Despite my punk leanings, I still find myself loving it when a longer ‘dance mix’ of a single I like is released. I don’t know why though, because you sure as hell aren’t gonna see me actually DANCE to any of them.
Making a good dance mix is an artform that is a lot harder than it looks. One only has to hear a bad remix to be reminded of that. I remember hearing a remix of ‘We Will Rock You’ when I was at a Chick-Fil-A in Toledo (my…that’s an odd sentence) that just added some randon scratch noises and an extra beat to the famous ‘boom-boom BOOM’, that was a truly awful listening experience, and don’t even get me going on that remix of ‘My Heart Will Go On.’ That’s the musical equivalent of slaughtered kittens.
New Order – Blue Monday 1988 Remix
New Order – Touched By The Hand Of God (Remix)
There are probably more remixes and covers of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ than there are New Order songs. You’re not going to hear me complain about it though, I think it’s probably one of the 10 best singles ever released. This 1988 12-inch mix isn’t one of the best mixes out there, but it is one of the most unusual, packed with bizarre vocal and sound effect samples. The remix of ‘Touched By The Hand Of God’ appears as the B-side to the ‘Blue Monday 1988’ 12-inch.
Note: This record was heavily damaged, and although I restored most of it, the last few seconds of ‘Touched By The Hand Of God’ are a little distorted.
Berlin – No More Words
Berlin – Dancing In Berlin
By far one of the most underrated and underappreciated bands of the 80s synth-pop scene, Berlin were much more than their superhit ‘Take My Breath Away’ (a song that wasn’t even written by them.) I can’t recommend their stuff from the 80s enough. Both of these tracks are off the ‘No More Words’ Maxi-Single.
Depeche Mode – People Are People (Different Mix
Depeche Mode – People ARe People (On Us Mix
I’ve never been a huge fan of the ‘Mode. Don’t get me wrong, I think ‘Personal Jesus’ and ‘Break The Silence are great songs, but I just could never really get into them. Although I’m not a huge fan of ‘People Are People’ (always came off as a little too preachy to me) I know this track has its fans, so here are two mixes off the 12-inch single.