A version excursion, starting with the original from 1984 by Ini Kamoze: World A Music

The best known version, by Damian Marley: Welcome To Jamrock

Released on Warp, which should give you an idea, it’s not reggae: Africa Hitech – Out In The Streets

Very popular in de dancehall: Lil’ Kim – Lighters Up

Interesting version mashing up father and son: Stand Up Jamrock combining Bob Marley’s Get Up, Stand Up with Damian Marley’s Welcome To Jamrock

Sound system culture is very much alive in Belgium or Beljam as it’s called in reggae/dub circles. On Saturday at Mekitburn festival no less then four full sound systems were present, and three of them Belgian: Satta Sound, Gamma Sound and Skyfire.

There’s a whole lotta sound systems in Belgium. Not all of them have build their own full sounds, but a lot have and there are some really impressive sounds there: http://www.reggae.be/en/community/soundsystems

Review in Dutch of reggae and dub at Mekitburn: http://www.reggae.be/nl/magazine/event_reports/Heartical_fire__Mekitburn_Festival

I’ve recently put Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection on my car stereo and damn, I almost had forgotten how good it is. My absolute favourite is Like a Prayer. When I still DJ’ed regularly  back in the previous century, I would mix this in my house sets and always got a superb response. Shep Pettibone’s production is just spot on!

Another one I used to love to mix in was Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. I guess it’s not really a guilty pleasure, I’ve heard a big name techno DJ mix this in his sets, forgot who it was and DJ Funk made an excellent track out of this. And Quincy Jones was an excellent producer.

A truly guilty pleasure, Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. The producer Jim Steinman has a lot to answer for, like stuff he did for Meat Loaf,  Celine Dion and Boyzone. But for this one I would congratulate him.

I’ve already praised Drop The Lime’s remix of this one in another post, but I must admit I like the original even better: (I Just) Died in Your Arms by Cutting Crew.

I mainly love Heaven Is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle because I cannot hear it any more without thinking of Droon’s Cripplefight that also samples South Park, but it has to be on this list of guilty pleasures.

Cindy Lauper has to be on this list too.

And Flashdance!

I could go on forever, damn I love the eighties!