Summer Is Here!

It's sunny outside, which means that every radio station is going to be blaring tunes that should never be heard outside of Freshers Week and an influx of topless men blasting Chumbawumba out of their white vans. However, the guy fixing your neighbour's roof and the Peugeot 206 crew aren't the only one's getting in on the act. The beat makers of today are unashamedly taking old classics and giving them a spray tan.

Because everyone deserves to have their ice lolly and Corona sessions soundtracked by really good music, I've picked out a couple of my favourites that you can all take your tops off to and get behind. Bring on Summer 2K13.

Joy Orbison - "Donell"

I couldn't tell you any of the other songs that Donell Jones has released, but Joy O's version of his 1999 hit "U Know What's Up" is definitely less sultry than the original. But still, it's toe tapping and club ready, which has the eight year old club diva inside of me, who was indebted to the Donell Jones original, wholly satisfied. It also makes me want to pop off to the off license in shorts and sandals to pick up a box of freezer pops.

Jai Paul - "Crush"

When the ill fated and short lived Jai Paul "album" hit the internet, his sickly sweet cover of "Crush" made me wet. Nestled between that pissing Harry Potter sample and some sort of advert for Africa was a cover with bizarrely beautiful depth (see Van Halen style guitar solo near the end), which has been converted from 90s virgin pop to something actually intriguing and layered. It’s on repeat and I know I’m not the only one rinsing it. Hurry up and stop being so illusive Jai Paul you twat, the world deserves a better quality version of this.

Hudson Mohawke - "OOPS!"

I know that this remix is four years old and I know that HudMo is producer to the stars and making dubious bangers with Lunice, but, whatever. This song is amazing and fits seamlessly into a playlist of summer time vibes. You've probably heard this track before, but please, put on your bikini and reacquaint yourself with it, because it's sexy as hell. It features Missy Elliot talking in hushed tones about doing you know what in her own pants and Tweet checking herself out because she looks fly as fuck over HudMo's hypnotically building bassline. Essentially, it's a recipe for disaster by the time we even get to the chorus.

Ryan Hemsworth - "Show Me The Meaning"

Every Summer BBQ needs a little bit of a toning down and Ryan Hemsworth refix of the Backstreet Boy's classic "Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely" is the ideal ice cube cool to the fiery heat of Jai Paul's "Crush". The Santana esque guitars remain, in parts, but all lyrics other than its new title have been stripped, turning what was once a heartbreak song into what could be construed as an existential crisis. Still, it's fun and light-hearted, which is exactly what we want in this premature summer climate.

Midas Touch - "Hell Interface" (Boards Of Canada Remix)

Sometimes I put this song on in company and people compliment me, when in fact someone else showed it to me and I never confess. Now, you can assuage my pretentious guilt and do the same, because this is an absolute crowd pleaser, ideal for sparking conversation with cute boys grilling sausages on a throw-away BBQ that they picked up from Asda. It's also a remix by the usually moody, yet flavour of the month, Boards of Canada, which means that you can appeal to both ends of the musical spectrum. The track was apparently made as a humourous throwaway, however, hearing it out would probably improve the lives of many and abolish poverty with its funkily sinister pop. It certainly gets ears pricked up, which is why it's my song of choice when I'm DJing for friends (sat in front of the laptop). With disco reportedly making a summertime comeback, this song deserves to be spread like wildfire.

Follow Tamara on Twitter: @TamaraRoper