It is a sad fact that many of my generation, myself included,
are unable to get through the Bee Gees’ Stayin’
Alive without gobbing out ‘Get raw with the fever on the dance floor’
halfway through.
The true number of young people who were forever affected by
N-Trance’s predatory activities may never be known, but it is hard to deny that
remixes, mega-mixes and mash-ups can do lasting harm to both listener and
original artist.
Even today, there are many who have no idea that the chorus
of Abba’s Voulez Vous does not in
fact lead straight into a line from SOS,
thanks to proto-mixer Jaap Eggermont’s insidious Stars on 45. I myself once attempted a full system reset by playing
nothing but Abba Gold from start to finish on repeat during a long drive to
Durham, but the ghost of the insistent clap-machine still haunts every track.
Then there are the thousands, if not millions, who were
unwittingly exposed to Jive Bunny in the 80s and 90s, millions who to this day
cannot sing the opening line to Let’s
Twist Again without stuttering out ‘Come on everybody c-c-come on everybody’.
These are old wounds; they have never healed.
When will the authorities wake up and address this shameful
legacy of our past? At the very least some sort of truth and reconciliation
session is needed. Calling Mirage’s Jack
Mix to the witness stand…
