Author: Gabe

STREAM: 1st HOUR of Hitz Summer 93/94 Broadcast 3

Today’s the day. December 10. The day back in 1993 when something pretty amazing started. The 3rd broadcast of a little youth-run radio station called Hitz FM.

Over the next 90 days the request phone line went from 1 phone to 2 phones, to 4. The media went crazy. Radio ratings showed Melbourne kids were tuning in – in their thousands. And a near riot occured when we invited a popstar to visit.

But first – the big news. One of my audio experts has found a cassette of the first hour of broadcast 3. I hadn’t heard it since the day it happenned in 1993. And I’m excited to bring it to you now…

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Mashing up Pies n Pitbull

After a few Megamix Mondays, it’s time to get back to the mashups.

And today’s track is one of those ones that make me wish I was DJing again. Plus the fact you don’t have to carry heavy crates of music anymore. And the fact that the new DJ lights weigh much less..

Right, where was I?

Introducing an absolute dancefloor smash of a mashup that creates the missing link between Aussie meat pies and “Mr Worldwide” – early 2000’s prolific rapper Pitbull.

Wait, what?

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The biggest 90s HipHop megamix had a daggy secret

Now THIS Megamix Monday will be hard to top. A medley that soon became the unofficial anthem of Hitz’s Summer 93/94 broadcast.

And yet, ‘the one megamix to rule them all’ has a super-cheesy backstory very few people know.

Follow the link below to stream the famous Walk This Way Mastermix. You’ll learn a little bit about why it made such an impact, and discover the skeleton in the closet most would never have suspected.

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FOUND: First Hitz Breakfast

As I mentioned in my recent November update, people have been going through their cupboards/garages/parents spare room. They’ve been reaching up to the top shelf, opening those old shoeboxes, and finding 25 year old cassettes of Hitz FM.

But today’s Tape Tuesday recording is not a recent find. It’s a tape I’ve had for almost 28 years. I’ve kept it since the morning I recorded it; Friday December 11, 1992. And it’s one of the rarest recordings we’ve found so far.

After the jump – you can hear it.

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November update

Hey guys, wanted to give you a quick update re everything happening with the Hitz FM book and my GabeMcGrath.com blog.

BUT FIRST – A GIFT FOR BUSY PEOPLE.

You can now get the latest posts emailed to you automatically.

It’s set ‘n’ forget. Just look for the big black subscribe box. (If you’re on a mobile, it’s probably below this post.) Pop your name/email in, and you’re sorted. How easy is that?

Now, what else has been going on…?

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Megamix Mondays 2

OK time for another Megamix Monday, and today’s a real Hitz classic. Macquina Total 6. Or as the man in the megamix used to say “Ma KEENA Toe Tell – SAY!”

Maquina Total 6 was very popular during Hitz’s Summer 93/94 broadcast. The destinctive thuds of the approaching T-Rex. The crazy chicken noises. The finger-on-the-pulse inclusions of songs like Mr Vain (Culture Beat) and What’s Up (DJ Miko).

And now, I’ve been able to solve a big mystery about this megamix… 26 years later.

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Mashup Monday 6

OK, after launching my fortnightly Megamix Monday last week (complete with 90s style pink and green logo), it’s time to get back to the mashups.

And that’s what I might do for a while – alternating between mashups and megamixes each Monday. That work for you guys? Cool.

Now….we’re due for a Rock / Pop one, so that’s what I’ve got for you today.

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25 years ago today – Hitz FM’s 6th Broadcast

25 years ago tonight, Hitz FM Melbourne was broadcasting live from Inflation Nightclub. It was the final night of the station’s 6th broadcast. Time to celebrate. The station had come back onair, it had a new CD in the shops, and it had one of those brand new “webpage” things on the “internet”.

Yes – it was clearly 1995.

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Megamix Mondays 1

Why just post mashups on a Monday, when I can also bring you the great Megamixes from the past?

What’s the difference? A megamix (sometimes called a ‘medley’) is a combination of 3 or more songs edited together. They differ from mashups in that mashups are made of acapellas (pure vocals) and instrumentals whereas megamixes are more often made from complete parts of songs.

For my first Megamix Monday, I’ve got something special. It’s one of the oldest 90s Megamixes that Hitz ever played. It’s from one of the great DJ remix services of the 90s. And – I do believe it’s the first song Hitz ever played on the radio.

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James Ash is Right in the Night!

He’s back.

James Ash (Rogue Traders, Union State, former Hitz FM announcer and committee member) has come back to where it all began. He’s re-signed with legendary Melbourne-based dance label Vicious Vinyl. And his first release – is a cover of a true Hitz-era classic.

But what I found most interesting about all this – is that it’s NOT the first time he’s tried to cover this song…

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