He carried the 12-inch inside and placed it on the turntable with a reverence reserved for relics. The label read “Yazoo — The 12” Mixes 1993 (FLAC UP BY HOT)” in blocky type, the kind of cryptic collector’s note DJs scribbled in the margins. Tom didn’t ask what “FLAC UP BY HOT” exactly meant; to him it was proof that someone had taken care to preserve the music in a way his younger self could only imagine. It promised fidelity and fire.
(known as Yaz in North America) was formed in late 1981 by Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke (formerly of Depeche Mode and later Erasure ). Despite their short two-year lifespan, their 12-inch remixes became staples of 1980s club culture, leading to the high demand for compilations like this 1993 release. If you're interested, I can:
By 1993, Yazoo had become legend. Clarke had moved on to Erasure, Moyet to a storied solo career, but the two albums— Upstairs at Eric’s and You and Me Both —remained untouchable. The 12 Inch Mixes collected the extended versions that were previously scattered across rare import 12” singles and promo discs.
Enter . This collection, released over a decade after the band’s split, is the definitive archive of the club-oriented side of Yazoo. It gathers the rare, sprawling, dance-floor-filling versions that were previously only available on expensive import vinyl. We’re talking about the full 10-minute journey of Situation (US 12" Remix) , the dub-heavy throb of The Other Side of Love , and the atmospheric expansion of Nobody’s Diary .
If you’ve been surviving on YouTube rips or the compressed In Your Room box set, seek this out. The frequency response on the hi-hats alone is worth the hunt.
For audiophiles, finding this release in FLAC is the gold standard. Lossless audio ensures that every "beep" and "boop" of the vintage Roland and Sequential Circuits gear is heard exactly as it was intended, without the compression artifacts found in standard MP3s.
