Secret Vinyl Download #4

Okay, no secret, this is DJ Mink's Hey! Hey! Can U Relate. Since this track is barely available online in it's original form(s), lets not beat around the bush and get to the point. I LOVE this song! I somehow knew how it would sound before I'd actually had a chance to hear it, and it was utter perfection! That said, obtaining a new copy of the original 12", even a digital one, is simply not possible in a legal fashion. Yes, the original mix is on several compilations which are still available to stream and purchase to this day, and there is a remix on a Warp comp that is also available digitally, but the complete release, which includes the instrumental and a dub version of the aforementioned remix, are only available second hand. Even odder, there were several versions of this track that were never given a proper release of any sort. Promotional pressings were made for Sheffield's FON Records, though never issued for retail. White labels were also pressed by Ozone Recordings, but apart from an appearance on one of that label's compilations, again no official release occurred. Finally, Warp stepped in and issued the single in 1990, though there were plans to issue it as a two-part release, with the second version to include remixes. Test pressings were made for that second version, though it was cancelled. Oddly though, the b-side of the remix 12" was used as the b-side for the released version, same pressing plates and all. And then... nothing? It must have been given a few pressings, but somewhere along the way it seems to have gone out of print and, as I mentioned earlier, has never appeared again in a complete fashion. And that brings us to today.

With my love of this track, I decided to collect every pressing of it I could. Definitive information wasn't available when I started as to what was on each version, so this was as much for my pleasure as it was to find out what was what. Exactly what was discovered is that there are two additional remixes that have never received an official release as well as the acapella. Using information from Discogs, I've filled in the names of the versions, though who really knows how definitive they are. For instance, Warp's Pioneers of the Hypnotic Groove comp doesn't list it explicitly as a remix, though the liner notes do credit Mark Brydon and Parrot with remixing it. On the Ozone white label, that remix is credited as the Deep Space Mix, though while I've seen photos of this label's stamp my copy doesn't have it. In fact, my copy has a slightly different one from the image showed on its Discogs reference. Furthermore, the Sunshine Dub Instrumental is clearly a variation of the Deep Space Mix, so would it have retained that name if properly labeled on a release or been called something like the "Sunshine Mix"? As for the two unreleased remixes, I again based their titles off information from the aforementioned Ozone white label.

Why hasn't this single been given a proper reissue? One with all the available mixes included? Maybe extra mixes too, like Luke Vibert's excellent version from the Warp 10+3 comp? If you know, please reach out to me as I'd love to talk with you about it! As for Mink and the featured rappers, The K.I.D. and Carruthers, aka 2wice The Trouble, the little I've heard amounts to hearsay and probably shouldn't be mentioned out of respect. None of that changes how much I love this song though, so I've ripped all the available versions in hi-res, done a little cleaning on them, and am sharing them here with you. For a little detail as to where each track comes from:

01 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate (Hard Rap)

This version is taken from a stock Warp 12". It  also appears on the FON and Ozone pressings.

02 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate (Gospel Mix)

This version is taken from the Ozone pressing. It also appears on the FON pressing.

03 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate (Deep Space Mix)

This version is taken from a test pressing of the unreleased Warp remix 12". It also appears on the Ozone pressing.

04 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate (Funky Mix)

This version is taken from a test pressing of the unreleased Warp remix 12". It also appears on the Ozone pressing.

05 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate (Hard Instrumental)

This version is taken from a stock Warp 12". It also appears on the FON pressing.

06 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate (Sunshine Dub Instrumental)

This version is taken from a test pressing of the unreleased Warp remix 12". Is also appears on the stock Warp pressing which was created from the same mastering plate.

07 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate (Acapella)

This is taken from the FON pressing and does not appear on any other pressings.

As to why I selected versions from certain pressings over others, generally speaking, the Warp pressings sound best. They're mastered at 45 rpm and are nice, loud and clear. The Ozone pressing is 33 on one side and 45 on the other, so I used it only for the Gospel Mix which plays at 33 and is a better pressing than the FON version. The FON pressing is somehow partially defective, with the first track on each side starting about a second into the song. I don't know if this is the case with all the copies, which if it were might explain why FON abandoned it's release, though I've heard mp3s of someone else's copy of this version and it wasn't missing the starts of each side. Nonetheless, the acapella version is unaffected by this pressing anomaly.

And finally, here's the download link. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!

Secret Vinyl Download #4