DMC remixes from the 90s: 3 big names remixed by 3 big names

I'm not in the habit of reposting content from other blogs but I stumbled upon Dance Remix Fix the other day (thanks to the great Marshall Jefferson remixes of "I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You Baby" by Soul Family Sensation) and the site hasn't been updated since 5th December 2008, so...

Looking through the archives, there's some interesting stuff on there, some of which is hard to find. For example, some DMC remixes that I didn't even know existed.

I never really understood how DMC worked. Getting big names to remix big tracks and not releasing the results to the public seems a little strange (not to say a large waste of money). It's certainly frustrating for those of us who love the music. So it was with a certain satisfaction that I was able to download the following tracks, ripped from CD in decent quality. Click on the names to download:
Frankie Knuckles feat. Adeva "Welcome To The Real World (Johnny Vicious remix)" is a stomping, slightly barmy affair that will not be to everyone's taste. It's certainly pretty far removed from the original and very typical of Johnny Vicious' style of that time.

Crystal Waters "100 Percent Pure Love (Danny Tenaglia mix)" is a deep house version that's half lilting, half lazy, but interesting nonetheless.

And perhaps the best of the bunch is C+C Music Factory "Do You Want To Get Funky (Junior Vasquez mix)". A harder version than the original but a good workout, with slight acid touches that complement the vocals well. Very typical of the Vasquez sound in the early nineties. Have a listen...

You can still find some of classic DMC mixes from the era to buy on the DMCworld site, but I'd never heard these ones before. Apparently these came from a CD called DMC - The Best of U.S. remixes Vol.1" (tracklisting here) but I have no idea how to buy it...

Adele Bertei - Zami Girl (1994)

For years I though this track was by Zami Girl. Zami Girl is actually the title. Poor Adele Bertei didn't even get a credit on the cover. But then this is quite a strange track...

Bertei (I have now learned) had a moderately successful career in the 80s as a sort of Madonna copy, recording with Jellybean (even appearing on Top of the Pops here) and having a bit part in Desperately Seeking Susan! Other bubblegum efforts were released with help from Thomas Dolby and Scritti Politti (here).

But Adele had a darker, more political side and in 1994 this expressed itself through Zami Girl. With its delightful refrain of "Ballbreaker. Dyke. Bitch", E-Zee Posse-style raggamuffin delivery and lyrics exhorting lesbians everywhere to reappropriate the insults hurled at them, it's hard to believe that anyone thought it would be a hit. However, it was produced by the same team as RuPaul's Supermodel, which probably explains how the track came to receive pretty damn fine remixes from Johnny Vicious - at the top of his game - and Junior Vasquez.

This was a time when BPMs were nearer 118 than 130 and although the track has been mostly forgotten (the CD isn't even on Discogs), stumbling across it again was a pleasure. Still not convinced by that mock-Jamaican accent though...

You can download Adele Bertei "Zami Girl" (51MB) here