Posted by disman00911 on February 25, 2024, 2:01 pm
Anyone familiar with classic house/club/dance mixes knows about 102.7 WBMX and WGCI mixes from the 80s and B96 and WGCI mixes from the 90s onward. You can hear multiple recordings of them on various sites like YouTube, SoundCloud, and MixCloud. But ever wonder how the B96 Mix Show sounded before the house music and the arrival of Julian Jumpin' Perez and Bad Boy Bill after 102.7 WBMX became V103 in October 1988?
Somebody on YouTube uploaded some B96 mixes from the late 80s. Beforehand, it was only Brian Hitmix Middleton doing the mixes, and they aired only on Saturday nights. Also, the show's name was called "Club 96" (according to one of the YT links). It was what was expected, as Middleton was spinning the big dance-pop or R&B records of that era and virtually none of the house music heard on WBMX or WGCI, considering that the house sound would eventually be what the B96 mix show would be known for from 1989 onward. Interestingly enough, there are no DJ drops or station IDs throughout the mixes. Still interesting to listen to, though, as, until now, I didn't know audio of them existed. Anyone out there actually remembers this era, as I was way too young.
The Brian Middleton mixes were often called "Hit Mixes" they started in 1986, because at first it was just Top 40 hits, none of the club tracks that the station shifted to.
I have so far listened to the 1st one "Late 1988 Top 40 hits B-96 Chicago Saturday Night 'Club 96' Brian 'Hit Mix' Middleton" and skimmed the other 3. There are no drops, no ID, no nothing in ANY of them. Either this is not Brian, or it is Brian but was right off his equipment provided for broadcasting. Very possible as this is right around the time WBMX shifted to V103. This is not an actual over the air recording, explaining possibly why it sounds so good. Also there is a 3 year spread of music 1985 - 1988 which mixes tended to be majority currents on a CHR and there are 2 Debbie Gibson tunes, a usual no-no.
The YT poster might be mistaken. Or they are simply trying to get some revenue which will stop really quick when YT realizes this is not an original production and is violating copyright. Per the 1st video: "I'll add more if my 4 uploads total 1,000 views." - Yeah, OK dude! Someone that knows Brian well, might want to inquire if this is his mix work or not.
The person that would know better on all of this, would be Sal Amato from 102.3 The Beat and Digital Saviors. I consider him the leader in the history of this and other dance stations in Chicago.
I must had gotten fooled then. The lack of DJ drops and station ids should had been a clue. Many of of the WBMX, WGCI and B96 mixes from the 80s or 90s featured DJ drops.