We have yet another debutant in the Fan Mix Of The Month section as Holland's Marc Hartman steps forward with a truly stunning remix of 1986 US No 1 single Human with old Fan Mix contributor Michiel van Bokhorst acting as middleman to connect the dods. It's a proud moment for this website to be able to present a Marc Hartman remix on these pages as he has a long and glorious career in the music industry, incl remixing Janet Jackson, enjoying chart success with his acts 2 In A Room and Micro Mania and co-writing T-Spoon's "No Time To Waste". You can learn more about Marc by checking out these links;
http://soundcloud.com/music-mania
http://www.facebook.com/marchartman66
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Marc+Hartman?noanv=1
And Marc's expertise shines through as he delivers a mix that stays loyal to the original, but at the same time gets a sonic update, incl a great new groove. Here's what he had to say about the remix;
I remember the first time it was played in my local record shop. I was shocked it was Human League, it sounded so different from the rest of their songs. But it was great, only I was not so pleased with the 12 inch. I did the remix in my studio, used Ableton and lots of VST plug ins. My mission was to make it more 2012 and make it "BoomBastic" .... still no Human League song or sound, but I think for the next generation my mix will do just fine. By the way, allmost everything in this remix is new.... I used the acapella version and start to build a whole new song around it. As you can hear, the structure and the arrangement is totally different. To complete the Remix i took the famous intro of the original and mada a loop out of it and placed it random in the new song. And to me, this is how a Remix should be, rather you like it or not.... it's different. In the past i was disapointed by the big words "SPECIAL REMIX" on a cover off the12 inch.Human League special remixes where allways special, so to continue that tradition.... Here is Human 2012 "Special Remix"
Click on image to download. You can buy the original single release of Human as well as the extended 12" version here.
David Power is back! The man who gave us the excellent KraftwerkDave Mix of Darkness back in 2007 (can be heard here) has out of the blue delivered a stomping new version of 1990 single Soundtrack To A Generation. And it's another cracker as he has given the track a well deserved kick up the backside and added some energy with a pulsating electro groove, synth rumblings galore and some clever restructering of the chorus to leave out the one bit that fans disliked. Over to David;
I like the original song for its melody and lyrics, but I always thought it was a bit too slow. Unfortunately the original track has dated quite badly, so as there was an acapella handy I thought I'd have a bash as doing a new version. I know the holy cows are controversial for some people, but I never thought they were as terrible as some people have made out ;) I wanted to make it dancier and use analogue sounds as I think that's the true sound of the Human League. I deliberately steered away from a digital-analogue hybrid feel and tried to avoid too much processing; just a bit of reverb, delay and EQ. The sounds and techniques were influenced by (i.e. somewhat ripped off from) Rex the Dog. I would have loved to hear him remix something from Credo.
I used Logic Studio, a Novation keyboard controller and a Sequential Circuits Pro One bought off eBay a month ago. The Pro One was used for almost every sound on the track (hello Yazoo!). I used Battery for the drums and rhythm stuff. As I'd never owned an analogue synth before, I spent a few not so fun hours getting the hang of getting the bloody thing in time and in tune :)
Click on image to download. You can buy the original single release of Soundtrack To A Generation here.
It's yet another debutant in the fan mix section as a good friend of this website takes a bow with a triple whammy of brilliant new remixes of latest single Sky. Ken Evans has made his name in the music business as the driving force behind Australian electro pop outfit Tycho Brahe which has excisted for almost 20 years with a steady flow of quality releases. You can learn more about their output at their Facebook profile here as well as www.tycho.com.au. The latter is also where you can find Kens first stab at a Human League remix with his excellent take on Rebound, which was part of the reason he caught this websites eye. And he hasn't disappointed with his awesome treatment of latest singles Sky as he's made it a fitting tribute to the late Martin Rushent with a production very much inspired by the great man, creating memories of both Dare and Love And Dancing. But enough waffling, over to Ken;
Sky was by far my favourite song on the Credo album, it was instantly recognisable as classic old school Human League, tarted up with more modern sounds and production, but the rhythm section, mostly the bass, kind of irritated me a bit as it sounded a bit too rigid to me. This motivated me to start working on a "retro" mix within days of getting Credo, as I could hear in my head how I wanted it to sound, but I was having all sorts of problems working with the full mix from Credo. I enquired through various sources to see if I could get an acapella, with no luck. When Sky was eventually released as a single, I felt vindicated that I had seen the potential in the song as a single, but kind of annoyed that others had their shot at an official remix.
My ambition was to give the song a Dare/ Martin Rushent flavour for the retro fans (like me), but also so it could act as a companion piece to the remixes of Rebound I did a few years ago. It was a bit frustrating because, working with such a full mix instead of an acapella, I was limited in how I could approach the instrumentation and still include the vocals, which are really the focus of this song. I really wanted to keep the vocals in there and up front. The new drums basically mask the original drums but with Rushent-style drum fills, the new bass is almost the same but has a bit more funk to the timing and some nice slides, something I felt the Credo version was lacking. Some of the other sounds simply mask the original sounds out of necessity, but are more retro. The arrangement was already very solid, so I didn't mess with that too much, apart from cutting it down to tighten the arrangement into something more like a proper single. When the short version was almost complete, the new instrumentation sounded pretty good in isolation, so I re-edited the mix back out into an old school "12 inch" version to showcase some of the new instrumentation, and also because I just love old school 12 inch mixes!
The drums are from a Linn LM-1 sound library that I have. Most of the synths are hardware synths, for example the bass is from a vintage Roland SH-09. In the second half of the first verse and hiding under the choruses you can hear a vintage Casio VL-Tone, the "Fantasy" preset, as used on Get Carter. Other synths used were a DSI Prophet 08, a Korg MS-2000, a Roland SH-32, and a vintage Roland Juno-106. All of the above were either played manually or MIDI sequenced from ProTools. There are a couple of lines in there done on Subtractor soft synths in Reason, including the "Love Action" sounding chords on the verses - that was a very complex patch involving all sorts of modulations and vocoders. The original mix components from the Credo version were carefully edited and EQ'd in ProTools to remove, reduce and/or disguise as much original instrumentation as possible without overly mangling the vocals. The new instrumentation was recorded through a Behringer 24 channel analogue desk, some parts were run through a Golden Age Pre-73 pre-amp and Comp-54, clones of vintage Neve equipment. The final mixdown was realised on ProTools.
Click on image to download. You can buy the original single release of Sky here.
We have another debutant in the Fan Mix Of The Month section as UKs Mick Collins-Gellar makes quite an entrance with an epic mix of latest single Sky. He came to this websites attention with some brilliantly executed extended edits of a couple of Human League tracks on his Soundcloud account http://soundcloud.com/mickcollins_gellar and he was more than happy to apply to my suggestion of creating the extended edit of Sky that many fans crave for and which wasn't included in the otherwise excellent remix package for the single release. And Mick has done wonders, delivering an epic 11 minutes extended version of the song which highlights all the interesting parts of the track without overstaying its welcome. This is what Mick had to say;
When I first
heard Sky it took me straight back to the 'Dare' album which I still
rate very highly in album releases. It was very 'Human League' yet
very different and fresh sounding at the same time. They all sound
as if they haven't aged at all vocally. It is a great tune,harmonies
and beat and is very pleasing on the ear.
What I wanted to get from the mix is an extended edit along the lines of when extended versions used to be proper extended versions,which they don't seem to be so much lately. I wanted to keep the basic elements of the song intact (as I do with all my mixes),but just juggle it around a bit and alter intro and outro. In all I wanted to take nothing away from the song but just add my own take. The programs I use are Mixman Studio X Pro (Mainly), and I use Wavepad Sound Editor for additional effects and aditional editing.
Click on image to download. You can buy the original single release of Sky here.
DON'T YOU WANT ME 30TH ANNIVERSARY
According to the official sources It was the 27th November 30 years ago that Don't You Want Me was released as 4th single of the Dare album and went on its world conquering crusade to firmly put The Human League on top of the charts. And since their big breakthrough song is as popular as ever this website celebrates its anniversary by letting some of the most talented remixers take a crack at giving the song a new twist as we know the original recording so well. The single was originally released in the UK 27th November 1981 and entered the charts at no 9 before it spend a cool 5 weeks at the top spot, including the all important christmas period. A few months later it was released in the states where it also climbed to the no 1 spot. And the rest is history…
DISCLAIMER! These mixes are purely made to celebrate and promote the music and career of The Human League. They are not for commercial use! You can buy the orginal version on itunes here or why not go for the legendary extended version by the great Martin Rushent here.
We have a debutant in the Fan Mix section as UKs Andy Hagerty takes a bow and debuts with a rather special remix of Don't You Want Me to celebrate the fact that the single stayed at the No 1 spot in the UK Charts over the new year back in 1981/82. Andy came to this websites attention through some rather nifty online Depeche Mode and Yazoo remixes as well as his own cool, electronic music and you can learn much more by checking out his website www.andyhagerty.com or facebook (click here) as he has a new album 'My Electronic Heart' out in late january. And he demonstrates a great ear for details as he delivers an excellent remix that stays true to the original, but at the same time gives the production some new shine and melodies. Over to Andy;
It's one of my favourite all time synth pop
tracks. The bassline introduction must be one of
the most recognisable synth lines EVER! And
Martin Rushent's production is perfect. It was
very interesting hearing the individual master
tracks and I felt I learned something more about
the art of production from hearing them. For
example, that iconic bassline was in fact two
seperate synth lines. Individually they sound
okay, but together they are massive! Overall the
song reminds me of Christmas 1981, when I got my
sledge and my dad made my elder brother Peter
take a picture of me in it! When I see that
photo I think of the Human League's 'Dont you
Want Me' so the track has many fond memories for
me.
I wasn't sure which direction to take it to be
honest and are always weary remixing a track
which in my opinion was pretty much perfect.
I knew the bassline that I would write would be
critical to the feel of the track, so I started
on that first. I had a few different bassline
ideas from fast 'dagga dagga' basslines (you
know the ones, Giorgio Moroder esque!) to
darker, thumping ones. As the remix progressed I
toyed with making it minimal with some plinky
plonk synth accompaniment, or make some big
soaring lead lines.In the end I thought what the
hell, stick them both in at some point! :-)
It was produced using Logic Studio on the Mac
using a mixture of analogue and software synths.
For the bassline and effects - Moog Voyager XL,
Arpeggios and blips - ES1 and ES2 in Logic.
Drums - Personal created percussion set from the
Sequential Circuits Pro One, Microtonic AU, and
Logic drums
Click on image below to download from Andy's soundcloud account.
Paul Boddy aka EMP makes a heros return as we celebrate Don't You Want Me hitting the No 1 spot in the UK Charts this date 30 years ago! Through the years he's been very generous to this website with his awesome remix talents and you can check them all out here or go to his Soundcloud site; www.soundcloud.com/paul-boddy-emp-remixes, which is stacked with brilliant remixes of all your favourite electro pop artists. Paul is a very busy man, including writing songs with Melanie C, so it's with great pleasure this website can present another of his excellent remixes as he's given Don't You Want Me a different twist with a spanking new production and melodylines all the way through. Or as he explained;
"Because the original is so well known and having access to the separate parts, it made me decide to try a newer angle for my mix. In the end I kept relatively few musical elements from the original - just the 16 step sequencer part, one of the intro chord parts chopped up, the Linn hi-hat and the synth parts in the bridge and obviously the vocals! The mix was done in Logic software, with most of the synth work done using Gladiator 2 softsynth which is my current favourite for all things analogue sounding! Additional Linn samples were used for the tom rolls alongside other main drum sounds. The other thing I did was to fake some vocal harmonies for the track, this was done using Melodyne software. Hope you like!"
Click on image to download.
It was this date 30 years ago that the Don't You Want Me single entered the UK Charts at No 9 and what better way to celebrate than for Matt Pop to make a most welcomed come back with another of his high quality remixes! You'll remember him for several awesome fan mixes for this website which can all be found here. A lot has happenend since then as he's making quite a name for himself in the music business with his talented knob twiddling and you can learn more by checking out his website www.mattpop.nl. His latest take on a Human League track is up to usual lofty standards as Don't You Want Me gets a sonical update without loosing the feel of the original. Over to Matt;
"My
mix starts with a Kraftwerk-like drumloop and I have kept the arrangement
fairly transparent to give those great vocals room to shine. I threw in a
few bits from Life On Your Own because it's in the same key, I am a sucker
for those Linn sounds, and because I like the fact that Susan sings '"now I
think it's time to live my life on my own" and Phil now answers "I guess
you've always wanted life on your own". It's a conversation between two
tracks! The iconic lead / bass hook from the intro of the original surfaces
during the break, where it is played with a woody, percussion-like sound. If
anyone can guess what 80's track I sampled that sound from, they can have 3
free Matt Pop mixes :)
Software used for this mix includes NI Kontakt 4, Omnisphere, Audjoo Helix
(love that synth!), Best Service Synth Werk, Vanguard, Linplug Alpha (that
lovely, snappy filtered bas during Susan's verse), and Sylenth1 (my
all-purpose favourite). And my mixes would be nowhere without my Arts
Acoustic Reverb, PSP Vintage Warmer and Oxford Inflator. Great to see that
Phil and the ladies are still going strong, 30 years on. And while I think
there is always a place for remixes, nothing - including my mix - can touch
the perfection of the original. It certainly is one of my favourite tracks
of all time."
Click on image to download.
And stay tuned for more
exclusive mixes as we count down the singles rise to the top of the charts.
To celebrate the date of its release we have a rather unique mix from Denmarks own Claus Larsen, whom you'll better know as Industrial/EBM king Leaether Strip. You'll also remember him for his contribution to the celebrations of The Human Leagues 30th anniversary as he did an awsome version of Circus Of death which can be found here. He originally released Don't You Want Me as a cover version on his 2009 album Ængelmaker, but has kindly donated an exclusive instrumental mix of the track. And it doesn't disappoint as he delivers a thumping version of the song with the bassline taking a well derserved center stage. Here's what Claus had to say about his version in the online magasin Cyber Angels in 2009; "Everyone knows this song, but not for the lyrics or the chorus, but for that amazing bass line I never grow tired off. And as you may or may not know I am a bass freak. And that bass line is still after all these years, Godlike to me." You can listen to Leaether Strips original cover version here and buy it here in hard copy or via itunes here. Check out Leaether Strip websites for more info;
http://www.facebook.com/leaetherstrip.clauslarsen
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leaether-Strip/44724618037
http://www.myspace.com/leaetherstrip
http://www.alfa-matrix.com/
Click on image to download the mix (Recorded and produced by Claus Larsen at the Strip Farm DK). And stay tuned for more exclusive mixes as we count down the singles rise to the top of the charts.
Remixer supreme EMP is back and in full force as Don't You Know I Want You from the 1984 album Hysteria gets a most welcomed sonic update. As usual he masters the art of staying true to the orignial but at the same time adding lots of interesting synth noises, melodies and thumping beats to bring the production into this centuary. And as the track clocks in at a cool 6:52 theres plenty of room to enjoy all the glorious added details. Or as he describes it; "One of the few Hysteria tracks that I really liked, the bridge is awesome. (The mix is) sort of Tangerine Dream goes DNB". Click on image to download the track. Visit EMPs Soundcloud account to hear more of his awesome remixes of both Human League and other artist http://soundcloud.com/paul-boddy-emp-remixes.
New single Egomaniac gets the good ol' fashioned extended treatment fans are yearning for as Chronovisor makes a most welcomed come back with one of his trademark re-edits. If you've paid attention to this section you'll remember him for some excellent mixes of Soundtrack To A Generation (March 2008) and Seconds (see the Dare special 2007 here). And he doesn't disappoint as Egomaniac works beautifully in this version that clocks in at 5:16 minutes and combines the single version with the instrumental version. Over to Floyd Anderson; "I was positively surprised, when I first heard the new single, because it's a very good one.For me it's an old fashioned 90s THL electronic sound, and I like it very much. I didn't want to go on too long with these parts, because the song is very compact, That's all I can do to extend the tune, more wouldn't work from my perspective." There's actually a bit more to the mix than first meets the ear, see if you can spot it in the first verse. Click on image to enjoy Disclaimer! This mix is not for commercial use but purely made to promote The Human leagues new single Egomaniac which you can buy here.
What better way to enter the new year than with The Audacity serving up one of their trademark remixes as first Human League single in 9 years Night People gets a good spanking. Regular readers of the Fan Mix Of The Month feature will know The Audacity from their earlier excellent remixes of All I Ever Wanted (June 2009) and Dakrness (August 2010), as well as their own back catalogue of electro pop with latest offering "The Audacity Make Me Sick" making the Top 10 list of favourite albums of 2010. And they do their usual sterling job as they re-arrange the song, add more sequenced melodies, swooping synth noises as well as enhancing the thumping drive of the original. Over to James Hardiman; "its a bugger to do, but we have toughened them up a bit!". Enjoy the remix by clicking on image. Check out The Audacity; www.myspace.com/theaudacitykidder. Disclaimer! This remix is not for commercial use but purely made to promote The Human leagues new single Night People which you can buy here.
The Audacity has a new album out and celebrates it by giving away one of their usual ass-kicking HL remixes. They've taken fan favourite of Dare! "Darkness" and given it a new twist while still being faithfull to the original. Lots of new melodies added and a cool beat to get people racing to the dancefloor. Add to that the snarling bassline and you got a winner! As James from the band explains; "It’s a classic track that should have been a single and I didn’t want to kill the spirit of the original but wanted to sufficiently beef it up in an Audacity kind of way and I think it works. It clocks in at 5.35m so it’s all compact and straight to the point!" If you like electro pop with thumping bass lines, foot tapping beats, catchy melodies and quirky lyrics, don't hesitate to check out their new album "The Audacity Make Me Sick". "Stag Do" sounds like a big hit, while other gems include My Cartoon Head", "All You People Make Me Puke" and "Two Fingers". You can learn more on their myspace www.myspace.com/theaudacitykidder. Enjoy the Human League mix by clicking on image.
What better to mark the return of the fan mix section than with remixer extraordinaire EMP serving up one of his fantastic remixes as Blind Youth gets a new lease of life! You'll remember him for his excellent remixes of (Keep Feeling) Fascination and Party and you can check out his details and links under the August 2009 and April 2008 entries. And he doesn't disappoint as he treats Blind Youth with an update that really brings the track into this century. True to the orignial, but with new beats and sounds that fits the track like a glove and gives it an even more dark feel. And extended to a whooping 6:12 minutes for maximum enjoyment of the added details. Or as EMP puts it; "It has a very contemporary dubstep-style sound, but that's tempered with some melodic/euphoric Tangerine Dream sequencer-style bits...starts off a bit like the Minimum Maximum version of Radioactivity." Click on image to enjoy.
We have a debutant this month as Belgiums Jeff Cimino, AKA DJ/EF, makes a storming entrance with his first fan mix contribution. He came to my attention through his fantastic remix of Depeche Mode's Leave In Silence which you can feast your ears on at his website www.myspace.com/djslashef along with a string of other excellent remixes. Besides remixing, Jeff is also very active with the musical projects Matières et Mémoire (www.myspace.com/matieresetmemoire) and Angst (www.myspace.com/angstmuziek) and with his love of electronic pop and industrial he was a perfect match for the Fan Mix Of The Month feature. Mirror Man was originally released in the UK 11th November 1982 and had the tough task of being the follow up single to the extremly succesful Don't You Want Me from the equally record breaking Dare album. But it did the job and ended at the No 2 spot on the UK singles Charts. Produced by Martin Rushent and written by Callis/Oakey/Burden, the song was a departure from the purist electro sound of Dare but still carried the trade mark hooks of a classic Human League composition. And to this day it's ever present at the bands concerts, including (gasp!) guitar work! Only working with a rip of the vocals from the dvd Live At The Dome, Jeff really has bought the song back to the bands original electronic roots with a driving, double layered electro bass, thumbing beats and fittingly synths noises. Especially loves the ending with the bass booming away with the girls "uh uh" back up vocals on top of it. Chilling! Click on image to enjoy.
As the Empire State Human single celebrates its 30th anniversary next month, I thought it should be marked with a cool new mix of this classic. And who better to deliver than Mat McKenzie, AKA Hypnotica, that brings out another of his excellent remixes. He has been very productive in delivering fan mixes in the past and you can visit the April 2008 entry for more details. The song was originally released as a single 15th October 1979 and was written by March/Oakey/Ware and produced by the late Colin Thurston. It went unnoticed to the record buying masses as it didn't chart, but when re-released in May 1980 did manage to creep up to the number 62 spot on the UK Singles Charts. But it's cult classic status has been enhanced with it's inclusion as a fixed part of the bands set list, in the later years even with a Oakey Moog solo! And Mat performs another of his trademark instrumental remixes, creating an almost dub style electro version of the track. In some ways faithfull to the original, but with the bassline enhanced in great sequenced electro style and letting the melody hook from the last part of the song take centerstage through the whole mix. Brilliant! Click on image to enjoy.
After a well deserved break remixer extraordinaire Paul Buddy, aka EMP is back! And with a vengance as he takes Party of the Crash album to a whole new level! He delivered one of his trademark remixes last year as the (Keep Feeling) Fasciantion single celebrated its 25th anniversary and you can learn more details under the April 2008 entry. Since then Paul has spend his time working on different artist tracks, including co-writing a No 1 chart topper in Japan! Party was originally released September 13th 1986 as part of the Jam & Lewis produced Crash album and was penned by Burden/Oakey/Russell. As one of the few highlighs on a rather disappointing album it deserved more attention than it got and really shold have been a contender for a single (along with Love On The Run) instead of the car crash (pun intended!) named I Need Your Loving. But that is sort of being fixed now as EMP surprised me by choosing this track and really give it a new lease of life. With added pulsating basslines, razorsharp drumbeats and cool new melodylines, Paul really has made his stamp on the track without losing the feel of the original. Click on image to enjoy.
This month UK electro outfit Sequential Z makes a welcome return, as Mirror Man gets their trademark treatment. Earlier this year they presented a cool mix of Don't You Want Me and you can learn more about them under the January entry. Mirror Man was originally released in the UK 11th November 1982 and had the tough task of being the follow up single to the extremly succesful Don't You Want Me from the equally record breaking Dare album. But it did the job and ended at the No 2 spot on the UK singles Charts. Produced by Martin Rushent and written by Callis/Oakey/Burden, the song was a departure from the purist electro sound of Dare but still carried the trade mark hooks of a classic Human League composition. And to this day it's ever present at the bands concerts, including (gasp!) guitar work! Sequential Z has done an excellent job in turning the song into an instrumental electro stomper and quite cleverly let the famous "uuuhh" back up chorus from Joanne and Susan take center stage in the mix. Add to that some foot tapping beats and cool basslines and we have a hit! Click on image to enjoy.
This month is a bit special, as I'm proud to announce that the Audacity have offered their immense remixing talents to this website! If you've paid attention, you'll remember them for making some real ass spanking remixes of Human League tracks a couple of years back for then Human League website League Online. I didn't dare ask them for a remix as I didn't want to step on anyones toes with their heavy connection to said website, but since they contacted me I almost bit their hand of in eagerness of enlisting them as remixers. Doing awesome remixes is a side project for the Audacity as they are a classic electro pop duo and you should do yourself a favour and check out their myspace site www.myspace.com/theaudacitykidder. Most of their last album "Are The Still Going?" is online and it's up there with the best of what is offered on the current electronic scene. Especially "Contagious Paranoia" and "TV Guide" is catchy as hell! To my delight they opted to remix a personal favourite of mine; All I Ever Wanted which was released 30th July 2001. Written by Philip Oakey/Neil Sutton and produced by TOY, it sounded like THE come back single for The Human League. But due to poor promotion as the record company went bust as it was released and Radio One refusing to give it airplay, the single tragically only managed to reach the number 47 spot in the UK Singles charts. The longivety of the track has been confirmed by it's ever presecence in the bands live set and it always go down a storm with the live crowd. The ambition for the Audacity was to make the track more aggressive and gritty sounding and they really have come through with a version that almost tops the original recording as there's added a real bite to both the bassline and beats. They've also introduced some additional melody hooks around the chorus and the whole thing really some together in an almost 6 minute version of pure electro heaven. Click on image to download.
This month we go nightclubbing! No, it's not another mix of The Human League's famous Iggy Pop cover, but DJ Sappy has given the old single I Need Your Loving a swift and well deserved kick up the backside and it should now have the potential to fill up the dancefloors it used to empty! You'll remember Sappy for his earlier contribution with a marvelous mix of One Man In My Heart and if you scroll down to December 2008 you can both download that mix and learn more about his work. Released November 21st 1986 as the second single from Crash, I Need Your Loving puzzled most fans, as there where far more obvious choices on the album for a single release. Written by no less than six different people (none of them from the band!) and produced by Jam & Lewis, it was a drab affair that failed miserably in the charts and missed out on building on the massive success of the Human single. But Flemming Jensby, aka Sappy, has manged to breathe new life into the track and made it into a foot stomping club track. All there is left of the original recording are the vocals, but the newly crafted beats, basslines and melodies fits the track like a glove. Click on image to download. Flemming has also created a video for the mix, which can be viewed here.
The Matt Mix makes a highly anticipated return as Matt Pop serves up yet another delicous remix of Louise. Originally released 5th November 1984 as the third single from the troublesome Hysteria album, this classic was penned by Callis/Oakey/Wrigt and produced by Chris Thomas, Hugh Pagdham and the band. Even if the sales of Hysteria disappointed by the bands own lofty standards it did produce 3 Top 20 singles as Louise reached no 13 in the UK Singles Charts. And the track has stood the test of time as prominent artists as Robbie Williams and more resently Tony Chrisite has covered the track. Matt's immense remixing talents really lights up Louise as he has created the extended remix the original 12" release sadly lacked. Stretching the track to almost 7 minutes without losing the melancholy of the song, he's prolonged the synth hooks and added some cool sounding basslines and beats. Sounds fantastic! Click on image. The track is also online at www.youtube.com/user/producermattpop.
This October sees the 30th anniversary of cult classic single and live favourite Empire State Human and it's celebrated in style a little early as this months mix is a bit of a scoop. Sean Turner, aka Ex-rental, has donated the instrumental version of the Empire State Human remix he did for the Very Best Of compilation back in 2003 that sadly didn't make it to the final tracklist. As you may remember Sean contributed to the Dare 2007 Fan Mix project with a version of Don't You Want Me and you can check out his details and that mix here. The song was originally released as a single 15th October 1979 and was written by March/Oakey/Ware and produced by the late Colin Thurston. It went unnoticed to the record buying masses as it didn't chart, but when re-released in May 1980 did manage to creep up to the number 62 spot on the UK Singles Charts. Sean's original remix was a brilliant affair, staying faithfull to the original but updating the soundscape and rhythmsection. And this mix highlights all the good stuff as much more details appear for the untrained ear when the vocal is removed.You can hear the original vocal remix version in all its glory at Sean's website; www.ex-rental.com. Click on image to download.
2008 was kept a Dare Fan Mix free zone as the year before no less than 19 mixes from this classic album was published on this website to celebrate the bands 30th anniversary. But it should be safe to go back in the water now and let loose some more mixes from the particular successful era. And this month UK's Simon, better known as Alone With Strangers, takes a stab at the instrumental Get Carter. He did a rather cool mix of Nightclubbing that was uploaded September last year, so you can learn more about him further down this page. Get Carter was originally written by Roy Budd and the part The Human League covered was the piece used for the opening and closing of the movie of the same name that was released in 1971 starring Michael Caine. A difficult track to mix, but Simon has done an excellent job, choosing to add to the atmospheric mood of the recording by going the ambient way. Cool noises adds to the atmosphere and brings it home nicely. Click on image to enjoy.
2009 is off to a flying start as UK electro outfit Sequential Z serves up a great instrumental remix of The Human League's world conquering smash hit of the early 80s Don't You Want Me. As it often happens, I discovered the remix artist as they made a great fan mix of one of my other favourite bands Depeche Mode. And thankfully they were well into the League and more than happy to take a stab at remixing a track. You can learn more about their history, sound and projects at: www.myspace.com/sequentialz. Don't You Want Me was originally released in the UK 20th November 1981 as the fourth single from the Dare album and really put the band on the map as it went No 1 in the UK Singles charts and stayed there for 5 weeks. Produced by Martin Rushent and written by Callis/Oakey/Wright the band famously didn't want to release it as they thought a 4th single from the album would be ripping off the record buying public . Thank god Virgin Records knew better! It's a big task to remix this worldwide known classic, but The Sequntial Z has attacked in the right manner, making it an instrumental electro stomper with more focus on the bassline and added subtle beats and additional melodilines. Click on image to enjoy.
The end of the year is celebrated in style as fellow countryman Flemming Jensby, better known as Sappy, serves up a delicious remix of the hit single One Man In My Heart. He came to my attention as he did a very cool mix of Depeche Mode's Martyr and seemed like an obvious choice to ask for a fan mix of a Human League track. He's responsible for a whole string of great mixes that are scattered round on the world wide web and you can also check out his work at www.myspace.com/thesappy. One Man In My Heart was originally released 6th March 1995 as the second single from the highly succesfull Octopus album and was the first ever single with Susan Sulley on lead vocals. Written by Philip Oakey/Neil Sutton and produced by Ian Stanley, this was the bands most commercial effort to date right down to Philip Oakey's "ooh la la la" backing vocals. And it showed as it did well in the UK Singles Charts reaching the No 13 spot. Flemming has done a great job in giving this song new life as he has layered out a very cool electronic soundscape round the track with just the right bleeps, beats and bass noises for maximum effect without ruining the original. Click on image. UPDATE! Flemming has also done a video for the remix, which can be found here.
I accidently stumbled upon this months contributor as I was lurking round the web and hit his myspace website www.myspace.com/electrotherapies. The design alone lets you know that french electro wizard Stéphane has all the right musical influences for doing a fan mix of a Human League track. He makes music under the monikers Electrotherapies and Marboss and you can check out his unique electro style via the sound samples on his websites. And he was more than happy to provide a very cool Marboss Remix of that old classic Human. Originally released 11th August 1986 as the first single from the Crash album, it was both written and produced by world famous american producer team Jam & Lewis and recorded in their Flyte Time studio in Minneapolis. Which may be part of the reason that it soared all the way to the number one spot in the Amercian singles charts. The release also gave the band another Top Ten hit in the UK, as it reached no 8 in the UK Singles Charts. Stéphane has stayed loyal to the track and gently updated it for this millenium with a great new beat, added strings and awesome bass noises. A difficult song to mix as the original is close to perfection, but Stéphane has done a brilliant job. Click on image.
Dodi's Crossover Mix makes a much appreciated come back as Tomislav Sokac serves up another great mix. You may have enjoyed the excellent re-edits he did of Darkness and Do Or Die for last years Dare 2007 Fan Mix project and you can check the mixes and his details here. This time round his talents has again been put to good use as the old fan favourite You Remind Me Of Gold is given the extended treatment. Originally released by Virgin as the b-side to Mirror Man in December 1982 it went all the way to the number 2 spot in the UK Singles Charts. Produced by Martin Rushent this was the first Human League song written entirely by Philip Oakey and it eventually ended up on the Fascination EP that was released in the US in 1983. The track has been a firm favourite among fans ever since its release, but sadly the band has so far declined to play it live. For some reason Virgin decided not to do proper extended versions of the tracks on the orignal 12" release, but that mistake has now (at least for the b-side) been corrected by Tomislav, as he presents one of his trademark re-edits that stretches a whopping 8+ minutes. Click on image to enjoy.
This months fan mix is done in a really clever way and gives great variation to the other mixes. The Human League knows how to pick cover versions and their take on Iggy pop's Nightclubbing is no different. Originally released by Virgin as part of the Holiday 80 Ep in April 1980 it was mixed together with their cover version of Gary Gliter's Rock'N'Roll. It didn't lit up the charts as the release stalled at No 56 in the UK Singles Charts, but it did come to prominence on the Canadian release of the Travelogue album as it replaced Toyota City in the tracklist and later as a bonus track on the CD releases of the album. Freed from the association with Rock'N'Roll, this track stands proud on its own as Simon from Nottigham in the UK, better known under the moniker Alone With Strangers, gvies it a very special treatment. He came to my attention as he posted a great fan mix on the Human League forum and we was more than willing to apply his talents to present an exclusive mix for this website. Simon has music as his main hobby and is inspired by all the cool electro bands from the 80s and up to more contemporary artists of the alternative kind. You can follow his output here http://alonewithstrangers.multiply.com/. And he has really done a great mix of Nightclubbing in a way that's new to the Fan Mix Of The Month feature. There's the ususal extended bits and pieces of the track for all to enjoy the great synth noises and beats of the track. But he's managed to mix the vocal from Iggy Pop's original version to match the flow of Human Leagues version so it now appears as a duet between Philip Oakey and Iggy Pop. Very cool and I love it. Click on image to enjoy.
This time round it's off to Alsace as french remixer David Dieu delivers a great remix of Tell Me When. Originally released as the first single from the Octopus album 28/12 1994 it was written by Philip Oakey and Paul Beckett, who also programmed and played synthesizer on the album. Produced by Ian Stanley it was the bands big "come back" single as it roared to the no 6 spot in the UK Singles Charts and they found themselves in the Top Ten for the first time since Human was released in 1986. David Dieu came to my attention as I noticed his brilliant remix of Shake The Disease on a Depeche Mode forum. So I contacted him and asked if he would consider using his great remixing talents on a Human League track and thankfully he was more than happy to apply as he really liked the bands output. David usually produces music with Axel Darrot-Corazzol under the name "David Dieu & Alexectro" and you can learn more about their projects and check out their brilliant remixes on their website http://www.myspace.com/daviddieuaxelectro. And he keeps up the high standards as the remix of Tell Me When is very cool. A new intro, added bassline, beats, melody and bleeps makes the track into quite a stomper.
Click on image to download mix.
This months contribution came out of the blue as I checked my mails and noticed a new email from a Gary Hunter with a file attached. And I was pleasently surprised to find out that he had done a version of a very early Human League track that he would like to donate to my modest website with the words "I thought you might be interested in my version of the early Human League track “Gordon’s Gin”. I have done an extended arrangement of the song and tried to keep it as close to the original sound wise". Nothing better than to get a totally unexpected new extended version of an old Human League favourite in the mail ;-) Gary is an electronic musician who ticks all the right boxes for inspiration as you can check out on his myspace. He's a big fan of 80's electronic bands and it's easy to hear on this great mix that he loves the genre. Very faithfull to the original but with extended bits and pieces to enjoy.
Click on image to download mix.
This month it's 25 years ago that the (Keep Feeling) Fascination single was released and what better way to celebrate than to make an updated version of the release! Originally released 15th April 1983, written by Philip Oakey/Jo Callis and produced by Martin Rushent, it also marked the end of their fruitful working relationship with the latter. But they ended on a high as it climbed all the way to the number 2 spot on the UK Singles charts and still remains a firm live favourite to this day. So I'm happy to announce that I've managed to team up with remixer/producer/dj Paul Boddy, aka EMP, who was the mastermind behind a whole string of excellent remixes on the old League Online website and has worked with all sorts of popstars, including Melanie C. I didn't dare ask him with his heavy connection to the said website, but since he actually contacted me I jumped at the chance to get his fantastic remixing skills on board for the Fan Mix Of The Month feature. You can learn more about his work at his myspace site www.myspace.com/empremixes. And he didn't let me down as he delivered an absolutely brilliant mix of (Keep Feeling) Fascination with cool new bassline, stomping beats and added synths and bleeps. Nice!
And that's not all. The anniversary is celebrated in style, as I asked Mat McKenzie of Hypnotica to do a mix of the b-side Total Panic. Mat did a great job remixing Love Action (I Believe In Love) and Do Or Die for the Dare 2007 Fan Mix project, which you can check out here. And with his unique style he was just about the only person to get anything out of a very difficult track, which doesn't hold a lot of melody to work with. But he came up with a great version where you can still recognise the original bass riff, even if it has been heavily manipulated.
Download the tracks below.
Floyd Anderson, aka Chronovisor, makes a welcome return this month and you may remember him for the excellent re-edit he did of Seconds for the Dare 2007 Fan Mix project. You can check that mix and his other details out here. This time round he's made a re-edit of a single that to this day has divided fans. Soundtrack To A Generation was written by Philip Oakey/Neil Sutton, produced by Bob Kraushaar and released October 1990. Reaching the dizzy heights of no 77 in the UK Singles Charts, it was the bands worst chart position since the early days of putting out singles in the late 70s. And it was the first sign of the struggle that was to last through the early 90s as they broke with Virgin Records after releasing the single. It sounded like one of the tracks from the Romantic? album with hit potential and boasted a great chorus and some nippy electro doodelings. But many fans couldn't really get past the "oh wow, holy cow" bit, which in fairness maybe wasn't Oakey's finest lyrical moment. That lyrical faux pas is still included in Floyd's mix, but he has done a great job in creating a ol' fashioned extended version that the original release lacked (even if the Orbit Mix did come close). Using the original version, as well as the acapella version, it builds up nicely and really gives you the feel of a classic 12" mix. Click on image to download the mix
This months contribution sees the return of Marlene, better known as Cygnet, who did the excellent re-edits of Seconds, I Am The Law and Love Action (I Believe In Love) for the Dare 2007 Fan Mix project. You can learn more about her and the mixes here. All I Ever Wanted was released 30th July 2001, written by Philip Oakey/Neil Sutton and produced by TOY, it sounded like THE come back single for The Human League. But due to poor promotion as the record company went bust as it was released and Radio One refusing to give it airplay, the single tragically only managed to reach the number 47 spot in the UK Singles charts. The longivety of the track has been confirmed by it's ever presecence in the bands live set and it always go down a storm with the live crowd. The different formats was filled with remixes, but none of them was the good ol' fashioned 12" mix that most fans love. So I asked Marlene to do an edit to get the extended version the original release never provided. And she came up with a great version that slowly builds up and then the fun really kicks in, using the 2 different demo versions, as well as the original single version. Click on image to download the mix
First mix up is a real stomper from John Von Ahlen, who gave us the ever so excellent The Tenth Stage's Digoxin Remix of Open Your Heart in the Dare 2007 Fan Mix project. You can check his details and that mix out here. This time round John has managed to make what most Human League fans regard as just about the worst single release in the bands long history into one of the best ones! Released 21st November 1986 as the second single from Crash, I Need Your Loving puzzled most fans, as there where far more obvious choices on the album for a single release. Written by no less than six different people (none of them from the band!) and produced by Jam & Lewis, it was a drab affair that failed miserably in the charts and missed out on building on the massive success of the Human single. But John has given it a very welcome boost and it now sounds like it should be! Stomping beats, energetic bassline and great synth sounds. Catchy as hell and tailormade for the dancefloor. Enjoy!
Click on image to download the mix
