Grammy award winning DJ Hex Hector (who hails from Washington Heights, NY) has been involved in music since he was 14 with a hip hop group he formed called Little Man Crew. It wasn't too long after that that Hex and his friend Robert Clivilles joined forces with programmer Darrin Friedman to work on what would be Hex's first remix for Lisa Lisa's "Something About Love".
Hex's big break came around 1996 when Arista records heard the remix of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" (w/ Soul Solution) and then his remixing career took off! However, it is important to note that even prior to that Hex had made remixes for Patti LaBelle, Joi Cardwell, Gladys Knight and even Madonna's famed back-up singer Donna DeLory.
To know Hex is to love him and if you know which programmer he's working with, then you know the type of remixes you're about to hear. Hex has brought mainly Mac Quayle and Dezrok to the spotlight and through their collaborative works, he's given them the opportunities to shine on their own.
Aside from Thunderpuss, Hex was it for me growing up. Everything that had his name on it seemed to just be dance music bliss and I was sold hook, line and sinker! From these remixes, it's easy to see why. Like Thunderpuss, his mixes came to the forefront and became the more preferrable versions of the songs he got his hands on. And also like Thunderpuss, almost all of his edits had the most perfect edits you could ask for!
Again, the first of OH so many posts, I hope you enjoy this small collection as much as I have!!
Allure - All Cried Out (Hex Hector Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**I was obsessed with the original Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam version of this song, being a child of the 80's and then in 1997 when Allure covered it, I thought they did a great job! I never even dreamed of it getting a dancefloor treatment as I was just starting to get my feet wet at this time in house music. Well thank God it did!! This version (the other one featured a male vocal from 112) is a tour de force and Hex really lets the vocals stay at the forefront of the mix.**
Da Buzz - Let Me Love You (Hex Hector Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**This song for me is a "Forever-Gag". I will never turn this song off and I will never tired of it. When the Hex/Dezrok combo really started to take the clubs by storm, this song was really at the forefront of it all. Aside from having a specific memory for me (This was my song with my ex boyfriend at the time...and wherever he is now, he should only stay there!), I just ate up the vocal. Now, if you can track it down, there's an unreleased 17 minute version of this song out there. It takes alot of strength to get through it all because it is packed with build-ups and breakdowns all over but lead singer Annika really takes you there time and time again!**
Janet Jackson - Someone To Call My Lover (Hex Hector & Mac Quayle Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**This song just screams summer fun! It's an easy remix in that it just flows effortlessly and Janet's smooth vocal and fun lyrics make me wanna have a backyard BBQ with my best friends!!**
Jennifer Lopez - Waiting For Tonight (Hex's Momentous Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**What alot of people don't realize is that this is actually a cover of a song from 1997 originally done by girl pop trio 3rd Party. They're version though, not so inspiring. Well lord knows I love me some J-Lo and as soon as I heard this song off her "On The 6" CD, I loved it. What Hex and Dezrok did with it still blows my mind. Another Limelight favorite for me, I can still remember being on the stage dancing my ass off when this came on. Good times. Good J-Lo. Mmmm lol**
Marty Thomas - Resurrect Me (Lift Me Up) (Hex's Live Vibe Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**If you like Jason Walker, you'll love this. Marty is a NY native and B'way star (recently appearing in Xanadu) and he was even named Mr. Broadway 2008! This is a funkier but still excellently produced mix from Hex this time and Marty's vocals take you right to church!**
Melanie C - I Turn To You (Hex Hector Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**Another song that makes me happy everytime I hear it. I got to go see (and drag my hubby to) the Spice Girls concert this year and they all did solo numbers and when Mel C did this, I LOST IT!!! I was jumping up and down like a psycho because she performed Hex's mix. GAG GAG GAG! Look it up on You Tube. It's pretty fab!! This mix, however, needs no explanation!**
Reina - Find Another Woman (Hex Hector Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**This song is yet another Hex classic. He took Bronx-born Reina (who up until this song was doing backup for Deborah Cox and freestlye artist Corina) and gave her overnight success with this song. What's even better is that Reina, who was a backup singer, now had two backup singers of her own: Deborah Cooper ("Real Love", "Live You All Over" & "Are You Satisfied") & Mary-Ann Tatum who was and still is one of Mariah Carey's main backup girls.**
Richie Rich - Magic (Hex Hector Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**This song is everything you're afraid of. Yes, it's THAT Richie Rich (club kid extraordinaire turned fashionista via Heatherette) and Yes, it's THAT 'Magic' (the Olivia Newton-John song). How did this happen? I have no idea but it did and we can't ignore it now! I found this CD single in a bargain bin and I was stunned. I love the original version of this song and let me warn you: This vocal is...interesting. Richie Rich isn't exactly known for his singing (aside from a performance at 1992 Folsom Street Fair where he sang an original song called "Go-Go Dancer") and Im sure that this was a difficult mix to undertake but Hex did what he could with it and for that reason, it's interesting to me. Even Warren Rigg got in on the action and provided a mix for this!**
Sarah Brightman - Harem (JM's Hex Hector Radio Mix)
**I've always been a huge fan of Sarah and having her songs remixed is a dream for me! When her CD "Harem" came out I knew that the title song would get some great treatments, but I never dreamed that Hex Hector, Manny Lehmann and Robbie Rivera would all take it on! Hex's mix is an arabian fantasy filled with dreamy strings and drum loops galore! A must have for any Hex fan!**
Shannon - Give Me Tonight (JM's Hex Hector Radio Mix)
**Another classic updated and updated damn well!! Hex provided a great edit to this but I just needed to add one part which really showcase some of Dezrok's excellent keyboarding. They made this classic a new classic once again!**
Stars On 54 - If You Could Read My Mind (Hex Hector Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**Um...So let's see...Ultra Nate, Jocelyn Enriquez AND Amber all on one track!!?? Ok, Im sold!! AND Hex is doing the mix? What?? Wow!! This song has it all!! Another remake (Hex just loves doing them doesn't he?) here originally by Gordon Lightfoot (which was a very sad and depressing version) is now a dance anthem fit for every sweet 16 and wedding you'll ever attend ever!! Haha!!**
Toni Braxton - Spanish Guitar (HQ2 Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**HQ2 is the moniker of Hex & Mac Quayle and if I was Mac Quayle, I'd want my name on this mix too!! I defy you to find a breakdown of this proportion! The real live Spanish Guitar break in this mix not only ties the whole song together but makes for a build up that makes me wanna throw a rose in my mouth and tango across the floor! Someone hand me the castanettes!!**
Veronica - I'm In Love (Hex Hector Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**Yet ANOTHER remake for Hex but this time diva Veronica takes on the 70's classic originally done by Evelyn Champagne King. Hex's mix keeps the feel of Evelyn's version by having a funky sound to it, even sampling some of the original 70's synths. Veronica gave us some great music and after a brief hiatus came back with 2006's "Relentless (Just A Game)" with Tim Rex. Since then she was in a touring cast of "Forever Selena" which was about, yep!, Selena. And after that she played the role of Hector Lavoe's mother in the J-Lo/Marc Anthony movie "El Cantante" which was based on the life of latin singer Hector Lavoe. Veronica still lives in NY with her hubby and her son C.J. who unfortunately was diagnosed with autism which is where Veronica focuses most of her efforts these days doing charity walk-a-thons and fund raisers.**
Whitney Houston feat Faith Evans & Kelly Price - Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Radio Edit) **Official Edit**
**Another classic we all know! This was Whitney's lead single off her 1998 "My Love Is Your Love" cd and it seemed the sky's the limit for her at the time. Hex made a slick production here with some great vocal effects and turned this from R&B jam to dancefloor anthem! First this, then Thunderpuss' juggernaut of "It's Not Right But It's Ok" and Jonathan Peters' "My Love Is Your Love" mix round out 1998's Whitney trifecta!**
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