Dang! Where did this week go? It’s Friday already and time for a special Mix Six. Yes, by golly (or I should say “py korry”) this Mix Six was put together by Melissa who won the contest that Gina came up with for her mix. Just to refresh your memories, Gina’s theme was crime and punishment and Melissa was the first correct guess.
We’ve been lost in the 80s for the past few weeks (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but it’s been interesting to hear music from that era that’s been pretty diverse. J’s mix had some 80’s “under the radar hits” from Inxs, XTC, and New Order. Gina’s reflected a cool L.A. modern rock vibe, and C-Lo’s was a walk down the street known as “Sweet Soundtrack Sounds.”
Well kids, the fun doesn’t stop there! Melissa’s mix captures a sub-genre of pop known as Freestyle that really caught on with the Latino hipsters in New York in the mid 80s — and then the rest of the country caught on by the latter part of the decade. I was playing some of these songs on the radio (and for my bro’s mobile DJ biz) back in the day, and they really bring back some memories. Expose…Lisa Lisa…Shannon still sound pretty good. Although, for you tech-heads, you’ll hear that “80s compression” sound that was so popular back then. Now it sounds a little too compressed, and the drum machine and synth are pretty thin sounding. But hey, what can I say, I’m used to hearing the bass and drums turned way up these days. Nevertheless, let’s dive right in! Turn it up, do some poppin’ or the robot, or whatever. But make sure you do a little dance during this set! Enjoy!
Download Melissa’s Mix Six HERE
FYI, the movie drops and TV interlude are as follows:
Breakin’
Scarface
Miami Vice
Breakin’
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Expose “Come Go With Me”These three gals were all rage for folks who liked to dance with a groove that wasn’t like that Molly Ringwald 80s dance she did in the Breakfast Club. They had a very short run on the pop scene, but they had four fairly major hits — their biggest being the sappy ballad “Seasons Change.”
Stevie B “Dreaming of Love” Who wants to party! Stevie B does! The “hit” that I really remember was “Spring Love,” but I suppose love was on Stevie’s mind ’cause even when he was sleeping he was “Dreaming of Love.” Who say Michael Jackson was the only one who was a lover and not a fighter?
Shannon “Let the Music Play” When disco was pronounced DOA in 1980 or so, no one told Shannon. And truth be told, there was really bad disco, and then disco that was just great dance music. Shannon’s hit from 1983/84 falls in the latter category.
Lil Suzy “Take Me in Your Arms” I have to admit that of all the selections in this mix, Lil Suzy was the one artist I had never heard of. But Melissa has, and that’s all that counts ’cause it’s her mix!:-)
Cover Girls “Show Me”The lineup of the Cover Girls revolved until they finally stopped recording music in 1996. But this is their biggest hit that featured the original lineup of Louise “Angel” Sabater, Sunshine Wright, and Caroline Jackson.Â
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam “I Wonder If I Take You Home” Of all the Freestyle artists featured, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam are the superstars! They has a great run with a number of hits like “Lost in Emotion,” and ” Head to Toe,” and “All Cried Out,” and really were the forerunners to Hip-Hop R&B. “I Wonder If I Take You Home” has the distinction of being one of the 80s pop songs that features abstinence as a major theme. Of course, Janet Jackson followed later with “Let’s Wait A While,” but Lisa asked the question that probably blazes through the mind’s of a lot of women: “If I give it up, will he call?” Short answer: it depends.
And that’s it for another week! I’m on vacation until the 22nd, so I might not be blogging much during that time. 🙁
 –PK
