Tag: Pride Month

June 17, 2025

Depeche Mode – Strangelove (US 12″) (1988)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

NEW 2025 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration

Original post date: July 22, 2013

Today’s Pride Month post dives deep into one of Depeche Mode’s most seductive and emotionally tangled singles: “Strangelove.” Originally released in 1987 as the lead single from Music for the Masses, it marked a sonic and thematic shift for the band—moody, magnetic, and rich with contradiction.

“Strangelove” is all about duality—desire vs. guilt, pleasure as pain, salvation wrapped in sin. And for anyone who’s ever loved in secret, or wrestled with their identity in the shadows, lines like “I give in to sin because I like to practice what I preach” hit like a thunderclap. At a time when queer love was often hidden or coded, Depeche Mode gave us a space to feel seen, without ever having to say it outright.

For today’s post, I’m spinning the 1988 U.S. 12″ of “Strangelove”—a stateside-exclusive remix known as the Highjack Remix, remixed by Bomb the Bass. It’s a version that takes the original’s dark sensuality and launches it into overdrive: thumping bass, fractured samples, and a jacked-up energy that’s ready for the club floor and the mirrorball of your mind.

The B-side features a standout too—“Nothing (Zip-Hop Mix)”—remixed by the legendary Justin Strauss. Sleek, rhythmic, and full of low-end bounce, it’s one of those understated Depeche tracks that quietly demands your attention.

This 12″ remains a fan favorite and club essential. It peaked at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #24 on the U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in 1988, but more importantly—it struck a deep chord. It became an anthem not just for synth lovers, but for anyone navigating the gray zones of desire, shame, and self-discovery.

For Pride Month, “Strangelove” stands as a reminder that identity and emotion are rarely simple—and that’s where their power lies. Depeche Mode has long held a special place in LGBTQ+ hearts, offering music that embraces complexity, intensity, and unflinching honesty.

SIDE A:
Strangelove (Highjack Remix) 6:31
Remix – Bomb The Bass

Strangelove (Remix Edit) 3:50
Remix – Bomb The Bass

SIDE B:
Nothing (Zip-Hop Mix) 7:03
Edited By – Chep Nunez*
Engineer [Remix] – Hugo Dwyer
Programmed By [Additional] – Eric Kupper
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Justin Strauss

Nothing (Dub) 6:38
Edited By – Chep Nunez*
Engineer [Remix] – Hugo Dwyer
Programmed By [Additional] – Eric Kupper
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Justin Strauss

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	Strangelove (1988)	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#50
1988	Strangelove (1988)	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play	#24

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – 0-21022, Sire – 9 21022-0, Mute – 0-21022, Mute – 9 21022-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: Aug 23, 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Design, Photography – T&CP Assoc.*
Producer – David Bascomb*, Depeche Mode
Written-By – M.L. Gore*

NOTES:
Also known as Strangelove ’88.

The mix of track B1 is also known as “Justin Strauss Mix”

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 16, 2025

Haddaway – What Is Love (US 12″) (1993)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

💿 “What Is Love” – The Song That Defined a Generation of Dance Floors (and Head Bobs) 💿

Today’s Pride Month spotlight takes us to the high-energy pulse of the early ‘90s club scene with a track that needs no introduction — Haddaway’s “What Is Love.” Released in 1993, this Eurodance anthem quickly became a worldwide smash, going Top 10 in more than 30 countries and peaking at #11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #2 in the UK. But more than that, it became a movement.

The song’s urgent cry — “What is love? Baby don’t hurt me, no more…” — is still echoing in clubs, memes, and pop culture, forever immortalized by that unforgettable Night at the Roxbury head-bobbing sketch on Saturday Night Live (and later, the film).

For many in the LGBTQ+ community, “What Is Love” was much more than just a dancefloor filler — it was an anthem of questioning, vulnerability, and defiance. The pulsing synths, soaring vocals, and hypnotic rhythm invited bodies and hearts to move freely, express openly, and love boldly. Whether you were in a club in Berlin, a pride float in São Paulo, or a college dorm in Ohio, you felt this song.

🪩 As we celebrate Pride Month, this track reminds us of the freedom found in movement, in music, and in unapologetic self-love. So whether you’re dancing solo, with friends, or just head-bobbing in your car — this one’s for you.

🏳️‍🌈✨ Love is love. And love is loud.

SIDE A:
What Is Love (12″ Mix) 6:41

SIDE B:
What Is Love (Refreshmento Extro Mix) 5:30
Producer [Additional], Remix – The Rapino Brothers

What Is Love (Refreshmento Extro Instrumental) 5:31
Producer [Additional], Remix – The Rapino Brothers

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1993/94	What Is Love	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#11
1993/94	What Is Love	U.S. Billboard Dance Music / Club Play	#9
1993/94	What Is Love	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music / Maxi-Singles Sales	#6

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Arista – 07822-12574-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: Jan 18, 1993
Genre: Electronic
Style: Euro House

CREDITS:

Art Direction – Thomas Sassenbach
Design – Ariola
Engineer – Gary Jones
Photography By – Alfred Särchinger
Producer – Halligan*, Torello*
Written-By – Dee Dee Halligan, Junior Torello

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 13, 2025

Earlene Bentley – The Boys Come To Town (US 12″) (1983)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Let the glitterball spin a little faster today—because the boys have definitely come to town!

Today’s Disco Friday and Pride Month pick is an unapologetic slab of Hi-NRG heat from the fabulous Erlene Bentley: the powerhouse 1983 club anthem “The Boys Come To Town.” Originally released in the UK on Ian Levine’s Record Shack Records, my post features the rare and equally fierce US 12″ pressing on Megatone Records—a label legendary in the San Francisco gay disco scene. 🔥

From its stomping bassline to Erlene’s commanding, no-nonsense vocal delivery, this track was built for the dancefloor. It’s campy, it’s charged, it’s proud—and it captures that bold, liberating spirit that defined queer nightlife at the height of the Hi-NRG movement.

💥 Fun fact: The song was so iconic in the New York club scene that it even found its way onto the big screen—featured in the 1984 film “Police Academy” during the infamous Blue Oyster Bar scene. A moment that has since become a cultural time capsule of leather, mustaches, and late-night disco sleaze.

And how can you resist lines like:
“Hey, big boy! Why don’t you come up and see me sometime?”
Camp. Sass. Power. Bentley delivers it all with a wink and a whip crack.

While she may not have had mainstream chart success, Erlene Bentley carved out her own niche in queer club culture—and this track remains one of the most iconic anthems of the Hi-NRG era. It’s pure theatricality with a pulsing heart, a perfect tribute to the freedom and flair that Pride Month celebrates.

💿 This extended mix takes its time—and you’ll want it to—building into a glorious eruption of synths, horns, and unapologetic attitude.

So throw on your harness or heels, find your spotlight, and let this Hi-NRG gem take you back to a time when the dancefloor was both sanctuary and stage.

SIDE A:
The Boys Come To Town 8:07

SIDE B:
The Boys Come To Town (Instrumental Dub) 8:16

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Megatone Records – MT-115, Record Shack Records – MT-115
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Hi NRG, Disco

CREDITS:

Arranged By – Fiachra Trench
Mastered By – José Rodriguez
Producer – Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench
Written-By – I. Levine – F. Trench*

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.

June 12, 2025

k.d. Lang – Miss Chatelaine (US 12″ Promo) (1992)

Burning The Ground Exclusive

Today’s Pride Month selection is a dreamy, delightful gem from one of the most iconic and unapologetically queer voices in music—k.d. lang. Released in 1992, “Miss Chatelaine” is the second single from her breakthrough album Ingénue (1992), and it’s as cheeky and charming as it is subversive.

The title is a tongue-in-cheek nod to Chatelaine, a Canadian women’s magazine that once named lang their “Woman of the Year” before she came out publicly. With a wink and a twirl, lang reclaims the title in this swooning, romantic tune—drenched in lush orchestration and playful irony. The song playfully contrasts with lang’s tomboy image and silky contralto vocals, creating a visual and musical aesthetic that is both retro and radical.

Today’s post features the shimmering St. Tropez Mix from the 12″ release—a sun-soaked, extended take that brings a relaxed, continental dancefloor flavor to the track. It’s pure escapism and pure elegance, with a sly smirk behind the glamour. The remix emphasizes the song’s breezy, bossa-nova bounce, giving lang’s voice even more space to glide and flirt.

k.d. lang made headlines in 1992 when she came out as a lesbian at the height of her fame. She didn’t just break barriers—she bulldozed through them with grace, humor, and incredible talent. Her courage opened doors for a generation of queer artists, and songs like “Miss Chatelaine” remain milestones in the soundtrack of LGBTQ+ visibility.

As we celebrate Pride, this track is a reminder that authenticity can be beautiful, bold, and even a little mischievous. 💅✨

Here’s to the queens, the rebels, and the dreamers. Happy Pride!

SIDE A:
Miss Chatelaine (St. Tropez Mix) 5:32
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Greg Penny

Miss Chatelaine (St. Tropez Edit) 3:45
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Greg Penny

SIDE B:
Miss Chatelaine (Paris ’92) 5:56
Remix, Producer [Additional] – Greg Penny

Miss Chatelaine (Single Version) 3:46

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1992	Miss Chatelaine	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary	#32

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – PRO-A-6052
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1992
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

Mastered By – CB*
Producer – Ben Mink, Greg Penny, k.d. lang
Written-By – Ben Mink, k.d. lang

NOTES:
Original taken from the album Ingénue

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for burningtheground.net

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!

Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal. I appreciate your help.