dj.WYSIWYG

Now I’m the one overplaying this track. But I think this should be one of the last mentions if not the very last.

Again, of all New Wave, Living in Oblivion is probably my favorite. And again, it was because of Energy 88.7 that got me hooked. Back then, it took me a long time to identify what version of the song they played.

It was not the album version, which some old friends of mine preferred. Imagine how disappointed I was when I got hold of the album, only to hear something much different and what I felt was lacking. These were the pains before the internet made music discovery significantly easier, and I’m not exactly sure how I stumbled upon the remix. Maybe it was one of those huge catalogs, maybe it was from those kiosks at Borders, but I eventually identified it. The closest thing had a longer intro (The Living Mix), and thought maybe there was an exact match. Another possible match had the same opening, 1989 Radio Mix, but had a different bridge. If I’m not mistaken, they were both done by David Morales.

I eventually figured out that Energy 88.7 cued the Living Mix for airplay, and I did a very simple edit to create what I consider the original version of this classic. It’s only now I realize I could’ve just called them back then and asked. Notes from JD:

The radio station received 12″ records, sometimes straight for the record labels, sometimes from sponsor record stores like Gramaphone Records, Imports Etc, and such. The programming team would dump the mixes onto a reel-to-reel, and edit them down into radio-friendly lengths. We would record those onto carts (sort of resembling 8-track tapes) that we would play on air. So, not being there when they originally receieved, edited, and rerecorded the tracks, I cannot tell you offhand.

I’ve had this file for years, but only sharing now. Adopting an abbreviated WYS for future track edits.