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We're back with the 2nd installment of Hex Hector's Mixology.  This set features some of my all-time Hex favorites (well all the sets do) like Everyday by Kim English, the brilliant Spanish Guitar by Toni Braxton and I Will Love Again by Lara Fabian; my go-to song after one of my many short-term break-ups LOL.

I had accidentally dropped a Deborah Cox tune twice in these sets, so I replaced the duplicate on this one with O-Town's Liquid Dreams; not one of the greatest but a fun throwback to this all-boy group that never quite reached the level of success of Backstreet Boys or N'SYNC.

I'm wrapping up for today and will be back on Thursday with part 3.

Until then ...ENJOY!

Album : Hex Hector Mixology v2

Genre : Circuit House Classics

Year : 2015

Total Time : 01:14:08

* Britney Spears - Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know (Hex Hector Club Mix)

* Kim English - Everyday (Hex Hector & Mac Quayle Club Mix)

* Natalie Cole - Livin' For Love (Hex HQ2 Club Mix)

* Pink - You Make Me Sick (Hex Hector Club Mix)

* Tony Braxton - Spanish Guitar (HQ2 Mix)

* O-Town - Liquid Dreams (HQ2 Mixshow Edit)

* Widelife feat. Simone Denny - All Things (Just Keep Getting Better) (HQ2 Club Mix)

* Shannon - Give Me Tonight (Hex Hector 2000 A.D. Club Mix)

* Lara Fabian - I Will Love Again (Hex Hector & Mac Quayle Main Mix)

* Gloria Gaynor - I Never Knew (HQ2 Club Mix)

Earlier this year, the Grammy-winning C-Pop artist Amy Grant, released her first remix album of some of her biggest hits.  For those of you not familiar with Amy, she was a massive Christian pop star in the 80s and in 1991 released her first crossover album Heart In Motion, which yielded five top 20 singles, two of which went to number one.

While I was never a particular fan of Amy until that album came out, I had a friend back in the day (the nicest guy you'll ever meet), who was a hard-core Christian and a massive fan.  I can honestly say that's how I even knew who she was until HIM was released.

Without a doubt, her fan base has a huge gay following, and just by looking at the DJs that remixed her hits, it appears she covered almost all the bases with a list of who's who in the DJ community.  Heck, she even got Hex Hector on board for one of the songs, which is rare these days.

Party Favorz would like to welcome Ms. Grant to the DIVA HALL of FAME as a welcome addition to an already crowded field of diversity.

Album : The Diva Series starring Amy Grant

Genre : Dance Pop

Year : 2015

Total Time : 0:44:23

* Stay For Awhile (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Mix)

* Find A Way (Ralphi Rosario Big Room Club Mix)

* You're Not Alone (Guy Scheiman Club Mix)

* Say Once More (Hex Hector Remix)

* That's What Love Is For (Chris Cox Club Mix)

* Every Heartbeat (Moto Blanco Extended Mix)

* Baby Baby (Dave Aude Extended Mix)

* Better Than A Hallelujah (Mark Picchiotti Gospel Club Mix)

The requests for the Hex Hector Tribute are in and the sets are finished!   I took my entire catalog of Hex's mixes (there's a shit-load), gathered up all of your favorites, and then went through and started deleting things I knew weren't going to be included.  The only requests that were not were from Jason.  Sorry dude, but the songs you requested just don't exist.  I realize you saw them listed on Hex's Wikipedia page, but even that page acknowledges "this biographical article needs additional citations for verification". "Please help by adding reliable sources".  You can better determine if a song remix is real or not by checking Discogs, which tends to be more reliable when it comes to official and even unofficial remixes.

Back in the days of Napster and WinMX, there were ALWAYS mixes that were attributed to either Hex Hector or Thunderpuss.  In an interview I can't find online now, Barry Harris addressed that issue.  When he and Chris Cox remixed Madonna's What It Feels Like For a Girl, someone posted some shitty version online and attributed it to Thunderpuss.  Warner's was pissed and yanked their mix from the official release, even though they tried to explain it wasn't theirs.'

Back to the mix; When I got home yesterday afternoon, I started on a mixing blitz.  I decided NOT to edit all these massive songs down to mix show edits, but let the majority of them ride all the way through.  Most of the editing was done during the intro and outro of the songs.  A good deal of my mix show edits can be found on respective Diva Series by Deborah Cox, Whitney Houston, etc.  Except for one, I managed to keep all of the sets (six in total) under 80 minutes; figuring the CD burners among you will appreciate that.

While all of the remixes included in this six-set series are the cream, like most of you, I have my personal favorites.  From this first set, Melanie C's I Turn To You, Ricky Martin's She Bangs, and Sarah Brightman's Harem are tops for a variety of reasons.  I'm sure you folks have yours and if they aren't in this set, they'll likely be in one of the next five going up between now and the end of the month.

I'm done with July and will be putting "something new" out just about every other day starting on Monday.  Actually, today but I digress.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.  Until the next time ...ENJOY!

Album : Hex Hector Mixology v1

Genre : Circuit House Classics

Year : 2015

Total Time : 01:16:35

* Melanie C - I Turn To You (Hex Hector Club Mix)

* Ricky Martin - She Bangs (Hex Hector Club Mix)

* Kim Sozzi - Feelin' Me (Hex Hector & Mac Quayle Club Mix)

* Anastacia - One Day In Your Life (Hex Hector & Mac Quayle Club Mix)

* Sarah Brightman - Harem (Cançao do Mar) (Hex Hector Vocal Mix)

* Lara Fabian - I Am Who I Am (HQ2 Club Mix)

* Veronica - Rise (Hex Hector Futura Mix)

* Rhona - Satisfied (Hex Hector's Club Mix)

* Solu Music feat. Kimblee - Fade (Hex Hector Vocal Mix)

* Janet Jackson - Someone To Call My Lover (HQ2 Club Mix)

Party Favorz is back with the second half of the early millennial BackSpin throwback posted yesterday.   Addicted to Bass follows in the same steps as the earlier set with really deep, dark, and delicious beats, all of which were monster hits at the time of their release.  The sounds here are as fresh now as they were when they were released.

Got a lot of Pride stuff going on around the globe next week, with the highly anticipated ruling on Marriage Equality from the Supreme Court as well.  This will likely be cause for massive celebration as the United States catches up with the rest of civilized society.

I've got a lot in my basket in the next couple of weeks, so I will likely start posting some more current sets around the first week of July.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.  I'll see ya when I see ya.  Until then ...ENJOY!

Album : BackSpin | Addicted to Bass

Artists : Various

Genre : House Classics

Length : 1:26:21

* Puretone - Addicted To Bass (Differentgear Mix)

* Celeda - The Underground (Peter Rauhofer Original Mix)

* Kosheen - All In My Head (Planet Funk Mix)

* Sounds From The Ground Feat. Colein - Lean On Me (Mauve's Dark Vocal Mix)

* Fragma - Toca's Miracle (Extended Mix)

* Moony - Dove (I'll Be Loving You) (Stephane K. & John Creamer Mix)

* Rui Da Silva feat. Cassandra - Touch Me (Double 99 Club Mix)

* Cassius - The Sound Of Violence (Narcotic Thrust Two Minute Warning Club Mix)

* Daniel Bedingfield - Gotta Get Thru This (Passengerz Violation Vox Club Mix)

* Brancaccio & Aisher - It's Gonna Be... (A Lovely Day) (Bini & Martini Club Mix)

* X-Press 2 feat. David Byrne - Lazy (Norman Cook Remix)

* Iio - Rapture (Tastes So Sweet) (Original Mix)

* Coldplay - Clocks (Heaven & Earth Division Remix)

* Res - They Say Vision (Robbie Rivera's Vocal Mix Part 2)

Happy Friday everyone!  As you can see, Party Favorz has been able to keep the doors open because of the AWESOMENESS of you folks.  I want to give a BIG-ASS thanks to those of you whose donations made all of this possible.  Seriously, your generosity really means a lot to me and I can't begin to express how much you are appreciated.

Getting back to business, I've got a couple of new BackSpins on tap for you folks.  I had two songs left over from last year's comps that didn't make the cut but I wanted to do something with them.  Sonique's "It Feels So Good" and ATB's "9PM (Till I Come)" are the basis for these two sets.  These are packed with massive hits from say 1999 to 2003 that lean a little on the dark side with some shining moments here and there.

Originally, this was supposed to be one set but it grew so big, I went ahead and split it up.  Fans of classic dance will really like this and frankly, all the songs included here sound as fresh now as when they were released.  So you didn't have to live it in order to dig it.

That's about it for now.  I'll be back tomorrow with part 2.  Until then ...ENJOY!

The version of "Breathe" on here is not the official extended mix rather, a re-work by Sarlotte.  It stays true to the original with an alternate intro and outro, which I really like.

Album : BackSpin | Feels So Good

Artists : Various

Genre : House Classics

Length : 1:22:33

* Telepopmusik - Breathe (Extended Mix)

* Goldtrix feat. Andrea Brown - It's Love (Trippin') (The Original EPTN Mix)

* Sonique - It Feels So Good (Original Breakbeat Mix)

* Seal - Get It Together (Bill Hamel Vocal Mix)

* Chicane feat. Maire Brennan - Saltwater (Tomski vs. Disco Citizens Remix)

* Beginerz - Reckless Girl (Original Mix)

* Dido - White Flag (Scumfrog Extended Mix)

* Frou Frou - Breathe In (Watkins Vocal Mix)

* Sono - Keep Control (Terry Lee Brown Jr's Vocal Mix)

* Simply Red - Sunrise (ATFC Morning Glory Remix)

* ATB - 9PM (Till I Come) (Club Mix)

* Layo & Bushwacka! - Love Story (Tim Deluxe Remix)

* Dirty Vegas - Days Go By (Full Vocal Mix)

* Narcotic Thrust feat. Yvonne John Lewis - Safe From Harm (K-Klass Off Limits Mixshow Edit)

After 14 years together, Rick and I are calling it quits. I'm not going to rag on him because it takes two people to muck-up a relationship and I certainly did my part. That doesn't make it any less difficult or painful.

That being said, Party Favorz is showcasing some of the best dance floor break-up songs spanning multiple decades. Yes I know, leave it to me to create a mixset showcasing every emotion involved in the separation from someone you love. From the anger, bitterness, sadness, regret, revenge, and empowerment... it's all here.

Given all that's going on and my moving out of the ATL next week, I've had a lot on my plate; so please forgive me if this isn't one of my best-mixed sets but I think A LOT of folks will have a good appreciation with what's included here. I'll file this one under the Back Spin category.

I appreciate everyone's patience while I figure out my life, get settled into my new home and decide what I want to do when I grow up. Hopefully, Party Favorz will be back up and running in some capacity within a few months. Peace.

Album : Crying on the Dancefloor 

Genre : EDM, Funky, House

Year : 2015 

Total Time : 1:43:13

1. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive (Groovefunkel New Disco Remix)

2. Mariah Carey - We Belong Together (Atlantic Soul Vocal Remix)

3. Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart (Franktidrama Mix)

4. Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Their Own (Alix Alvarez Sole Channel Mix)

5. George Michael - Careless Whisper (Rad Stereo Remix)

6. Celine Dion - All By Myself (Tracy Young Remix)

7. Lady Antebellum - Need You Now (Dark Intensity Remix)

8. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You (Hex Hector Mixshow)

9. OneRepublic - Apologize (Lenny B. Club Mix)

10. Jewel - Foolish Games (Cutmore 2013 Remix)

11. Beyonce - Irreplaceable (Ralphi & Craig Mixshow Edit)

12. Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone (Vocal Club Mix)

13. Pink - Please Don't Leave Me (Digital Dog Club Mix)

14. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone (Jason Nevins Rock Da Club Mix)

15. Gotye feat. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used To Know (Meridian Remix)

16. Adele - Rolling In The Deep (Downtown London Extended Mix)

17. Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie (Italian Dandies Bootleg Remix)

18. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (DJ Chusso Elegant Remix)

19. The Police - Every Step You Take (Deep Chills Remix)

20. Tony Rich Project - Nobody Knows (DJ-WY-C)

From Fly Girl to backup dancer for Janet ...oh wait!  I'm getting my DIVAS mixed up.  Let's try this again ...

From Soul Train dancer to member of the 70s and 80s disco/R&B group Shalamar, to fashion icon and actress to dance floor D-I-V-A, Jody Watley truly is the shit!

After leaving Shalamar in the early 80s, Jody took off for the UK and worked on a variety of projects.  2-1/2 years later, she returned to the states, signed a record deal with MCA, and just exploded all over the charts with mega-hits Looking For a New Love, Don't You Want Me, and Some Kind of Lover.  She continued her successful streak into the early 90s with hits like Real Love, Friends, and Everything.

Over the next few albums, Jody began experimenting with her sound to include Jazz, Soul, and House.  It's during the period throughout the 90s that she transformed herself into a soulful chanteuse.  Despite critical acclaim, many of these releases failed to break into the upper reaches of the Billboard charts.  For Jody, it's not always about "the charts" but being true to herself and her art.  While that may not always pay the bills, it certainly kept our attention throughout the years.

So how do you go about honoring someone who has three stages of her musical career?  First, pick yourself up a copy of You Wanna Dance With Me? and you've got your 80's dance diva output covered.  Then, you pick up a copy of this set which focuses on her more commercial output (club hits) from the 90s to the present day.  There are a lot of rarities in this set and frankly, I worked the shit out of it as if Jody were standing over me with a big stick.

Next week, I'm going to treat everybody to the third side of Jody many of you probably never knew about; that's her soulful side.  I can assure you that it is pure bliss and well worth the listen.

For now, please give a standing ovation for MISS JODY WATLEY!  Gurrrrl, you are now officially entered into the very prestigious DIVA HALL OF FAME!

Album : The Diva Series starring Jody Watley

Genre : Diva, House, Dance

Year : 2015

Total Time : 01:13:04

* Looking For A New Love (BPM vs. Alison Limerick Remix)

* Borderline (Funky Junction Marco Zappala Club Mix)

* Reach (Soulcast Remix) [with Max Sanna]

* Off The Hook (Soul Solution Mix)

* If I'm Not In Love [Dano & BK Mix]

* When A Man Loves A Man (BBG Hard Mix)

* Don't You Want Me (Untitled Remix)

* Tonight's The Night (MDCL Remix) [with Mark De Clive-Lowe]

* I Want Your Love (Thomas Gold Remix)

* A Beautiful Life (Love To Infinity Classic Club Mix)

* Whenever (Junior's Earth Anthem)

* Nightlife (Moto Blanco Club Mix)

With the release of her first single Tell It To My Heart in 1987, Taylor Dayne was propelled into Pop-Diva-Icon status.  The Ric Wake produced track, was an instant worldwide smash at radio and on the dance charts, which paved the way for three more Top 10 hits Prove Your Love, I'll Always Love You, and Don't Rush Me from her self-titled multi-platinum debut album.

Some may remember her debut album having two different album covers.  One featured Taylor with big hair and extensions (typical of the late 80s and the second cover, which came out later in 1988 sported a softer look without the big hair.  Wikipedia states that her new-found success at adult contemporary radio for her ballad I'll Always Love You was the reason for the switch-up in album covers around the time her fourth single Don't Rush Me was released.

If I remember correctly Taylor was nominated for two Grammy's; one for best pop vocal performance (Tell It to My Heart) and the other for best R&B vocal performance (I'll Always Love You).  The rumor at the time was that after losing both categories, Taylor went into D-I-V-A mode backstage and ripped out her extensions.  Upset that she had not won either category and not happy with the image Arista (her label) had created for her, this was the real reason for the second album cover.  This may or may not be true, but I'm inclined to believe the latter since it fits in nicely with our perception of a TRUE DIVA.  After all, this wouldn't be the first time Arista records pigeon-holed one of their artists into an image that didn't reflect their artistry (see P!nk).

By 1990, Taylor shed the perm and released her next album Can't Fight Fate.  That album took her sound in a more pop-rock direction and served up two Top 10 singles With Every Beat of My Heart and I'll Be Your Shelter plus the number one hit Love Will Lead You Back (the latter two penned by Diane Warren).

Taylor's third album Soul Dancing, returned her to her dance roots with additional production from Shep Pettibone.  Despite a strong presence and muscular vocals on the remake of the Barry White classic Can't Get Enough of Your Love (the album's lead single) the album failed to perform well and put her at odds with Arista head, Clive Davis.  Once again, rumors prevailed that he did not want the song to be the first single because it did not reflect what was going on at radio at the time.  In addition, another one of Clive's divas (Lisa Stansfield) was releasing her third studio album and leading off with another Barry White cover Never, Never Gone Give You Up, which also failed to chart well.  Lisa ended up losing her US distribution on Arista and Taylor ended up with a greatest hits album after and was cut from the roster.

Taylor has since gone on to put out independent releases and has reached the top of the Billboard Club charts multiple times (Naked Without You, Planet Love) and remains one of the most highly regarded vocalists of her generation and is adored by her loyal fans.

Ladies and gentlemen, please give a standing ovation for our newest induction into the Diva Hall of Fame, Miss Taylor Dayne!

Album : The Diva Series starring Taylor Dayne

Genre : Diva, EDM, Dance

Year : 2015

Total Time : 01:44:59

* Say A Prayer (Vission Lorimer Remix)

* Beautiful (Scotty K's Vocal Klub Mix)

* Facing A Miracle (LA Rush Club Mix)

* Floor On Fire (The Thin Red Men Extended Mix)

* How Many (The Larry K Classic Club Mix)

* I'm Not Featuring You (Manny Lehman Big Room)

* Naked Without You (TP2K Mixshow Mix)

* Whatever You Want (Soul Solution Vocal Anthem)

* Up All Night (Untitled Mix 1)

LIKE OMG ...IT'S KYLIE!  Yes folks, the latest induction of Madonna, uh I mean Kylie into the Diva Hall of Fame has finally arrived.  I know I've been teasing this out for about a month now, but I am a perfectionist and frankly busted my nuts in every aspect putting this set together for her loyal subjects.  From the fabulous cover art (very time-consuming), song selection, to the actual mix itself, there was no stone left unturned.

Don't let this intentional omission ruin your Post-Toasties, because it ROCKS!  I did my utmost best to accommodate everyone's request, but ultimately there were a few that didn't make the final cut.  Once again, executive decision.

That being said, consider this my Valentine's gift to you.  Ladies and gentlemen, please give me a standing ovation for the one and only Miss Kylie Minogue!

Album : The Diva Series starring Kylie Minogue

Genre : Diva, EDM, Electro-pop

Year : 2015

Total Time : 01:43:13

* Crave You (Intro)

* In Your Eyes (The S Man's Release Mix)

* The One (Freemasons Vocal Club Remix)

* Breathe (Division 4 Club Mix)

* Love At First Sight (Wayne G Anthem Mix)

* Get Outta My Way (7th Heaven Club Mix)

* I Was Gonna Cancel (JRMX Club Mix)

* Aphrodite (Denzal Park Remix)

* 2 Hearts (Freemason's Dirty Hands Remix)

* Wow (F!ck Me I'm Famous Remix)

* Skirt (Ralphi Rosario Big Room Mix)

* Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Mike Rizzo Global Mixshow Edit)

* Right Here Right Now (7th Heaven Club Mix)

* Slow Exceeder (Philthy & Acraig Mashup)

* Timebomb (Extended Mix)

* Locomotion (Hot Tracks Mix)

* Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love) (Pete Hammond Club Mix)

* In My Arms (Steve Pitron & Max Sanna Remix)

* Better Than Today (Club Junkies Mix)

* All The Lovers (WaWa & MMB Anthem Mix)

* Into The Blue (Toy Armada & DJ GRIND Anthem Mix)

I remember the first time I heard the word “fag.” It came out of my mom’s mouth while I was watching an Elton John concert on TV. You know the one, where he’s wearing a Donald Duck costume and banging the piano pretty hard. Despite having all of his 8-tracks, somewhere along the way she decided she didn’t care for him any longer.

The word was a bit jarring to me, but I didn’t understand what she meant other than I knew it was likely something you didn’t want to be called. Sadly, it wouldn’t be the last time she used the word at least up until my brother’s death from AIDS in 1986. Now, she’ll just say “that looks gay.” LOL

It would be several years later before I heard the word again when I was working for a local Record and Stereo equipment store called Soundcenter. Half the building was high-end stereo equipment, while the other side was albums, 12 inches, singles, t-shirts, buttons, Walkmans, etc.; the side I worked on. I was in charge of re-orders and displays.

One morning in June of 1980, there was a news broadcast on something like Good Morning America talking about Stonewall. It showed pictures of gays being arrested during a riot at this bar in New York. This guy Ray called me over and pointed at the TV and said that’s going to happen to you, you FAG. They’re gonna arrest you and throw you in jail with all the other fags.

Damn! There was that word again and this time it was being directed at me. One of my co-workers Johnny J who was a local DJ told me to ignore Ray; he’s just an asshole to everyone. Even though I didn’t fully understand what it meant, I was shaken by his use of the word and how he was using it to describe me.

When you’re jerking off to the cover sleeve of an Andy Gibb 45 you kinda know you’re different. Gradually, I came to the understanding that being a Fag meant I liked guys and was something I should keep hidden from everyone else.

Somewhere along the way, I got the preconceived notion that being gay meant you wore leather and were into whips and chains. I had convinced myself that I’m not a fag because that was nothing like me. After all, I was attracted to the construction guy from the Village People, not the biker guy with the big mustache who I figured was gay (but not the rest of the Village People …go figure).

Before getting the job at Soundcenter, I would mow lawns for the money I needed to buy my records. I was a musically obsessed child and the Zenith stereo I saved and purchased was my parent’s weapon of choice if my grades were not up to par. They’d take it away until my grades picked up. I was a latchkey kid, so I’d just sneak into their closet and pull it down and spin my records while they were still at work LOL.

While I usually only purchased 45s because you got more for less, I remember buying Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” album and what it set me back. This was the second album I had ever bought (the first being Barry Manilow Live). I love the split open sleeve, with additional artwork, and the smell of vinyl when you pull the record out for the first time. I would play that album obsessively and knew the words to all the songs. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to listen to it on the go, so I ended up saving for the 8-track version as well for the portable player I had received for Christmas. My brother criticized me for asking for a portable 8-track boombox because he said cassettes were the future; what did he know? [grin]

I had already owned the 45s of Donna’s “I Feel Love,” “I Love You,” “Last Dance,” and “MacArthur Park” but the Bad Girls album was like the icing on the cake. I scored my biggest win when Soundcenter got multiple copies of the promotional poster for “On the Radio: Greatest Hits,” and I happen to be in charge of displays.