Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
From the Ultimate Dance Collection to the Bootlegs
By the time Party Favorz reached The Ultimate Bootleg Collection, I was running almost entirely on adrenaline. I had just finished three massive volumes of The Ultimate Dance Collection, which traced Madonna’s career decade by decade from the 80s forward using the official remixes that helped define each era.
Those sets had been building toward something for a long time.
The bootlegs.
Over the years, Madonna’s catalog has inspired an astonishing number of unofficial remixes. Some completely reinvent the originals, while others simply give an older production enough of a facelift to work alongside today’s dance music. There are also those rare bootlegs that make you wonder why an official remix in that style was never commissioned in the first place.
So, after finishing the official collections, Party Favorz gathered the known fan favorites along with a healthy dose of my personal favorites and went to work.
The result was originally one mammoth five-hour-plus set. For the first time, I’ve broken that marathon into three more manageable volumes, making The Ultimate Bootleg Collection Volume 2 much easier to enjoy on its own.
Making Some Painful Choices
Compiling these sets wasn’t simply a matter of grabbing my favorite remix of every song. More often than I’d like to remember, there were two, three, or even four excellent versions competing for the same slot.
At that point, the decision came down to the mix itself.
Which version fit the tempo? Which one complemented the tracks around it? Which production moved the set forward rather than stopping it dead in its tracks?
Those were sometimes painful calls because leaving out one remix didn’t necessarily mean I thought another was better. It simply meant that, in that moment, one worked better within the overall flow.
The Ultimate Bootleg Collection Volume 2 is a perfect example of that process.
We open with Marco Sartori’s remix of “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” followed by Johnnie’s Disco In Love treatment of “The Power Of Goodbye.” Both take songs associated with the more emotional side of Madonna’s catalog and reposition them for the dancefloor without stripping away what made them work in the first place.
From there, Dubtronic tackles “Papa Don’t Preach,” while RAY ISAAC takes on “Where’s The Party.” Matt Pop’s remix of “Open Your Heart” brings another 80s classic forward before Shahaf Moran’s version of “Living For Love” pulls us into one of Madonna’s later eras.
Madonna Across the Decades
That’s really the fun of this collection. There’s no attempt to keep everything chronological.
Instead, decades collide.
Idaho’s “Crave” remix featuring Swae Lee gives way to Marchillo’s take on “Give It 2 Me,” followed by A-Move’s reworking of “Frozen.” Then comes one of the more unusual selections in the entire series: DJ Bill Bennett’s “Erotica” vs. “Cafe Del Mar” mashup.
On paper, some of these combinations shouldn’t work. In practice, that’s exactly what makes a great bootleg so much fun.
Kue transforms “I Don’t Search, I Find” with his Studio 54 Mix before Phatt Salmon takes on “Ray Of Light.” Liam Keegan brings “Dress You Up” forward, while Ray Isaac reworks the early-career favorite “Physical Attraction.”
BrandonUK’s pairing of “Rescue Me” with Moto Blanco keeps the momentum moving before Division 4 delivers updated versions of both “Vogue” and “Express Yourself.” Those two songs have been remixed countless times over the decades, so finding versions that actually bring something new to them is no small feat.
The Ultimate Bootleg Collection Volume 2 Keeps Moving
The final stretch doesn’t let up.
Lukesavant turns his attention to “Human Nature,” followed by TMC’s club treatment of “You’ll See.” Maxim Andreev then closes Volume 2 with a Nu Disco rework of “Girl Gone Wild,” bringing another era of Madonna into the same continuous mix.
That’s precisely what I wanted this collection to accomplish.
Madonna’s career has never existed neatly inside one particular sound. Pop, Disco, House, Electronica, Trance, R&B and countless other influences have filtered through her music over the decades. These bootleg remixers take that already diverse catalog and push it even further.
Breaking the original five-hour set into three volumes also gives these individual productions more room to breathe. You can actually work your way through the collection without committing half your day to Madonna — though frankly, there are worse ways to spend five hours.
With August here again, the timing couldn’t be better. Madonna’s birthday has never been a one-day affair around Party Favorz. August is Madonna month, and with another round of new music, official remixes and inevitable bootlegs waiting in the wings, revisiting this collection feels like the perfect setup for whatever comes next.
If you haven’t started at the beginning, head back to The Ultimate Bootleg Collection Volume 1 before moving on to Volume 2.
Then buckle up. We’ve still got Volume 3 to go.
Until the next time…ENJOY!
Album: The Ultimate Bootleg Collection Volume 2
Genre: Electro House, House, Future House, EDM, Progressive
Year: 2022
Total Time: 01:50:22
- Love Don’t Live Here Anymore (Marco Sartori Remix)
- The Power Of Goodbye (Johnnie’s Disco In Love Club Mix)
- Papa Don’t Preach (Dubtronic We Are In Love Mix)
- Where’s The Party (RAY ISAAC Extended Remix)
- Open Your Heart (Matt Pop Club Mix)
- Living For Love (Shahaf Moran Remix)
- Crave (Idaho Dangerous Club Mix) [feat. Swae Lee]
- Give It 2 Me (Marchillo Remix)
- Frozen (A-Move Remix)
- Erotica (DJ Bill Bennett 2002 IML Mix) [vs. Cafe Del Mar]
- I Don’t Search, I Find (Kue’s Studio 54 Mix)
- Ray Of Light (Phatt Salmon Remix)
- Dress You Up (Liam Keegan 2011 Remix)
- Physical Attraction (Ray Isaac Club Mix)
- Rescue Me (BrandonUK vs. Moto Blanco GAP Mix)
- Vogue (Division 4 Extended Remix)
- Express Yourself (Division 4 Radio Edit)
- Human Nature (Lukesavant Mix)
- You’ll See (TMC Club Mix)
- Girl Gone Wild (Maxim Andreev Nu Disco Mix)
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