We have a debutant this month as Belgiums Jeff Cimino, AKA DJ/EF, makes a storming entrance with his first fan mix contribution. He came to my attention through his fantastic remix of Depeche Mode's Leave In Silence which you can feast your ears on at his website www.myspace.com/djslashef along with a string of other excellent remixes. Besides remixing, Jeff is also very active with the musical projects Matières et Mémoire (www.myspace.com/matieresetmemoire) and Angst (www.myspace.com/angstmuziek) and with his love of electronic pop and industrial he was a perfect match for the Fan Mix Of The Month feature. Mirror Man was originally released in the UK 11th November 1982 and had the tough task of being the follow up single to the extremly succesful Don't You Want Me from the equally record breaking Dare album. But it did the job and ended at the No 2 spot on the UK singles Charts. Produced by Martin Rushent and written by Callis/Oakey/Burden, the song was a departure from the purist electro sound of Dare but still carried the trade mark hooks of a classic Human League composition. And to this day it's ever present at the bands concerts, including (gasp!) guitar work!  Only working with a rip of the vocals from the dvd Live At The Dome, Jeff really has bought the song back to the bands original electronic roots with a driving, double layered electro bass, thumbing beats and fittingly synths noises. Especially loves the ending with the bass booming away with the girls "uh uh" back up vocals on top of it. Chilling! Click on image to enjoy.

As the Empire State Human single celebrates its 30th anniversary next month, I thought it should be marked with a cool new mix of this classic. And who better to deliver than Mat McKenzie, AKA Hypnotica, that brings out another of his excellent remixes. He has been very productive in delivering fan mixes in the past and you can visit the April 2008 entry for more details. The song was originally released as a single 15th October 1979 and was written by March/Oakey/Ware and produced by the late Colin Thurston. It went unnoticed to the record buying masses as it didn't chart, but when re-released in May 1980 did manage to creep up to the number 62 spot on the UK Singles Charts. But it's cult classic status has been enhanced with it's inclusion as a fixed part of the bands set list, in the later years even with a Oakey Moog solo! And Mat performs another of his trademark instrumental remixes, creating an almost dub style electro version of the track. In some ways faithfull to the original, but with the bassline enhanced in great sequenced electro style and letting the melody hook from the last part of the song take centerstage through the whole mix. Brilliant! Click on image to enjoy.

After a well deserved break remixer extraordinaire Paul Buddy, aka EMP is back! And with a vengance as he takes Party of the Crash album to a whole new level! He delivered one of his trademark remixes last year as the (Keep Feeling) Fasciantion single celebrated its 25th anniversary and you can learn more details under the April 2008 entry. Since then Paul has spend his time working on different artist tracks, including co-writing a No 1 chart topper in Japan! Party was originally released September 13th 1986 as part of the Jam & Lewis produced Crash album and was penned by Burden/Oakey/Russell. As one of the few highlighs on a rather disappointing album it deserved more attention than it got and really shold have been a contender for a single (along with Love On The Run) instead of the car crash (pun intended!) named I Need Your Loving. But that is sort of being fixed now as EMP surprised me by choosing this track and really give it a new lease of life. With added pulsating basslines, razorsharp drumbeats and cool new melodylines, Paul really has made his stamp on the track without losing the feel of the original. Click on image to enjoy.

This month UK electro outfit Sequential Z makes a welcome return, as Mirror Man gets their trademark treatment. Earlier this year they presented a cool mix of Don't You Want Me and you can learn more about them under the January entry. Mirror Man was originally released in the UK 11th November 1982 and had the tough task of being the follow up single to the extremly succesful Don't You Want Me from the equally record breaking Dare album. But it did the job and ended at the No 2 spot on the UK singles Charts. Produced by Martin Rushent and written by Callis/Oakey/Burden, the song was a departure from the purist electro sound of Dare but still carried the trade mark hooks of a classic Human League composition. And to this day it's ever present at the bands concerts, including (gasp!) guitar work! Sequential Z has done an excellent job in turning the song into an instrumental electro stomper and quite cleverly let the famous "uuuhh" back up chorus from Joanne and Susan take center stage in the mix. Add to that some foot tapping beats and cool basslines and we have a hit! Click on image to enjoy.

This month is a bit special, as I'm proud to announce that the Audacity have offered their immense remixing talents to this website! If you've paid attention, you'll remember them for making some real ass spanking remixes of Human League tracks a couple of years back for then Human League website League Online. I didn't dare ask them for a remix as I didn't want to step on anyones toes with their heavy connection to said website, but since they contacted me I almost bit their hand of in eagerness of enlisting them as remixers. Doing awesome remixes is a side project for the Audacity as they are a classic electro pop duo and you should do yourself a favour and check out their myspace site www.myspace.com/theaudacitykidder. Most of their last album "Are The Still Going?" is online and it's up there with the best of what is offered on the current electronic scene. Especially "Contagious Paranoia" and "TV Guide" is catchy as hell! To my delight they opted to remix a personal favourite of mine; All I Ever Wanted which was released 30th July 2001. Written by Philip Oakey/Neil Sutton and produced by TOY, it sounded like THE come back single for The Human League. But due to poor promotion as the record company went bust as it was released and Radio One refusing to give it airplay, the single tragically only managed to reach the number 47 spot in the UK Singles charts. The longivety of the track has been confirmed by it's ever presecence in the bands live set and it always go down a storm with the live crowd. The ambition for the Audacity was to make the track more aggressive and gritty sounding and they really have come through with a version that almost tops the original recording as there's added a real bite to both the bassline and beats. They've also introduced some additional melody hooks around the chorus and the whole thing really some together in an almost 6 minute version of pure electro heaven. Click on image to download.

The Matt Mix makes a highly anticipated return as Matt Pop serves up yet another delicous remix of Louise. Originally released 5th November 1984 as the third single from the troublesome Hysteria album, this classic was penned by Callis/Oakey/Wrigt and produced by Chris Thomas, Hugh Pagdham and the band. Even if the sales of Hysteria disappointed by the bands own lofty standards it did produce 3 Top 20 singles as Louise reached no 13 in the UK Singles Charts. And the track has stood the test of time as prominent artists as Robbie Williams and more resently Tony Chrisite has covered the track. Matt's immense remixing talents really lights up Louise as he has created the extended remix the original 12" release sadly lacked. Stretching the track to almost 7 minutes without losing the melancholy of the song, he's prolonged the synth hooks and added some cool sounding basslines and beats. Sounds fantastic! Click on image. The track is also online at www.youtube.com/user/producermattpop.

2008 was kept a Dare Fan Mix free zone as the year before no less than 19 mixes from this classic album was published on this website to celebrate the bands 30th anniversary. But it should be safe to go back in the water now and let loose some more mixes from the particular successful era. And this month UK's Simon, better known as Alone With Strangers, takes a stab at the instrumental Get Carter. He did a rather cool mix of Nightclubbing that was uploaded September last year, so you can learn more about him further down this page. Get Carter was originally written by Roy Budd and the part The Human League covered was the piece used for the opening and closing of the movie of the same name that was released in 1971 starring Michael Caine. A difficult track to mix, but Simon has done an excellent job, choosing to add to the atmospheric mood of the recording by going the ambient way. Cool noises adds to the atmosphere and brings it home nicely. Click on image to enjoy.

2009 is off to a flying start as UK electro outfit Sequential Z serves up a great instrumental remix of The Human League's world conquering smash hit of the early 80s  Don't You Want Me. As it often happens, I discovered the remix artist as they made a great fan mix of one of my other favourite bands Depeche Mode. And thankfully they were well into the League and more than happy to take a stab at remixing a track. You can learn more about their history, sound and projects at: www.myspace.com/sequentialz. Don't You Want Me was originally released in the UK 20th November 1981 as the fourth single from the Dare album and really put the band on the map as it went No 1 in the UK Singles charts and stayed there for 5 weeks. Produced by Martin Rushent and written by Callis/Oakey/Wright the band famously didn't want to release it as they thought a 4th single from the album would be ripping off the record buying public . Thank god Virgin Records knew better! It's a big task to remix this worldwide known classic, but The Sequntial Z has attacked in the right manner, making it an instrumental electro stomper with more focus on the bassline and added subtle beats and additional melodilines. Click on image to enjoy.

The end of the year is celebrated in style as fellow countryman Flemming Jensby, better known as Sappy, serves up a delicious remix of the hit single One Man In My Heart. He came to my attention as he did a very cool mix of Depeche Mode's Martyr and seemed like an obvious choice to ask for a fan mix of a Human League track. He's responsible for a whole string of great mixes that are scattered round on the world wide web and you can also check out his work at www.myspace.com/thesappy. One Man In My Heart was originally released 6th March 1995 as the second single from the highly succesfull Octopus album and was the first ever single with Susan Sulley on lead vocals. Written by Philip Oakey/Neil Sutton and produced by Ian Stanley, this was the bands most commercial effort to date right down to Philip Oakey's "ooh la la la" backing vocals. And it showed as it did well in the UK Singles Charts reaching the No 13 spot. Flemming has done a great job in giving this song new life as he has layered out a very cool electronic soundscape round the track with just the right bleeps, beats and bass noises for maximum effect without ruining the original. Click on image. UPDATE! Flemming has also done a video for the remix, which can be found here.

I accidently stumbled upon this months contributor as I was lurking round the web and hit his myspace website www.myspace.com/electrotherapies. The design alone lets you know that french electro wizard Stéphane has all the right musical influences for doing a fan mix of a Human League track. He makes music under the monikers Electrotherapies and Marboss and you can check out his unique electro style via the sound samples on his websites. And he was more than happy to provide a very cool Marboss Remix of that old classic Human. Originally released 11th August 1986 as the first single from the Crash album, it was both written and produced by world famous american producer team Jam & Lewis and recorded in their Flyte Time studio in Minneapolis. Which may be part of the reason that it soared all the way to the number one spot in the Amercian singles charts. The release also gave the band another Top Ten hit in the UK, as it reached no 8 in the UK Singles Charts. Stéphane has stayed loyal to the track and gently updated it for this millenium with a great new beat, added strings and awesome bass noises. A difficult song to mix as the original is close to perfection, but Stéphane has done a brilliant job. Click on image.

Dodi's Crossover Mix makes a much appreciated come back as Tomislav Sokac serves up another great mix. You may have enjoyed the excellent re-edits he did of Darkness and Do Or Die for last years Dare 2007 Fan Mix project and you can check the mixes and his details here. This time round his talents has again been put to good use as the old fan favourite You Remind Me Of Gold is given the extended treatment. Originally released by Virgin as the b-side to Mirror Man in December 1982 it went all the way to the number 2 spot in the UK Singles Charts. Produced by Martin Rushent this was the first Human League song written entirely by Philip Oakey and it eventually ended up on the Fascination EP that was released in the US in 1983. The track has been a firm favourite among fans ever since its release, but sadly the band has so far declined to play it live. For some reason Virgin decided not to do proper extended versions of the tracks on the orignal 12" release, but that mistake has now (at least for the b-side) been corrected by Tomislav, as he presents one of his trademark re-edits that stretches a whopping 8+ minutes. Click on image to enjoy.

This months fan mix is done in a really clever way and gives great variation to the other mixes. The Human League knows how to pick cover versions and their take on Iggy pop's Nightclubbing is no different. Originally released by Virgin as part of the Holiday 80 Ep in April 1980 it was mixed together with their cover version of Gary Gliter's Rock'N'Roll. It didn't lit up the charts as the release stalled at No 56 in the UK Singles Charts, but it did come to prominence on the Canadian release of the Travelogue album as it replaced Toyota City in the tracklist and later as a bonus track on the CD releases of the album. Freed from the association with Rock'N'Roll, this track stands proud on its own as Simon from Nottigham in the UK, better known under the moniker Alone With Strangers, gvies it a very special treatment. He came to my attention as he posted a great fan mix on the Human League forum and we was more than willing to apply his talents to present an exclusive mix for this website. Simon has music as his main hobby and is inspired by all the cool electro bands from the 80s and up to more contemporary artists of the alternative kind. You can follow his output here http://alonewithstrangers.multiply.com/. And he has really done a great mix of Nightclubbing in a way that's new to the Fan Mix Of The Month feature. There's the ususal extended bits and pieces of the track for all to enjoy the great synth noises and beats of the track. But he's managed to mix the vocal from Iggy Pop's original version to match the flow of Human Leagues version so it now appears as a duet between Philip Oakey and Iggy Pop. Very cool and I love it. Click on image to enjoy.

This time round it's off to Alsace as french remixer David Dieu delivers a great remix of Tell Me When. Originally released as the first single from the Octopus album 28/12 1994 it was written by Philip Oakey and Paul Beckett, who also programmed and played synthesizer on the album. Produced by Ian Stanley it was the bands big "come back" single as it roared to the no 6 spot in the UK Singles Charts and they found themselves in the Top Ten for the first time since Human was released in 1986. David Dieu came to my attention as I noticed his brilliant remix of Shake The Disease on a Depeche Mode forum. So I contacted him and asked if he would consider using his great remixing talents on a Human League track and thankfully he was more than happy to apply as he really liked the bands output. David usually produces music with Axel Darrot-Corazzol under the name "David Dieu & Alexectro" and you can learn more about their projects and check out their brilliant remixes on their website http://www.myspace.com/daviddieuaxelectro. And he keeps up the high standards as the remix of Tell Me When is very cool. A new intro, added bassline, beats, melody and bleeps makes the track into quite a stomper.

Click on image to download mix.

Download the tracks below.

Floyd Anderson, aka Chronovisor, makes a welcome return this month and you may remember him for the excellent re-edit he did of Seconds for the Dare 2007 Fan Mix project. You can check that mix and his other details out here. This time round he's made a re-edit of a single that to this day has divided fans. Soundtrack To A Generation was written by Philip Oakey/Neil Sutton, produced by Bob Kraushaar and released October 1990. Reaching the dizzy heights of no 77 in the UK Singles Charts, it was the bands worst chart position since the early days of putting out singles in the late 70s. And it was the first sign of the struggle that was to last through the early 90s as they broke with Virgin Records after releasing the single. It sounded like one of the tracks from the Romantic? album with hit potential and boasted a great chorus and some nippy electro doodelings. But many fans couldn't really get past the "oh wow, holy cow" bit, which in fairness maybe wasn't Oakey's finest lyrical moment. That lyrical faux pas is still included in Floyd's mix, but he has done a great job in creating a ol' fashioned extended version that the original release lacked (even if the Orbit Mix did come close). Using the original version, as well as the acapella version, it builds up nicely and really gives you the feel of a classic 12" mix. Click on image to download the mix

This months contribution sees the return of Marlene, better known as Cygnet, who did the excellent re-edits of Seconds, I Am The Law and Love Action (I Believe In Love) for the Dare 2007 Fan Mix project. You can learn more about her and the mixes here. All I Ever Wanted was released 30th July 2001, written by Philip Oakey/Neil Sutton and produced by TOY, it sounded like THE come back single for The Human League. But due to poor promotion as the record company went bust as it was released and Radio One refusing to give it airplay, the single tragically only managed to reach the number 47 spot in the UK Singles charts. The longivety of the track has been confirmed by it's ever presecence in the bands live set and it always go down a storm with the live crowd. The different formats was filled with remixes, but none of them was the good ol' fashioned 12" mix that most fans love. So I asked Marlene to do an edit to get the extended version the original release never provided. And she came up with a great version that slowly builds up and then the fun really kicks in, using the 2 different demo versions, as well as the original single version. Click on image to download the mix