Disco > Hate

June 26th, 2013

Other website news:

Wrote up a review of David Yow’s insane solo debut.

Did a mini-rant on how I think limited editions are fucking it up.

And in case I didn’t mention it before: YO, THIS IS A SONG ABOUT DIG DUG BY THE MAN WHO SANG DREAM WEAVER. 

I’m moderately stoked about that one, sorry.

Also, since everyone else on the Internet seems to hate me for this one, a while ago I wrote a thing on Doug TenNapel’s Kickstarter, and why you shouldn’t support bigots. With his Kickstarter hitting the tail end of its fundraising, I would appreciate it if you read it, and if you agree, share it.

And now on a completely unrelated note: some fabulous motherfucking disco.

All of tonight’s songs are all taken from DiscoNet Volume 6, a 1979 DJ-only 2LP set meant for club play.

Afrika Bambaataa/Kraftwerk/Lipps. Inc
Planet Rock/Tour De France (Extended Edit)/Choir Practice
Like most DJ-only compilations I’ve managed to come across, the first side of DiscoNet 6 is a non-stop mix. However, unlike most every other DJ-0nly compilation, this one kicks ass. This set came out in 1983, which was really a great time for dance music. Disco was finally dying out, and being replaced by the Moroder-influenced electronic dance music that would go on to dominate the rest of the decade. Producers and engineers were discovering crazy new ways to use synthesizers and digital equipment, and DJs were taking the art of the mix to places it had never been before. Pretty rad stuff all around, and I think these tracks show that pretty well, starting with this mix that combines American rap, German electronic music and some good old-fashioned disco that still kicked ass.

The “Planet Rock” part of the mix is pretty minor, just the first few seconds honestly. Most of the track is dedicated to “Tour De France,” in an awesome extended edit form that really draws it out to awesome epic length. The closer by Lipps. Inc is also great, and shows that their categorization as a one-hit wonder may have been a bit unjust. Great stuff here.

Valerie Oliver
Get The Money (Extended Club Mix)
I have no idea who Valeria Oliver is. She apparently released just three singles, this being her first, before vanishing from the pop music scene in the mid-80s. This song is pretty silly, an ode to getting yo’ cash from yo’ man, but it’s fun. And I love the Blondiesque rap breakdown about halfway through.

Stefano Pulga
Love Taker
I LOVE THIS SONG.

I love disco sung through a crazy thick Italian accent. I have no idea why. Couple that with the awesome 808 (or possibly 303) squelching and goddamn I’m in love with this Italian man and his amazing hair. I also don’t know what the hell a “Love Taker” is aside from a wicked burn that rhymes well with “Heart Breaker,” but hey, I’m not a songwriter so I can’t judge.

Pamala Stanley
I Don’t Want To Talk About (Extended Edit)
Pamela Stanley has an unreasonably long Wikipedia entry that I highly suspect was created, edited and moderated by either Pamela Stanley or someone who knows her personal phone number. She put out one album in 1979 and had a handful of minor hit singles, but that was about it for her mainstream success. Glad to see she’s still going at it tho. The world is always in need of more disco divas, no matter the decade.

Posted in Pamela Stanley, remixes, Stefano Pulga, Valerie Oliver | 8 Comments »

Terri Nunn is Cooler Than You

June 18th, 2013

First and most important order of business: Everyone go listen to this song about Dig Dug by Gary Wright. It will change your life.

Okay, now some other pressing matters: I want this.

Unfortunately, Death Waltz can’t ship it to the US (sidenote: Death Waltz needs better lawyers). Anyone want to help me out? I’ll pay for it of course. Cover shipping too. Be your best friend, buy you cake, you name it.

I got a copy! Thanks everyone for your help.

Now, a strange combination of remixes.

Aerosmith
The Other Side [Matt Dike ”Honky Tonk” Version]
The Other Side [Club Mix]
Theme from ”Wayne’s World”
For a rock band, Aerosmith sure as hell has a lot of remixes. At one point in my life, I had remixes of “Love In An Elevator,” “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” and even “Rag Doll.” I wonder what the point of these mixes was? I can’t imagine people in the clubs were ever really clamoring for Aerosmith dance mixes. And if they were, then where the fuck is the dance mix of “Mama Kin”?

Of these two mixes, the “Club Mix” is exactly what you’d expect. However the “Honky Tonk Version” is really…something. It transforms the tune into a country-flavored rock tune. Very, very odd.

And finally, yo “Wayne’s World” theme. Live. Awesome.

Terri Nunn
89 Lines (Club Mix Edit)
89 Lines (Blurring The Lines Remix)
Terri Nunn is the lead singer of Berlin. She is fabulously awesome and amazing, and no one bought her single solo CD because the world is a dark horrible place and we’re not allowed to have nice things.  I found this promo CD-single in a dollar bin at a record show last week and it was like a beacon of light surrounded by used Jimmy Ray and Constantine CDs. Say what you will about Terri Nunn (I fucking dare you) but she deserves better than that.

Posted in Aerosmith, B-sides, remixes, Terri Nunn | 7 Comments »

Sulking In Pittsburgh

June 14th, 2013

Who wants an update in my continuing adventures in audio insanity?

Okay, so when I left off last time, I discovered that my my new computer did not like my previous setup of hooking my turntable up to my computer via my Art USB Phono Plus. It was creating a muddy sound that cut off a lot of high frequencies. I then discovered that if I used my Art USB as a traditional pre-amp, and hooked it up to my computer via my line-in, then I got rid of that problem.

The downfall there was that I was getting increased line noise. A problem that I could then reduce by editing the file using the excellent DeNoise program. It was still there, but not in a way that bothered me significantly.

Well, for at least a week or two.

Anyways, before I figured that out, I went ahead and ordered another stylus to see if that was the problem, picking up an Audio Technica AT 120E/T from Amazon, a decent mid-range cartridge comparable to my Nagaoka MP-110. Even though I had solved the problem, I went ahead and gave that cartridge a go with my new setup. I liked how it sounded, just a little fuller with a little more treble, and decided to keep it.

So tonight, I was having problems recording my Blade Runner vinyl. It’s a great-sounding record, but it’s also very quiet, I was having a hard time getting rid of the line noise in the recording. On a whim, I decided to hook up my Art USB to my computer via USB once more, and see how that sounded with the new cartridge.

Holy shit! The “muddy’ problem was gone! Apparently there was something about my cartridge that was angering either the Art USB or my computer. I don’t know how that works, but whatever, now I got a setup that has the best of both worlds; no muddy sound from my previous USB connection, and no line noise caused from a crummy line-in connection.

I’m sure I’ll find something about it that’ll piss me off in a week or so though.

By the way, these were all recorded a while ago and are not indicative of any audio revelations.

A Guy Called Gerald
Voodoo Ray (Extended Mix)
Voodoo Ray (Gerald’s Rham On Acid Remix)
Voodoo Ray (Paradise Ballroom Mix)
Voodoo Ray (Penthouse Mix)
Voodoo Ray (Voodoo Raydio Mix)
A Guy Called Gerald is Gerald Simpson, who at one point was a member of the legendary dance act 808 state. I do not know who Voodoo Ray is.

Now that I think about it, I don’t know what Voodoo Ray is. Perhaps Voodoo Ray isn’t a person, but a raygun that attacks people with the powerful force of motherfucking voodoo. And I saw Serpent and the Rainbow. That shit is fucked up.

Bran Van 3000
Drinking In L.A. (Dave One Remix)
Thinking In L.A. (Zoobone Remix)
Sinking In L.A. (Dub)
Drinking In L.A. (Who Mix?)
Drinking In L.A. (Fink Mix)
I grew up in Toledo, and we had a Canadian-based alternative station called 89x, so I actually heard this song when it first came out in 1997. Later that year, a 17-year-old me went to L.A. for the very first (and last) time to tag along with my dad for an industry convention. Within about about two days I thought, “yup, that Bran Van song has this city pegged pretty well, Hell A.” This is the Canadian hip-hop version of that one Tool song.

That was a weird sentence.

Anyways, these mixes are from a 12″ single. And if you’ve never heard of Bran Van 3000, check them out, they’re pretty fantastic.

And yo, don’t forget that I’m once again trying to get rid of some records! Check out this post for more info.

Posted in A Guy Called Gerald, Bran Van 3000, remixes | 7 Comments »

Yo! Wanna Buy Some More Records!?

June 13th, 2013

Here we go again, I’m looking to unload some of my massive collection of vinyl and CDs, and I thought I’d give you all first dibs.

In case you missed my first sale, here’s how this works:

1. Click here to check out what I’m selling.
2. Shoot me an email (lostturntable AT yahoo DOT com) with an offer, try to include “I WANT TO BUY” in the subject. I get so much spam it’s like woah.
3. Assuming we agree on a price, you I will then remove the items off my list.
4. You pay me within 48 hours.
5. I ship your records.

Any questions, also shoot me an email.

Happy bidding, new post with music tomorrow!

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Ryuichi Sakamoto – Discord Gütninja Remixes

June 10th, 2013

Been neglecting Lost Turntable in favor of Mostly-Retro for the past week or so. Sorry about that, getting a blog up and running is hard work, especially when you’re trying to balance it with work that actually pays. In case you’re interested, some stuff I’ve put up there recently includes this review of the latest by Queens Of The Stone Age, and a rather obscene take on Microsoft’s rather obscene used games policy they seem to be adopting with the Xbox One. If you miss my foul-mouthed rants of old then you should probably read that post. I suspect you’ll like it.

Now music.

Ryuichi Sakamoto
Discord - Gütninja Remixes (complete album download)
I bought this in Tokyo, and recorded it last month. About the only thing that has stopped me from sharing it here is trying to figure out how to write about it, as well as the realization that only about five other people in the world will care about it. But hey, I’m sure those five people will be stoked.  For the rest of you, I’ll try to talk you into downloading this and giving it a chance.

I’ve written about Sakamoto on this site before, but in case you missed those posts, here’s a quick refresher. Ryuichi Sakamoto was part of the super-influential/amazing/incredible Japanese electronic pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra; a group who helped to lay the groundwork for synth-pop, electronic dance and even chip-tune. After they disbanded in the mid-80s, Sakamoto embarked on his wildly diverse and successful solo career, which includes mainstream rock music, ambient electronica, and orchestral compositions. He even won an Oscar in 1987 for his work with David Byrne and Cong Su on The Last Emperor.

In 1997, Sakamoto released Discord, his first classical work that was not for the screen (although many of his previous works had some classical elements). Primarily orchestral with a touch of piano, the album also featured some guitar and even some turntablism from DJ Spooky, so even if classical isn’t your thing, I think you should give it a chance. It’s really different.

Two years later, Sakamoto (or someone on Sakamoto’s label) handed Discord off to various DJs, producers and other electronic musicians for remixing, and the result is this album. It’s something special and unique, thanks largely to the remixers chosen for the project, who include Amon Tobin, Coldcut, Andrea Parker and Tavin Singh (a lot of Ninja Tune is on this record). They really work to transform the classical compositions into entirely new tracks, sometimes removing and reworking so much of the original pieces that they’re nearly unrecognizable. That’s not a bad thing in this case, however, all these tracks are great, even when they have little to nothing in common with the source material.

In case you can’t tell, I really dig this record. It’s pretty much everything I love all rolled into one big ball of awesome; Sakamoto, Ninja Tune, crazy remixes, and awesome weird Japanese shit. I really hope I’ve convinced you to check it out too.

Posted in Complete Albums, remixes, Ryuichi Sakamoto | 10 Comments »

The D.C. Cab Soundtrack. I don’t know why.

June 5th, 2013

Giorgio Moroder produced three soundtracks in 1983.

The first was for Flashdance, it went on to sell millions of copies, win an Oscar for best original song, and helped influence the very sound of the 1980s.

The second was for Scarface. While not as influential, it certainly served as a memorable score for the film, and featured great songs by the legendary Debbie Harry.

The third was for D.C. Cab. And hey, two out of three ain’t bad.

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Shalamar
Deadline USA
Shalamar is how the world was introduced to Jody Whatley, an 80s pop also-ran who scored a few hits with tracks like “Looking For A New Love” and “Real Love.” She was rad. Shalamar was…less rad. But they weren’t bad, and were probably one of the only disco acts to successfully make the transition to 80s pop and score a few MTV hits. This song is certainly catchy as hell, and reeks of Morder’s production, even if it was actually produced by Pete Bellote, a frequent Morroder collaborator. Synthesized funk gold. Seriously, the more I listen to this song the more I love it. I want to set my own real-life 80s training montage to it.

Peabo Bryson
D.C. Cab
This is the hardest I’ve ever heard Peabo rock, which is saying absolutely nothing considering he’s best known for songs like “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” and his “Beauty and the Beast” duet with Celine Dion. If you hear this song and think “wow, I need more Peabo in my live!” trust me, you don’t. You really don’t.

Champaign
Knock Me On My Feet
I only barely know one other Champaign song, the minor 1981 hit “How ‘Bout Us,” which I forgot completely until I looked it up on YouTube, and then promptly forgot about again. That song is horrendous. This song is amazing, probably the most Moroder of the songs from the soundtrack that I’m featuring here. The guitar solo is dope!

Karen Kamon
Squeeze Play
Karen Kamon is a singer who is probably best known for her work on the Flashdance soundtrack. No, she didn’t sing “Flashdance,” that was Irene Cara. And no, that wasn’t her on “He’s a Dream,” that was Shandi. She sang “Manhunt,” the soundtrack for the other, other dance scene in the film. She released two albums in the early 80s as well, but I’ve never heard them and they’ve never even been re-issued on CD, so I can’t speak to them. This song is pretty great though. It’s no “Manhunt,” but it’s a nice dance tune. Unfortunately, the LP suffered from some drastic inner-groove distortion here, so it’s a little distorted.

Leon Sylvers
World Champion
Don’t know much about this guy either, apparently he was a big producer for a bit, but he hasn’t done much in a while. Not a bad song, but forgettable.

Stephanie Mills
Party Me Tonight
Stephanie Mills was the original Dorothy int the first Broadway production of The Wiz, and that’s fucking awesome. I don’t think her pop career was ever as big as her stage one though. This is a synthtastic example of Mordoder production, and would fit in perfectly on the soundtrack to Flashdance.

Gary U.S. Bonds
One More Time Around The Block Othelia
Gary U.S. Bonds sung “Quarter To Three,” one of the best soul songs of the early 60s. Twenty-one years later he was on the D.C. Cab soundtrack. Man, life can be rough. At least he got the theme song to the baddest motherfucker in the movie, Othelia, played by the ultimate bad-ass Marsha Warfield. But I’ll talk more about her when I review the movie on my other site.

Giorgio Moroder
Knock Me On My Feet (Instrumental)
I guess Giorgio had high hopes for this one if he felt he should close the soundtrack with this instrumental version. Like I said before, it is definitely very Moroder, but when you hear the other stuff he was putting out around that time, this just doesn’t compare at all. Eh, at least it’s not “Danger Zone.”

The D.C. Cab soundtrack also featured “The Dream” by Irene Cara (wow!) and DeBarge’s “Single Heart.” However, those are both available on CD and digitally, so I’m not including them here. Sorry!

Hope you enjoy these tunes, and after you grab them, head over to my other site for reviews of the Beggars 5CD box sets, Joyful Noise’s Cause & Effect Vol. 1, and the really bad vinyl version of the really good new Alice In Chains album. And if you’re feeling like hating humanity, check out this post too.

Posted in Giorgio Moroder, soundtrack | 3 Comments »

Audio update, now with Janet Jackson

May 29th, 2013

Okay, so last night I had a near nervous breakdown over audio issues. Because that’s what normal people do right?

Don’t answer that please.

So, here was my problem: My ART USB Phono Plus for, whatever reason, did not agree with my new computer. When I went from line-in to USB (analog-to-digital) all the high end on my recordings got cut off. It didn’t matter what USB port I used, or how I configured my recording setup, no matter what I did it always sounds the same. And my other preamp, the cheapo regular one, gave me crazy R/F interference that practically made it unusable.

I was just about ready to call it quits for the night, but then I had an epiphany: What if I used my ART Preamp like a regular pre-amp? Meaning I would hook it up to my computer via USB for power, but then run audio cables from the line-out on it into the line-in on my computer? Maybe that would bypass the shit filtering that was going on with the USB connection and I would get my high-end sounding better?

Tried it. It worked. I could finally hear the high-end. I was happy. That’s where I left things last night, with my “MY SHIT SOUNDS DOPE” update.

I spoke a bit too soon though. While my shit sounded good, “dope” was a bit of hyperbole (especially DOPE in caps).

Upon further review, I was still getting a good deal of line noise. Nothing crazy, about the same that I had before, but since I was no longer losing the high-end, I think I was able to hear it better. It was driving me crazy. So, then I had another idea: the ART USB Phono Plus can be powered by either USB or AC. What if I powered it by AC? Would removing USB from the equation help?

Bought an AC adapter for it, plugged it in, gave that a go. Nope. Actually it made it worse. At least I thought it did. So then I plugged the USB connection back into the computer while leaving the AC adapter plugged in, and then I tried to do a compare and contrast between recording via the USB and recording via the line-in. However, I noticed something odd; with the ART running off both USB and AC power it generated far less line noise. It was nearly inaudible over my speakers, and very quiet over my headphones. I suspect that  may have properly grounded it? Maybe did something to block off more RFT? I don’t know.

I could still hear it enough for it to moderately bug me though, so I decided to give some software filters a chance. First I tried Audacity. As always, it fell short. The noise removal in that doesn’t do the job for me. It removes it from quiet sections just fine, but if you’re working with anything that has bursts of noise in a quiet section then you can still hear the noise buried int he louder parts, at least I can anyways. No matter how much I fiddled with the settings in Audacity I couldn’t get it to work. The hiss removal in iZotope wasn’t much better either.

Then I remembered that the maker of my favorite click removal software, ClickRepair, also sells a program that removes line noise, aptly called DeNoise. I download that and gave that a shot, sticking mostly with the automatic settings.

Wow!  It works great. Between my reduced line noise coming in and the added help of DeNoise, my recordings are quieter and clearer than ever before. The difference is pretty amazing, Now I think my shit sounds dope. I don’t know though. You be the judge with tonight’s recordings.

Janet Jackson
Miss You Much (Mama Mix)
Miss You Much (Sing It Yourself Mix)
Miss You Much (Oh I Like That Mix)
You Need Me
I was going to test out my new setup with an abstract orchestral composition by Ryuichi Sakamoto, but I thought it might behoove me to use a song that people have actually heard before, so they can compare and contrast. Hence, Miss Jackson (if you’re Nasty).

Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys Medley
Hey Ladies (Extended Funky Mix)
These are both from “Ultimix” LPs, special DJ only records. Typically, these things tend to suck. They’re usually quick and sloppy re-edits that don’t add anything new or original to the tracks. These mixes are pretty good though, the “Hey Ladies” extended mix ads a lot to the track and is a lot of fun.

 

Posted in B-sides, Beastie Boys, Janet Jackson, remixes | No Comments »

I want to set all the preamps on fire

May 23rd, 2013

Okay, so here’s what happened.

A few days ago I wrote a review for Daft Punk’s totally awesome Random Access Memories. As per usual with my uber-geeky reviews, I also went into some detail about the compression of the digital version of the album compared to the vinyl release. Then I went onto say that the vinyl also sounded slightly different, its drums seemed muted, and the bass seemed louder.

I can see what links people clicked on to get to my blog, and I like to do that everyday. It so happened that this review caught on with some people at an audiophile message board. Somewhere there commented that the album doesn’t actually sound like that on vinyl, and that if I had a certain cartridge on my turntable then it would sound better.

Now, I take audiophile comments with a grain of salt, especially when they’re along the lines of “you need this $500 cartridge to really appreciate your music, man.” But I have been unhappy with the quality of my rips for some time now.

This happens every year or so. I get a setup that I think I ‘ll finally be happy with, but then as I listen to more and more music and rip more and more vinyl, I start to pick out imperfections. In this case, I have long suspected that my rips were too, I don’t know how to describe it, muddy, I guess? Like they were muted and muddled a bit. Nothing horrible. I bet 90% of the people who listen to them think they’re fine, but it was bothering me. So I took a little more interest in what this guy had to say.

So then I went to my audiophile message board of choice, Audiokarma and asked about my problem at hand. I even brought audio samples. The people there suggested that I was looking for a more “aggressive” cartridge, and they steered me towards a couple that were much more in my price range. However, one person also suggested that something else could be at fault, that my setup might not be jiving well with my preamp.

Curious, I dug out an old cheap solid state preamp that I bought years ago and hooked it up to my system. Lo and behold, my audio sounded much crisper, the drums were no longer muted, nothing sounded “underwater.” I was happy. For about 20 seconds.

You see, the problem with this preamp is that it sucks. I guess that’s kind of vague, I’ll explain more. It has lousy shielding. it picks up radio frequencies like a motherfucker. If I crank it on full blast I can hear the classic rock station as well as I can my music. Additionally, it has a wicked hum that just never goes away.

So off to Radio Shack I went (yay) to pick up some grounding cable and a ground loop isolator. I figured if one didn’t do the trick the other would.

Hooked up the ground loop isolator, it made things worse.

Tried to hook up a grounding cable, and that presented itself with a whole other heap of problems. See, my turntable has been modified to not need a ground cable hooked up to it. That’s great, however it leaves me nowhere to hook up the ground cable coming out of my preamp. Feeling MacGuvyerish, I tried wrapping one end around a copper pipe in my bathroom (it was a long cable) but that also just made things worse.

So here’s how I stand right now. I have one preamp that gives me no interference, but it sounds like shit. I have another that sounds great, but it’s muddled with interference.

My head kinda wants to explode. Which is bullshit because I have exploding head syndrome so it does that shit already.

I’m looking into some other pre-amps, but this shouldn’t be that hard. I think that if I were able to properly ground my pre-amp then I would at least be able to eliminate the damn hum, and maybe from there I’d figure out a way to get rid of the RFI. Anyone have any suggestions? I keep reading things like “attach it to a three pin plug” but what the hell does that even mean? Wrap it around a three prong power plug? That doesn’t seem like a wise idea. As much as I love audiophile boards, they sure as hell have a hard time explaining the simplest of concepts. In fact, I still don’t entirely understand what a fucking ground loop is, other than that they’re bad and I don’t want them. Is it really such a complex fucking concept to get across?  Argh.

Anyways, I wrote another big thing at Mostly Retro, a guide to Giorgio Moroder’s music. I suspect that if you’re the kind of person who comes to this blog, you already know all there is to know about Moroder, but if you know someone who doesn’t and might be interested, send them my way. I’d appreciate it.

I also started putting “buy at Amazon” links on MR, and whenever you buy something from an affiliate link I get a cut. So hey, maybe check out that article and buy some motherfucking Donna Summer. (There’s also a Donate button there too, just sayin’).

Sigh, I’m fucking exhausted. And I really have nothing to say about tonight’s music other than “I like it a lot,” so enjoy.

DJ Rap
Bad Girl (BT’s Spoken Progenitor Mix)
Bad Girl (Bad Girl Roller Remix)
Bad Girl (BT’s Titanium Dub)

Psykosonik
Panik Kontrol

A Guy Called Gerald
Voodoo Ray (Extended Mix)
Voodoo Ray (Gerald’s Rham On Acid Remix)
Voodoo Ray (Paradise Ballroom Mix)
Voodoo Ray (Penthouse Mix)
Voodoo Ray (Voodoo Raydio Mix)

UPDATE: HOLY SHIT I FIGURED IT OUT AND NOW MY SHIT SOUNDS DOPE AGAIN. I’LL GO INTO DETAIL LATER.

*HIGH FIVES EVERYONE*

Posted in A Guy Called Gerald, DJ Rap, remixes | 5 Comments »

Yearning for Imaginary Remixes

May 13th, 2013

I wrote something at Mostly-Retro about bad concert etiquette, why I think it’s such a problem, and what I think can be done to alleviate the problem. Check it out.

Look, I’m going to level with you. I really want people to read that one. It’s kind of important to me, and I spent a lot of time on it. So if you read it and like it, please share it with a friend via…whatever your favorite social media thing is. I’d really appreciate it. I usually don’t mind that my audience is kind of small, my interests are pretty niche after all, but dammit, I want everyone to read that.

Sorry if that sounds a little vain or self-serving, but it’s how I feel.

Now, let’s walk on sunshine.

Katrina And The Waves
Walking On Sunshine (Extended Mix)
And don’t it feel good.

I am fucking shocked that it took me seven years to get this song on this blog. I’m fucking shit up. I need to go through a Billboard Top One Hit Wonders list and see if there’s any other classics that I missed. Maybe find a 12″ mix of Haircut 100’s “Love Plus One” or something.

…

Shit, now I want that. I hope it exists.

Freestyle Mix by Juanito
Mega-Mix 1991 by Richard ‘Humpty’ Vission
These are two megamixes from one of those special “DJ Only” records I talk about on occasion. Unlike last week’s “rock” remix collection, these megamixes are much more inline with what you would hear in a dance club in the early 90s. Like house music? New Jack Swing? That “People Are Still Having Sex” song? Then you should like these.

I’m not that familiar with Juanito, but I know me some Richard Vission, and I can’t believe that this is the first time I’ve ever mentioned his name on this blog. Dude is a legend. Back in the 90s I had a friend who had piles of burned mix CDs, and I lost count as to how many had “RHV – AWESOME MIX” written on them. I wish I still had access to those mixes, some banger stuff on those.

Of these two mixes, I’m a bigger fan of the Vission mix, but they’re both great time capsules of a bygone era and a lot of fun. I’d make a list of all the songs in both, but my knowledge of 90s house and dance pop is not nearly vast enough to do that. If anyone wants to point out any great lost gems in either mix, please leave a comment.

Just don’t mention the Color Me Badd part in the Vission mix. Best we ignore that.

Posted in Juanito, Katrina And The Waves, Richard Humpty Vission | 6 Comments »

These songs didn’t need dance remixes

May 10th, 2013

New on Mostly-Retro, a review of the amazing Blade Runner soundtrack vinyl re-issue, and a look at an INCREDIBLY stupid movie on Netflix.

And with that out the way, I now present the latest in my continuing efforts to share the dumbest music possible:

Collective Soul - Shine (Souza Mix) 
Queen - We Will Rock You (Bass Kicks Micks)
The Eagles - Heartache Tonight (Hell Freezes Over Mix)
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock & Roll (Dance To This Mix)
The Breeders - Cannonball (Bass Line Mix)
Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way (Rip That Guitar Miques)
Oh boy, these are dumb.

So in the 80s and 90s (and maybe probably today to a lesser extent) there were special labels that strictly released “DJ Only” singles and records. I think I wrote about these before. Typically, these releases would include special edits or mixes of popular tunes, or sometimes they would even include their own “megamixes,” saving club DJs the time and effort (and skill) of having to mix tracks together.

Most of the time these releases focused on “dance” tracks, or at the very least, rock songs with a strong dance focus. I’m sure there is an “Ultimix” record out there with an extended dance edit of “Centerfold,” for example. Also, in nearly all the cases I’ve come across, the songs are just mixes and not remixes. What’s the difference?

Typically speaking, a remix is a song that has been modified by someone who has access to the original masters. Remixers usually remove and/or drastically rework original aspects of a song, and almost always add their own elements as well. Remixes may also use different vocal takes or other outtakes by the original artist.

A mix, on the other hand, is more like a re-edit of a song. More often than not, mixers do not have access to the original masters, so they’re rather limited as to what they can change.  So all they really do is add in a couple extra breaks to the beginning and end of a song, throw in some new beats or maybe extend the breakdown in the middle, all stuff done to make the song easier for DJs to mix into another track, or make the song more dance-friendly. These tracks are all perfect examples of mixes, taking the original song, taking on some extra beats or basslines, and not much else.

That, however, does not make them any less hilarious. A dance mix of “Shine?” What the fuck? “Heartache Tonight?” Why? Who the fuck thought that was a good idea? I guess the hysteria from the then-recent Eagles reunion was fucking rampant.

(Side note: I remember when the Eagles reunion concert aired on VH1 that year, holy shit my dad was one stoked old white dude.)

So yeah, if you like dumb shit (and boy, if you don’t then goddamn are you at the wrong blog) then you should dig these.

And if you like The Eagles, fuck you.

Posted in Collective Soul, Joan Jett, Lenny Kravitz, Queen, remixes, The Breeders | 5 Comments »

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