemasons were asked to remix “I Decided,” but instead of turning in a full-on club mix, they kept the “Where Did Our Love Go?” tempo intact while adding a fuller retro sound. Solange must have enjoyed this playful surprise: The Freemasons edit was included on the album’s tracklisting as “I Decided, Pt. 2,” rather than relegating it to the single’s release. Hear here:
Purchase Solange – “I Decided” (including the equally fantastic Karmatronic remix) via Amazon, iTunes.
So the rule holds true: If you don’t like the original (“Ring The Alarm”) or can’t imagine liking it more (“We Break The Dawn”), just wait for the remix.