Hitz FM Melbourne memories, photos, and recordings.
Today’s the day. December 10. The day back in 1993 when something pretty amazing started. Hitz Broadcast 3. The 3rd broadcast of a little youth-run radio station that soon caused a BIG fuss.
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.
Continue reading “STREAM: 1st HOUR of Hitz Broadcast 3 – Summer 93/94”After a few Megamix Mondays, it’s time to get back to the mashups. Today’s track is DJ got us falling in Hot Stuff.
It’s one of those jawdropping mashups 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..
Continue reading “Mashing up Pies n Pitbull”Now THIS Megamix Monday will be hard to top. The Walk this Way Megamix 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.
Continue reading “The biggest 90s HipHop megamix had a daggy secret”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. And some of them, might be a recording of the Hitz FM Breakfast breakfast show.
But today’s 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.
Continue reading “FOUND: First Hitz FM Breakfast”Hey guys, wanted to give you a quick update re everything happening with the Hitz FM book and my GabeMcGrath.com blog. And that means, a November update.
This blog can now send you the latest posts automatically.
It’s easy. Just look for the big black 
box. (If you’re on a mobile, it’s probably below this post.) Pop your name/email in, and you’re sorted.
Now, what else has been going on…?
Continue reading “November update”I’m a big fan of megamixes, and today I’ve got you 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.
Continue reading “Megamix Mondays 2”OK, after launching my fortnightly Megamix Monday last week, it’s time for a Mashup Monday.
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.
Continue reading “Mashup Monday 6”25 years ago tonight, a certain youth radio station was broadcasting live from Inflation Nightclub. It was the final night of Hitz FM’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.
Why just post mashups on a Monday, when I can also bring you a great 1991 Megamix?
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. I believe it’s the first song Hitz ever played on the radio.
Continue reading “Hot Tracks best of 1991 Megamix”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…
Continue reading “James Ash is Right in the Night!”Dreams (and it’s performer, Gabrielle) seemed to come out of nowhere.
When the song was released in Australia in late 1993, the charts were dominated by romantic R&B (Freak Me – Silk), reggae-flavoured pop (Can’t help falling in love with you – UB40 / Sweat – Inner Circle) and adult rock (What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes / I’d do anything for love – Meatloaf). Dreams – with it’s romantic soul-tinged pop sounds… seem to arrive from another planet.
It also seemed to remind me of another song, and 27 years later I know the answer.
Continue reading “Smash Hitz: Dreams – Gabrielle”Ahh, mashups… like this one today “Yelling Physical Me“.
Mashups: when somebody (more talented than me) combines one or more song instrumentals with one or more song acapellas. The result can be funny, inspiring, impressive or just amazing to dance to.
Sometimes I’ll be posting tracks from my collection that are 10-15 years old. But not today. This track is one that I’ve been blasting in the car for the past month or two and it’s brilliant.
Continue reading “Mashup Monday 5”Time to salute another mid-90s dancefloor classic – U Sure Do.
We all know the song – but did you know it was composed of samples from a number of other tracks? (Don’t worry, neither did I. All but one of them are pretty obscure.) Even more interestingly… did you know about Strike’s strong Australian connection?
Read on, and all will be revealed.
Continue reading “Smash Hitz: U Sure Do”You what? You ring me round (like a telephone)?
If you’ve got a child/niece/nephew in primary school… At some point they’ll ask you what “1 + 1” equals. If you answer “2” they’ll say “Wrong, it equals ‘window’…”. If you say ‘window’, they’ll say “Wrong, it equals eleven.”.
In the case of mashups, “1 + 1” often adds up to something amazing. Indeed, today’s track, despite using one of the most over-mashed instrumentals of the early 2010’s… still works.
Continue reading “Mashup Monday 4”So, we’re 4 weeks into this crazy adventure, and little did I know what ripples would occur, once I threw my little stone in the pond. So, what’s happenned in the first four weeks?
I’ve received audio (from old tapes). I’ve obtained photos. And scans.
I’ve done interviews. I’ve regularly published features. And my newsletter subscriber list is growing.
Let’s break each one down, shall we?
Continue reading “The first four weeks frenzy”Another Monday, another mashup! And today’s track is called “Don’t Start In the Middle”.
But before I get to the track, a quick reminder how this works…
‘Back in the day’ (pre-internet) I used to scour CD sales, Cash Converters, etc to pick up bargain music, and great remixes. And then, back in 2005 – I discovered mashups. What’s better than your favourite songs? Your favourite songs brilliantly deconstructed and recombined together. So I started collecting them.
Continue reading “Mashup Monday 3”Time to jump in that time machine, to January 24th, 1997. The time of Joy at The Metro.
The Spice Girls Wannabe was battling with Savage Garden’s To the Moon and Back on the top of the Australian charts. Madonna won a Golden Globe for Evita, while Tom Cruise got one for Gerry McGuire. I guess somebody showed both of them the money. (sorry)
Continue reading “Tape Tuesday: Joy @ The Metro Jan 1997”Ahh, mashups… like today’s example… “ABC OPP“.
Mashups… when somebody (more talented than me) combines one or more song instrumentals with one or more song acapellas. The result can be funny, inspiring, impressive or just amazing to dance to.
Today’s mashup comes from a production duo that have done a HUGE amount for the mashup scene in the USA… and around the world. Oh, and it’s a hiphop track this time.
Continue reading “Mashup Monday 2”Back in 1996, On the Bible by Deuce was everywhere. Actually the ‘Wand remix’ of the track was everywhere. But we’ll hear more about that later. On the Bible was being thrashed during Hitz FM’s 9th broadcast. They played it at the Sydney Mardi Gras. You’d hear it booming out of your local Sanity music store.
But who are Deuce?
Continue reading “Smash Hitz: Deuce”Ahh, mashups… You know, like “I Wanna Bulletproof Dancer”.
Mashups… when somebody (more talented than me) combines one or more song instrumentals with one or more song acapellas. The result can be funny, inspiring, impressive or just amazing to dance to.
The first mashups I ever heard were back in ‘filesharing’ days of the late 90s. Networks like Napster and Limewire had a few of them, although 90% seemed to be Eminem vs X or Britney vs Y. They were simple, but entertaining for a bit.
Continue reading “Mashup Monday 1”On this day, back in 1992 – a song debuted at the very bottom of Australia’s ARIA charts. Number 100. A song by Boyz II Men.
And the next week, it was gone.
By any normal measure, this song was one of the least successful tracks of the 1990s in Australia. It couldn’t have charted any lower. And yet, for Hitz listeners – its importance vastly outweighs its chart success.
In the months following the Summer 93/94 broadcast, the Hitz FM team were quite busy. There was plenty of work returning all the borrowed gear. And… they started working on their first ever compilation – The Original Hitz CD.
🎧 Hey! Wanna stream it on Spotify? 🎧
Scroll to the bottom of this post!
“Oh my god. Becky, look at her…” (Yep, we’re back on 9th August 1992)
I’m sure you know the rest.
Today was the day, back in 1992 that Sir Mix-a-Lot debuted on the ARIA charts at number 29, with a song that was big on Hitz FM and everywhere else.
Many pop stars change their name. They often make it a bit shorter and catchier. So it’s no surprise that Nigerian-born dentist-turned-DJ Alban Uzoma Nwapa shortened his name to something a global audience might find easier: Dr Alban. (Yes – the “Sing Hallelujah” guy.)
Continue reading “Smash Hitz: Sing Hallelujah”What’s this “GabeMcGrath.com” website for?
Well, for many years I’ve written ads for radio. I’ve also written for magazines, newspapers and websites. But one story kept whispering to me. Wanting to be told. About the time in the early 90s, when I ran away with the circus.
OK, I didn’t actually leave my parents home.
And… the circus didn’t have a tent.
But there were a LOT of clowns.
Continue reading “What’s this all about…?”
