Hello, my name is Kelly and I’m addicted to remixes and extended versions of ’80s songs. If a song has “12-inch mix” or “extended dance mix” in parentheses behind it, I’m in.

There’s something exciting to me about discovering an 11-minute version of a song I’d only previously known as being four minutes long. What else could possibly fill up seven more minutes? More verses? Different lyrics? Long instrumental breakdowns? I don’t care — I just want more.

When I go shopping for vinyl at my favorite record stores (such as Shake It in Cincinnati, Dusty Groove and Laurie’s Planet of Sound in Chicago), the first thing I look for are 12-inch ’80s singles — and the first artist I usually look for is Prince, just in case they have something I don’t already own. My iTunes library consists of about 8 GB of ’80s remixes and extended versions. And to answer your question, no, I’m not a DJ, though I think I would kick ass at the job and I’m pretty sure that had I been an adult in the ’80s, I would’ve been a DJ at a club decorated with lots of neon.

After learning that I have an ’80s remix problem, some of my fellow Popdose colleagues asked me — well, kind of commanded me — to create a feature of some sort to showcase my ridiculous collection. So this is what you get. This will likely be a weekly thing, depending on my life.

So, tease up your hair, put on some Ray Bans and get ready to have a mid-week dance party. I don’t have any fancy DJ equipment, so I can’t create a mix that will segue perfectly from one song to the next. You’ll have to just pretend that I did. Enjoy!

Heaven 17 – Penthouse & Pavement (12″ Version)
Yazz – The Only Way is Up (12″ Version)
Men Without Hats – Pop Goes the World (12″ Mix)
Michael Davidson – Turn It Up (In Full Cry Mix)
Kim Wilde – You Came (Extended 12″ Version)
T’Pau – Heart & Soul (12″ Remix)
Erasure – Chains of Love (Foghorn Mix)
Howard Jones – Things Can Only Get Better (Extended Remix)
Level 42 – Something About You (U.S. Remix)
E.G. Daily – Say It, Say It (Extended Version)
Madonna – Gambler (Extended Dance Remix)
Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (12″ Mix)
Belinda Carlisle – Heaven is a Place On Earth (Heavenly Mix)
Fleetwood Mac – Big Love (Extended Remix)
Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls (Dance Mix)

Music, Weeknight '80s Dance Party

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About the Author

Kelly Stitzel

After shutting down her own blog, Looking at Them, in mid-2008, Kelly migrated over to Popdose, bringing with her Soundtrack Saturday, the most popular column from her old site. Kelly makes a living as a fashion and marketing copywriter, which takes up a lot of her time. However, when she is able to write about things that have nothing to do with her day job, she contributes reviews and musings on music, film and a variety of other topics. In addition to Soundtrack Saturday, columns she's written include Filminism and Pulling Rank.

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