Hitmixes

Background and composition

Lady Gaga released her debut album, The Fame, on August 19, 2008; It spawned five singles: "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)", "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi". "Eh, Eh" was not released in North America, and was not remixed for Hitmixes. The other four singles all reached the top three of the Canadian Hot 100. The album's title track, "The Fame", was also remixed and included on the EP. Gaga's main producer, RedOne, produced a remix of "Just Dance" for the record; other producers were Robots to Mars, Chew Fu, Space Cowboy, Moto Blanco and Guéna LG. Hitmixes was released as a compact disc on August 25, 2009 in Canada only by Universal Music Canada. Moto Blanco's "Paparazzi" remix and the Glam as You remix of "The Fame" have 1980s influences, while the "LoveGame" Chew Fu Ghettohouse Fix and Space Cowboy's mix of "Poker Face" feature house styles, including incorporation of trance music and synthesizers. Rock singer Marilyn Manson and rapper Kardinal Offishall contribute additional vocals to the EP as featured artists.

Critical reception

Due to its Canada-only release, Hitmixes did not receive many professional reviews, however, in its review, the Calgary Herald stated that several tracks were "artfully and decadently remixed". Dan Rankin of Blare Magazine gave the EP three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that the mixes showed "varying degrees of success". Rankin especially praised Kardinal Offishall's vocals on the RedOne remix of "Just Dance" and singled it and the "LoveGame" Chew Fu Ghettohouse Fix as the best tracks on the album. Hitmixes debuted and peaked on the Canadian Albums Chart at number eight, on the issue dated September 12, 2009. The next week it fell to number sixteen, and spent its third and final week on the chart at number twenty-two.

Personnel

Credits for Hitmixes adapted from Allmusic.