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Not since the 1960s has the United States (and the world for that matter) seen so much upheaval in our lives as we are now. As we stand on the precipice of massive change in this country — the LGBTQ+ community should be standing in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters — whether gay, straight, or trans — because their struggle is our struggle.

Recent victories at SCOTUS are no cause for celebration

With the recent SCOTUS decision barring discrimination against LGBTQ in the workplace — I wouldn't be any more complacent than when we won the fight for marriage equality in 2015. These were both momentous decisions handed down by the highest court in the land but haven't come without continued resistance to our rightful place in society.

If you read the final paragraph of the opinion written by the right-wing Justice Gorsuch — he left wide open that these newly created protections for LGTBQ folks "could be “superseded” by religious liberty claims." This would still give employers the ability to discriminate under the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause or even the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

This will extend to emergency room doctors refusing to treat say transgender patients citing these religious conscience clauses. The same will apply to housing and every other facet of life where people engage in commerce of much-needed services regardless of any Hippocratic Oath they swear by — in the instance of doctors. It will allow private parochial institutions to terminate teachers for being gay and frankly anyone who wants to claim that performing a public service violates their freedom of religion. We already saw it with the thrice-divorced come-to-Jesus phony in KY when she refused to sign off on marriage licenses for gay couples. It's coming.

The undoing of our legacy by a would-be dictator

Meanwhile, our fake president is destroying every facet of rules and regulations that not only protect our lives like water safety, food safety, air pollution, and a litany of other regulations that keep us safe but is dismantling decades of relationships built with countries throughout the world that keeps everybody safe, while sucking up to fascist regimes like Russia's Putin, China's Xi and North Korea's Kim Jung Un.

He ignores science and has allowed the current Coronavirus pandemic to fester, which has now exploded in red states and will be fueled even further with his upcoming rally in Tulsa tomorrow. Meanwhile, hospital ICUs in FL, AZ, AL, and soon TX are at or will be at full capacity among dozens of other states. If you thought New York was bad — just wait.

The man is unhinged, likely has early stages dementia, and is obviously a drug addict with Adderall being his drug of choice. The dilated pupils are a dead giveaway.

This is a momentous time for our country and if I could get my cripple ass out to these protests in Atlanta — I'd be front and center. All I can do is scream in frustration while supporting the efforts of others who demand change.

I'm not here to cast aspersions or tell others how to think but all I ask is that you pay attention because all of these things will come back to bite you in the ass if you continue to ignore them.

Celebrate PRIDE — honor its worthy history — be safe

The multitude of Pride celebrations have been canceled this year but people are making their own parties and having events on Zoom, Twitch, and other platforms. Just because we can't be out celebrating doesn't mean we can't with friends in our own way . Party Favorz has been celebrating

Every year during Gay Pride, the question "what constitutes a gay anthem" has been asked and answered in countless posts about the subject — even on this site. Party Favorz wants to break it down so "others" can have a better understanding as to why certain songs attract gay folk like flies to honey.

By quoting the 2002 book "Queer," Wikipedia gets it mostly right but goes off the rails in other areas:

The lyrics of gay anthems are often marked by themes of perseverance, inner strength, acceptance, pride, and unity. Ten elements were identified by the editors of the 2002 book Queer, which they claim describe themes common to many gay anthems: "big-voiced divas; themes of overcoming hardship in love; "you are not alone;" themes of throwing your cares away (to party); hard-won self-esteem; unashamed sexuality; the search for acceptance; torch songs for the world-weary; the theme of love conquers all; and of making no apologies for who you are." -Gay anthem from Wikipedia

They go on to list a variety of songs that they think are written down in the gay annals of history with many of them being so off the mark that it leaves us scratching our heads in bewilderment. Party Favorz even gets a mention (without mentioning us) when they list "Lady Gaga's "Born This Way", and Ariana Grande's "Break Free" (both of which are included here) considered gay anthems for the new generation. Sound familiar? That's only a tacit acknowledgment of Party Favorz's contribution to the LGBTQ+ community but we'll take it.

THEMES OF A GAY ANTHEM

The book "Queer" provides the definitive list of the types of songs that meet the criteria for a gay anthem:

* First and foremost "Big-voiced divas" are a given. The women with massive vocal pipes are typically the first ones inducted into our big gay tent (see Whitney Houston, Ariana Grande, Aretha Franklin, Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Sia, and P!nk). Even then, they may just be a persona, an image, or a style that reflects our personal choices but may not necessarily have the best vocals (see Madonna, Britney Spears, and Kylie Minogue) Other times they may be a combination of both (see Cher and Lady Gaga).

* Overcoming hardship and love

* You are not alone

* Throw your cares away

* Hard-won self-esteem

* Celebrating unashamed sexuality

* Search for acceptance

* Torch song for the world weary

* Love conquers all

* No apologies

As you can see — the qualifications are endless but never without reason.

All these themes are explored one way or another in this 5-hour set, which features modern-day gay anthems as well as past anthems reworked for today's dance floors.

Album: Gay Anthems for a New Generation 2020

Genre: Dance, House, EDM, Gay Anthems

Year: 2020

Total Time: 05:08:49

1. Mika feat. Pharrell Williams – Celebrate (Robbie Rivera Radio Mix)

2. Lady Gaga – Born This Way (Barry Harris & MSC 2017 Remix)

3. Cher – Believe (Yastreb Remix)

4. CeCe Peniston – Finally (Mark Jay 2016 Remix)

5. Robyn – Dancing On My Own 2016 (Guy Scheiman Remix)

6. David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland – When Love Takes Over (Original Club Mix)

7. Janelle Monae – Make Me Feel (EDX Dubai Skyline Extended Mix)

8. Lana Del Ray – Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix)

9. Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Kepa Remix)

10. Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone (Josh Le Tissier Bootleg)

11. Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande – Rain On Me (PeteDown Club Mix)

12. Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now (Barry Harris Club Mix)

13. Rihanna – We Found Love (Calvin Harris Extended Mix)

14. Madonna – Vogue (Division 4 Extended Mix)

15. Katy Perry – Firework (Barry Harris Pride 2017 Remix)

16. Zedd feat. Alessia Cara – Stay (Barry Harris Remix)

17. Andra Day – Rise Up (Barry Harris Club Mix)

18. Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse Of The Heart (Barry Harris Xtra Drama Re-Remix)

19. The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men (Barry Harris Refresh 2018 Mix)

20. Heather Small feat. Dirty Disco & Matt Consola – Proud (Division 4 & Matt Consola Remix)

21. Ultra Nate – Free (Samuele Sartini Remix)

22. Demi Lovato – Cool For The Summer (Cahill Club Mix)

23. Sam Smith vs. Donna Summer – I Feel Love (Mixed By Cheekykeefy)

24. Scissor Sisters – Let’s Have A KiKi (Almighty Club Mix)

25. Sylvester – You Make Me Feel Mighty Real (Jet Boot Jack Remix)

26. Thelma Houston – Don’t Leave Me This Way (Jet Boot Jack Remix)

27. Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out 2018 (Booyah Riot Classic Remix)

28. Cheryl Lynn – Got To Be Real (Alien Disco Sugar Remix)

29. Mobin Master feat. Karina Chavez – Show Me Love (Club Mix)

30. Rozalla – Everybody’s Free (Callum Knight 2K17 Remix)

31. Christina Aguilera – Beautiful (Peter Rauhofer Mixshow)

32. Lily Allen – Fuck You (Rich Morel’s Explicit Vocal Mix)

33. David Guetta feat. Sia – Titanium (Extended)

34. Tegan & Sarah – Closer (Vice vs. Sultan & Ned Club Mix)

35. ABBA x Freejack – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (Karl Kane Edit)

36. P!nk – Raise Your Glass (Funk3d Remix)

37. Ariana Grande – Break Free (Barry Harris Big Drama Anthem)

38. Ke$ha – We R Who We R (Justin Sane Remix)

39. Kylie Minogue – All The Lovers (The ‘Fire’ Extended Mix)

40. Erasure – A Little Respect (Dirty Disco Mainroom Remix)

41. Earth, Wind & Fire – September (Stan Galaxy Remix)

42. Alex Newell – Boy, You Can Keep It (Tracy Young Extended Mix)

43. Aretha Franklin – A Deeper Love (Sam Halabi Mixes)

44. Calvin Harris & Disciples – How Deep Is Your Love (Extended Mix)

45. Lara Fabian – I Will Love Again (Division 4 & Matt Consola Club Mix)

46. Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive 2013 (Pink Ribbon Club Mix)

47. Kristine W – Feel What You Want (Freejak Remix)

48. Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax (Gariy & Hacker 2014 Remix)

49. Toni Braxton – Un-Break My Heart (Remix)

50.

After experiencing some technical difficulties, Party Favorz is back with some funky disco house for your Memorial Day weekend fun. Living In A Disco is a culmination of a wide swath of genres from House, Jackin' House, NuDisco, Soulful House to Funk and straight up Disco.

There's more than enough here to keep the party going while flipping burgers, kicking back some brew while trying to make your own party with close friends and family while social distancing.

As everyone knows, Party Favorz is a HUGE fan of Disco and has been predicting its resurgence since the beginning of this podcast in 2007. While Disco never went away (as per this very own section of entries from day one) — it's finally gone mainstream.

Dua Lipa had a worldwide smash with "Don't Start Now," which was quickly followed by Doja Cat's #1 "Say So," and now Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande just dropped the funky "Rain On Me." It's like I'm living the dream even though I'm quarantined.

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With that being said, my go to track at the moment is by the fabulous Alex Newell. The Tracy Young remix is not only unexpected but should have been the original release as it's pure disco house perfection and is included in this set. I have no doubt that is Billboard's Dance Club charts were active this track would already be sitting at the top of it. Check it out below.

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As the United States heads towards 100,000 dead from the virus please remember those that have sacrificed their lives just so you can do something as simple as listen to this podcast. Now, those same people (many who actually lived through the Spanish Flu of 1918) and through World War II are being forced to sacrifice again so that billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Trump's already wealthy buddies can get even richer at the lives and livelihood of tax payers. I'm not going to get all preachy but this shit is really fucked up. Sorry, but it really pisses the fuck out of me.

On a lighter note, I hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend. I've already been pulling the latest Circuit tracks for our annual Pride Edition, which you can expect to drop within the next two weeks. I'm just waiting on advanced promos to come my way so I can include them. Until the next time...ENJOY!

Album: Living In A Disco

Genre: House, Jackin' House, NuDisco, Soulful House, Funk, Disco

Year: 2020

Total Time: 02:26:48

1. ATFC - Sleep Talk (Dr Packer Extended Remix)

2. Mark Brickman - A Fifth of Disco (Original Mix)

3. Algrthm - On My Mind (Original Mix)

4. Block & Crown x Marc Rousso - I Want To Thank You (Clubmix)

5. Funkatomic & Din Jay - Party (Funkatomic Mix)

6. Block & Crown x Dzialach - Ya Mo Be There (Original Mix)

7. Diplo feat. SIDEPIECE - On My Mind (Purple Disco Machine Remix Extended)

8. Mark Di Meo feat. Laura Jackson - Hold On (Original Mix)

9. Sandy Rivera vs. Moon Rocket & Mattei Omich feat. Heleina Zara - Rewinding (Sandy Riveras Chocolate Mash Up)

10. Off Da Clock - Where's The Love (Extended Mix)

11. StevAxel - You Know (Original Mix)

12. Maydie Myles - Keep On Luvin' (Kingsleys Deep Punch Mix)

13. Roger Da'Silva - So Bad (Extended Mix)

14. Moodena - The Rattlesnake & The Ant (Original Mix)

15. David Penn & Kevin McKay feat. Odyssey Inc. - Hallelujah (Extended Remix)

Welcome to the Summer Leap 2020 where Party Favorz features some of the biggest Dance Club songs that will be permeating your brain throughout the sizzling summer months.

WHAT'S HOT NOW

As usual, this set features alternate versions of previously featured tracks like the super hot "Say So" by Doja Cat, which I had already picked to be one of the biggest tracks of the summer. While the hot temps are already here — summer hasn't even officially begun and yet this song has been perched atop the Billboard's Top 100 for a couple of weeks now. With its funky, feel-good disco build a slew of remixes have finally been commissioned for it with the Division 4 & Matt Consola version featured here.

We've got an amazing mashup of The Weeknd's massive "Blinding Lights" with Otto Knows "Million Voices," which was perfectly executed by DJs from Mars. The classic electro house track "Let Me Think About It" by Fredde Le Grand and Ida Corr get's a modern era rework and even Mr. Probz massive "Waves" from a few years back gets its own special treatment by J Bruus & James Jay.

Saint Jhn's "Roses," which has been sitting atop Billboard's Hot Dance Electronic Songs finally gets some floor-friendly remixes with the Imanbek remix featured here. Kelly Clarkson surprises with a new and unexpected new track "I Dare You," which under normal circumstances would be galloping it's way to the #1 spot on the Dance Club charts. Alan Walker puts out a sequel to his 2016 hit "Alone" with Ava Max doing vocal duties aptly titled "Alone pt.2"  and the superb collaboration between Major Lazer and Marcus Mumford (of Mumford and Sons) "Lay Your Head On Me" is so exquisite that even I'm surprised out well Mumford's vocals translate over to EDM in this soon to be summer smash.

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THE PRINCESS OF POP

I want to talk about the elephant in the room — Dua Lipa. The woman has released what should have been her breakthrough album "Future Nostalgia" in the U.S. Folks, this is a solid album from the pop princess and while "Don't Start Now" has been a smash by any standard, the subsequent singles "Physical" and the more recent "Break My Heart" are not getting the attention they deserve. Most of this is due to the fact that she can't go out and tour to promote the album until (hopefully) January 2021. Party Favorz is in awe of Miss Lipa and frankly she's poised to take over Rihanna's thrown (who is not likely conceding anytime soon). Please support her music and album by streaming it on your favorite platform — it's totally worth it.

Equally, Halsey has been putting out some stellar tracks lately like "You Should Be Sad" and more recently "Be Kind" with Marshmello that are getting buried by the multitude of releases by Drake on the Hot 100. It's gotten to the point of ridiculousness. Yes, we love Drake and his excellent "Tootsie Slide" is featured here but seriously, dumping his entire album onto the charts simultaneously is really a shitty strategy that performs a disservice to other emerging artists — especially when a majority of those songs never break past #20 on the charts and drop off om rapid succession. Welcome to the age of streaming where artists are forced to put it all o...

Party Favorz is dropping a surprise peak hour party mix that shakes up our normal release schedule. "Wanna Go Dancin'" is packed to the hilt with slamming new Tech House tracks, a smattering of Bass House, and a healthy serving of deeper House Music tracks that ride the happy train.

CLASSICS REWORKED

Kicking things off are two well-known 90's classics reworked for today's dance floor. King Joshua's "Professional Widow" is a new version that evokes the original Tori Amos/Armand Van Helden collaboration with new vocals, while The Cube Guys stay true to the original version of the monster track "Plastic Dreams" and adding their own modern-day flavor to this classic.

Kevin McKay & Moreno Pezzolato have been dropping massive floor bombs lately and their rework of the 49er's House music classic "Touch Me" hits it dead on. Kevin's "Such A Good Feeling" is reminiscent of another classic but I can't quite put my finger on it as of this writing.

There are so many updated or sampled classics in this set it's mind-boggling how they translate so well into today's music scene. Jake Would's "Pump It" delivers a housed up version of "Pump Up the Jam," while Brothers of Funk deliver an alternate Breaks version of the same song using a different sample called "Make My Day." Michael Gray take's on the disco classic "Push (In the Bush" by Musique, and JL & Afterman take on the unexpected "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by the Clash and deliver a massive floor-filler that would get anyone bouncing. Someone's been digging into mom and dad's record collection.

DO IT IN A DISCO

Perhaps the two biggest surprises are the Carlos and Vicente Fas remake of the 1980 disco classic "Funkytown" by Lipps, Inc. This is song is no stranger to being reworked but once again, taking a silly disco song and turning it into a floor favorite for a new generation is no easy task. It's no wonder it sat atop the DJs top downloaded list for several weeks.

This leads me to one other dance classic from 1979. Ian Ossia takes on the "M" New Wave dance classic "Pop Muzik" titled "Living In a Disco" and does wonders with the song. While he kept the original 120 bpm of the original, I sped it up to give it an easier flow. I've never heard anyone attempt to sample or rework this song so for me this is a big deal. Sadly, none of the other DJs felt the same way I did about this remix so I'll let y'all decide.

Absent of new material, Missy Elliot's "Get Ur Freak On" gets another House music rework by Nader Razdar, which is always a guaranteed hit no matter how many spins you put on this Hip Hop classic.

HOT ORIGINAL TRACKS

You might think this set is all about classic reworks but it's not. ATFC gets straight to the heart of this set with "Tech House Kinda Thing," and Joshwa delivers the floor-stomper "Magic" Brokenears is on fire with "Keep Control" (not to be confused with the recently reworked Sono classic) and Teejay Walton with the help of Mr. V bring it home with "After Midnight."

Camelphat, which has been on a roll since their massive 2017 hit "Cola," are riding high with another sleeper hit "For A Feeling." They seem to gravitate towards these Indie tracks and rework them into these really deep somber grooves. For me, I call these suicide songs because as good as they are — they tend to really drag me down into a state of depression. I'm not knocking their formula because obviously it works but it's not what the world needs at this very moment.

Fortunately, I dropped that track towards the end and sandwiched it between the two uplifting tracks "Sundown" by Biscuits and the breaks track "Just Hold On" by Sub Focus & Wilkinson because I want to leave listeners with a sense of hope — not despair.

To their credit,

Party Favorz is back with another whopper-sized, disco-fueled party set of classic disco songs remixed for a modern-day audience.

One of the more interesting things I've noticed is that a lot of the more obscure songs on these sets have specific riffs that were lifted for even bigger dance songs in the 90s and early millennium. A good example is John Davis & The Monster Orchestra's "Bourgie', Bourgie.'" If you listen to the riff, it's used by Gustavo Santaolalla's #1 club hit "The Wings" theme song from "Brokeback Mountain." Another is Gary Gang's lesser-known "Let's Lovedance Tonight," which is the basis for the massive "Can't Get Enough" by Soulsearcher.

There are a multitude of direct rip-offs lifted straight from obscure tracks from the 70s and 80s. The classic riff for "You Don't Know Me" by Armand Van Helden is another that makes an appearance in these sets but I can't remember which song it's on but you'll recognize it the moment it appears.

Even the Freemasons stole from Jackie Moore's disco classic "This Time Baby" for "Love On My Mind" and anyone who believes that the vocals were Amanda Wilson — I've got some timeshares in Antarctica you may be interested in. There are a plethora of examples where this occurs and I've come across many more even if the tracks weren't included here. It just proves that you never allow a good groove to go to waste.

I purposely went out of my way to include lesser-known songs that still had a massive impact on the dance floor and others that were massive disco hits but have long since been forgotten. Anything by Dr. Packer, Joey Negro, and Dimitri From Paris is worth including here because these amazing guys truly honor the original spirit of disco in their remixes. It's worth taking a deep dive into their catalog because they truly have a musical knowledge of the history of dance music that's unmatched by no one. I may end up creating a Joey Negro tribute set at some point.

Since this set was originally finished two days ago, I went back and added five more songs. While this set is complete, expect me to drop an expanded version of Thank God It's Disco volume 2 tomorrow. I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up as I want to ensure your musical education is as complete as possible. Granted, that's damn near impossible because I had to sprinkle some well-known tracks into these sets to ensure you don't get bored. Nevertheless, this was again a massive undertaking that I hope the most ardent fans will appreciate.

I plan on taking a week off to get some much-needed work done around our place. When I come back two weeks from now, I plan on rolling out new material from Dance Club, Circuit & Anthems, Disco House, and Peak Hour before we get into the Gay Pride season. Yes, that show will still go on — even if it's at home.

Until the next time...ENJOY!

Album: Thank God It’s Disco vol. 3

Artists: Various

Genre: Disco

Length: 04:24:26

1. Sister Sledge - Lost In Music (Dimitri From Paris Remix)

2.

Thank God It's Disco volume 2 has been expanded with 5 additional tracks for your listening pleasure.

Party Favorz is bringing back the old school from the 70s and 80s but with a twist. Thank God It's Disco volume 2 contains a boatload of disco classics that have either never appeared on any compilation previously created for this site or is completely re-imagined for today's dance floors.

All the tracks have been remastered for today's sound systems and each DJ adds their own twist to the original making it their own. Don't be concerned about the remixes because all of these songs stay true to the originals and will provide a combined 7+ hours of disco bliss over the next two sets.

Most of these songs have a very cosmopolitan feel to them in that they're smooth going down while retaining their boogie sensibility. In many cases (like Dr. Packer remixes), the tracks get renamed from the original making it difficult to decipher or recall the original. I went back and changed the names to what they actually are and dropped the DJ name into the title so if you're searching these songs out on Juno Download, Traxsource, or Beatport — you should be able to find them.

Barry Harris has pulled back on releasing these remixes but he's currently performing his Sunday Tea Dance shows live on Twitch around 3 pm eastern time. He incorporates 70s, 80s, 90s, and present-day original remixes into his sets and it's worth it to sit back and enjoy him performing live while sipping on a few Mimosas to relive those glorious Sunday afternoons with all the beautiful men. (Barry has changed the days and times for his live mixing so it would be best to sign up for email updates that include showtimes as well as new releases). 

In the interim, Party Favorz is delivering some of the finest classic disco tracks reworked for today's dance floor that you can drop anytime the mood hits you. I'll be back on Saturday with volume 3. Until then...ENJOY!

I want to give a MASSIVE shout-out to Paul B. and Paul S. for their generous donations. While I'm not currently soliciting donations because we've met all our costs for hosting — I'm not going to turn them down either. So if the spirit moves you, feel free to throw something extra my way if you can. 

Album: Thank God It’s Disco vol. 2

Artists: Various

Genre: Disco

Length: 04:31:10

1. Change - Change Of Heart (Dr. Packer Remix)

2. David Bowie - Fame (V's Bumpy Way To The Top Edit)

3. Silver Convention - Fly, Robin, Fly (Alien Disco Sugar Remix)

4. The Jones Girls - You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else (Dr. Packer Edit)

5. Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) (Alien Disco Sugar Remix)

6. Odyssey - Going Back To My Roots (Slow Hands Edit)

7. Tina Charles - Dance Little Lady Dance (Northern Lights 12" Mix)

8. Stevie Wonder - I Wish (Mikeandtess Boot Edit)

9. Patti LaBelle - Music Is My Way Of Life (Alex Di Ciò Re-Edit)

10. First Choice - Dr. Love (Dr. Packer Remix)

11. Sharon Redd - Can You Handle It (Digital Visions Re-Edit)

12. Ronnie Hudson & The Street People - West Coast Poplock (Jay-K's Rework)<...

Much ink has been spilled over the Queen of Disco that it doesn't bear repeating. Donna Summer is an icon who laid down the path for future artists like Madonna, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and many others to use their sexuality and create their own brands on their own terms. Regardless of the much-hyped manipulations behind the scenes, she was a willing participant and took full advantage of her success up until the point she wrestled herself away from Neil Bogart's Casablanca records leaving a legacy that up until that point — no other female artist had achieved.

Today, Donna Summer has a legion of fans both young and old, and serves as an inspiration to many would-be female artists who whether they realize it or not — are deeply indebted to her trailblazing career.

The Queen is no stranger to Party Favorz, who ranks her at the top of our leading ladies along with Diana Ross and Cher. This tribute set focuses on her work in the 90s through the early millennium and takes a deep dive into updated versions of her back catalog. If any of these tracks are unfamiliar to you or your era was the 70's — look no further than the Casablanca Years set I put out in 2015. There you will find all of her radio and club hits in probably one of the best tribute sets ever laid down honoring the Queen.

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When the word "Ultimate" is dropped into the title of one of these series — it's because it's comprehensive and really long. Leaving no stone unturned, I poured through countless bootlegs and official remixes to put this thing together. Many of the songs on here may be new to even her most ardent supporters.

This past couple of Diva Series I've put out has been a bitch to mix and this one was no exception. There's a vast array of styles here from modern-day electro-pop to circuit tribal house and straight-up funky house. Yet, it all feels cohesive and frankly — just works.

Without further ado, ladies and queers, I present to you...Miss Donna Summer! ENJOY!

Album : Donna Summer | The Ultimate Diva Series

Genre : Circuit, Funky House

Year : 2020

Total Time : 03:27:33

1. Hot Stuff (Frankie Knuckles & Eric Kupper As Director's Cut Signature Mix)

2. Bad Girls (Gigamesh Remix)

3. Love Is In Control (Chromeo & Oliver Club Mix)

4. I Will Go With You (Con Te Partiró) (Rosabel Main Vox 12")

5. The Power Of One (Jonathan Peters Ultimix)

6. Stamp Your Feet (DJ Escape & Collucio Club Mix)

7. On The Radio (Thee Werq'n B!tches TGIF Mix)

8. I Got Your Love (Eddie Baez Vocal Anthem Mix)

9. MacArthur Park Suite (DJ Meme Remix of Epic Proportions)

10. I'm A Fire (Ranny Extended Remix)

11. This Time I Know It's For Real (DJ Amanda Moto Blanco Mashup)

12. Love To Love You Baby (DJ HiTretz Classic Mix)

13. I Remember Yesterday (Frankie Knuckles Remix)

14. State Of Independence (Murk Club Mix)

15. Love On & On (Hex Hector & Mac Quayle 12" Mix)

16. Enough is Enough 2017 (Dirty Disco Mainroom Remix) [with Barbra Streisand]

17. Fame (Ralphi Rosario Club Mix)

18. Valley Of The Moon (Tony Moran Club Mix)

Last week, I was catching up on the Hulu limited series "Little Fires Everywhere," a show set in the late 90's about the intertwined lives of a white and black family that touches on the lived experiences of both groups while adding in enough suspense to keep viewers engaged week after week.  Like all period pieces, the music in the series is lifted straight from that time but also features songs re-recorded likely due to rights issues. One of those songs was the excellent "Here With Me." Enter Dido into my collective consciousness from stage left.

DEBUT ALBUM AND SUCCESS

In 1999, "Here With Me" was the first single from Dido's debut album "No Angel" and was a mild hit in the US but one of those songs that teenagers and young adults gravitate towards because of whatever emotional torment is going on in their angst-ridden romantic lives at that moment. It wasn't until Eminem, who was recording his album at the same time heard "Thank You," where he sampled the first verse for his song "Stan," which became an international hit. Dido's label subsequently released the original version, which went on to become a  #1 hit for the young singer propelling her debut to sell 21 million copies worldwide.

Not unlike her earlier contemporaries, Dido sang about love and happiness but her strength is in songs of emotional despair that tear at the heart. I'd compare much of her work to three other Diva Hall of Fame inductees — Jewel, Robyn, and Sarah McLachlan, especially the latter. Jewel and McLachlan are both singer-songwriters, while Robyn writes pitch-perfect pop songs while embracing darker elements and experimental electronic sounds by working with alternative acts. Much like McLachlan, it's not a coincidence that her music was ripe for Trance remixes at the time of their release. Her wispy vocals with tales of heartbreak and fortitude were ripe for the genre. Her brother is Rollo Armstrong, one half of the electronic dance group Faithless, who co-wrote and co-produced many of the songs on her first three albums.

FOLLOW UP TO A BLOCKBUSTER ALBUM

After touring for nearly two years supporting "No Angel," Dido took some time off and her next album "Life For Rent" didn't come out until 2003. In the music world, that was an eternity between albums but it was equally successful with the massive "White Flag," which is a personal all-time favorite. "I will go down with this ship, and I won't put my hands up and surrender. There will be no white flag above my door. I'm in love and always will be" The lyrics to this song alone are worth the price of admission into Dido's world.

I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

CURRENT DAY

Last year, Dido released her first album in 15 years "Still On My Mind," and yielded the Billboard #1 Dance Club track "Give You Up," which served to remind us of her brilliant writing skills and let us all know that hey, she's still here and relevant. Indeed, she is. Currently, Dido has a single out with the group R Plus entitled "My Boy," which is stellar all by itself. The Meduza remix is featured here and frankly deserves much more attention than it's receiving as it's criminally underrated.

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Party Favorz would be remiss if we were to leave out one of the most influential if not important ar...