THE 30 BEST REMIXES OF THE SUMMER

Ibiza closing parties are in full swing over the next two weeks, with Circoloco, Cocoon, Music On, Paradise and many more hosting huge events that bring the curtain down on the summer.

And it’s been a huge season for electronic music, with a number of bona fide classics (see Floorplan, Midland and DJ Koze) surfacing on dancefloors at clubs and festivals.

It’s been an unusually strong season for remixes too, with a number of reworks becoming the biggest tracks of the summer.

So here, in no particular order, are the 30 best remixes as the sun sets on an epic season.

Waterson ‘Tell Me (KDA club vocal)’

Soulful vocal? Tick. Lush pads? Tick. Bumping bass lick? Tick. Basically, it doesn't get much more summery or uplifting than Waterson's 'Tell Me'. It's the KDA version that's really been making waves, though the Waterson original is equally as excellent. Pick it up on wax as part of a four-part remix pack that also features Severino, Lay-Far and Ashley Beedle.

Moullinex ‘Don't You Feel (Coeo Remix)’

Sounding like something out of the Heist/Dirtcrew camp, Moullinex's superb EP 'Don't You Feel' actually dropped on Discotexas earlier this year. Coeo's rework is the star of the packet; it's a dreamy house pumper with sunset appeal. Classy AF. 

Tim Deluxe ‘JAS (Eli Escobar remix)’

Eli Escobar has had one hell of a year. His album 'Happiness' dropped on Defected-owned Classic Records to huge acclaim, and his remix of Tim Deluxe's 'JAS' continues his winning streak. The track’s distinctive sultry vocal makes it a late-night killer — everybody say “Jazzzzzzz”.

Moderat ‘Running (Âme remix)’

It's no secret that anything German producers Âme touch turns to gold. Their remix of Moderat's 'Running' is no exception — it's the kind of trippy prog-inspired stomper we've come to expect from the Innervisions staples. It's a favourite of label boss Dixon and has been slamming out of the Amnesia stacks all season long. 

Gavin Froome feat. Golden Ears ‘Don’t Come Home (The Revenge remix)’

It's no secret that here at DJ Mag we bloody love The Revenge. He snapped up best album last year at our Best Of British awards for 'A Love That Will Not Die' and now he's back after a quieter year with this silky remix of Gavin Froome's 'Don't Come Home'. A future classic.

Låpsley ‘Operator (DJ Koze’s extended disco version)’

The Pampa remix master turned the cutesy disco-pop of Låpsley into a stomping dancefloor epic earlier this year, and in turn our summer's were all the better off for it. Heard on any glitter-clad soundsystem worth its salt during the festival season, expect it to feature in many end-of-year lists as well.

Blaze ‘Lovelee Dae (Bicep remix)’

It's either brave or just plain foolish to take on a stone-cold New Jersey classic like Blaze's 'Lovelee Dae'. But no remix task is too intrepid for the Bicep boys as, somehow, they improved on perfection.

Isaac Tichauer ‘Higher Level (Bicep remix)’

Bicep's trademarked 125bpm breakbeat returned when they reinvented Isaac Tichauer's 'Higher Level' earlier this year. Turning the original into an ecstatic concoction of spiralling lunar-squeee synths and alien planet frequencies, it's been the landmark of many-a-decent house set.

Dennis Ferrer – ‘Son Of Raw (Andre Hommen)’

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together. A perfect example of a protégé coming good, Dennis Ferrer's young label buddy Andre Hommen threw back one of his mentor's finest anthems to celebrate 10 years of Objektivity earlier this year, and in turn created one of the anthems of the summer.

Kerrier District ‘Techno Disco (KiNK remix)’

The clue is in the title with Luke Vibert's hybrid bombshell from last year's '4' LP, but things are a little less straight forward when it comes to KiNK's remix for Hypercolour. A steady four-four, a cheeky breakbeat, a clipped vocal sample and that epic pitch-bending hook... that right there is what you call an anthem!

Rick Wade ‘Player’s Theme (Sebo K edit)’

A surging disco chugger with a French touch from the Mobilee man on Phil Weeks' wildly respected Robsoul imprint, Sebo K's version of Rick Wade's 'Player's Theme' is a piping hot dancefloor dynamite full of funk that filters in and out hypnotically. Absolute fire!

Honey Dijon feat. Seven Davis Jr. ‘Houze (Deetron extended remix)’

The Man Like Deetron takes Honey Dijon’s bouncy Classic original, featuring cool vox from Seven Davis Jr, and strips it to some bare essentials. The way he builds the tech dynamics by bringing the mix down to a minimalistic core, adding layers to turn it into a tracky tool before going quite growly, is sublime.

PBR Streetgang ‘12.32 (Fort Romeau remix)’

You couldn’t get two more on-fire production outfits as the two involved here, and this cut doesn’t disappoint. Fort Romeau ploughs a deeper furrow than the original, sending it soaring off into the cosmos with neo-trance stargazing aplomb.

Lee Walker ‘Freak Like Me (Lee Walker Vs. DJ Deeon remix)’

Another twist to the ‘Freak Like Me’ story, Lee Walker here jumping in the studio with Chicago ghetto house DJ/producer Deeon to add more of an urban flava to the popular house cut.

Dusky ‘Ingrid Is A Hybrid (Shed remix)’

The parts from one of the best Dusky cuts of recent times find their way to Shed, and the Berlin-based techno DJ/producer excels himself here. Utilising snippets of the old skool hardcore-sounding female vocal and peppering it atop his motorik bedding turns it into a discursive delight.

Christopher Cross ‘Ride Like The Wind’ (Joey Negro extended disco mix)

The genius Joey Negro takes this fairly naff 1979 MOR cut and turns it into disco dynamite. Foregrounding the strings and making them epic, he crafts the previously nondescript Pearl & Dean “Pa-pa-pas” into a thing — extending and bending. A guaranteed floor-filler.

Lianne La Havas ‘Lost and Found (Matthew Herbert remix)’

Matthew Herbert excels when working with female vocalists — check his stuff with Dani Siciliano — and this re-rub does indeed hark back to his classic ’Bodily Functions’ album, all whirring clicktronica and breathy fills.

Auntie Flo feat. Anbuley ‘Waiting For A (Woman) (The Revenge rework)’

Auntie Flo’s ‘Theory of Flo’ was a standout album of 2015. This year, a stream of remix packages have followed through the Glaswegian’s own High Life label, with more prepped before the end of 2016. They’ve included reworks from the likes of Mehmet Aslan and Cain, but it’s The Revenge’s sublimely dreamy interpretation of ‘Waiting For A (Woman)’ that’s been everywhere through late summer. Innervisions boss Dixon finished his set with it at Sonus in August, and we can’t think of any finer seal of approval.

Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra ‘Too Much Information (Laolu remix)’

Although Laolu’s rework technically landed in the final week of December last year, it’s been omnipresent at festivals through its first summer so cannot be ignored. To say this remix has been massive would be an understatement. Felix Dickinson shut down Block9 as the sun rose over Glastonbury festival for the final time this summer, and the track felt like it was scripted for it. Epic.

Marc Romboy & Stephan Bodzin ‘Atlas (Adriatique remix)’

Adriatique have been on a roll in 2016, with their ‘Soul Valley’ EP being one of their strongest to date. 10 years on from the release Marc Romboy & Stephan Bodzin’s techno titan ‘Atlas’ though, and the Zurich duo were charged with reworking the classic. No easy feat, but the result is a triumphant slice of trance tinged tech that’s arguably more effective on the floor than the original.

House of Black Lanterns ‘Drown (South London Ordnance mix)’

House of Black Lanterns’s ‘Drown’ is a brooding slice of atmospheric techno with splashes of melody, but Brixton’s South London Ordnance strip the latter and amp up the atmosphere for a slice of lights out techno that wouldn’t sound out of place soundtracking a Lars Von Trier movie.

Alex Smoke ‘Dire Need (Tale of Us remix)’

Tale of Us’ meteoric rise to the high table of underground electronic music has continued unabated through 2016. Their Afterlife party series has been a huge hit since starting in Barcelona in June, with their 13-week residency at Space Ibiza becoming one of the islands hottest tickets. Everything they touch in terms of production turns to gold too. Here, the Italian duo give Glasgow tech producer Alex Smoke’s ‘Dire Need’ a driving and hypnotic remix, complete with wonky synths. It’s been a mainstay of their set through the summer, and it’s easy to see why.

Justin Cudmore ‘Crystal (Servito’s 730 Reshape)’

Detroit-raised Brooklyn-based Bunker resident Mike Servito’s rework of Justin Cudmore’s ‘Crystal’ takes the snaking acid lines and bouncy grooves of the original and strips things back to a more minimalist tip, a la the early days of Transmat and Warp. Absolute dancefloor dynamite.

Fabe ‘Kim On Gin (Enzo Siragusa & Seb Zito remix)’

Fuse London has had a huge year, having taken over Amnesia’s Terrace for four nights at Hyte through the summer. Its offshoot label is on a roll too, with a core stable of artists including Archie Hamilton, Rich NxT, Seb Zito and head honcho Enzo Siragusa all cultivating a trademark sound. The latter duo’s remix of Fabe’s Kim On Gin has been destructive on dancefloors all season, as effective in the big room as it is in a dingy basement venue.

Rene Walther ‘Temple of the Mind (Garrett Dillon mix)’

Garrett Dillon takes this claustrophobic slice of techno (released on his appropriately titled Dystopian Rhythm label) and coats it in the industrial grey of his native Motor City. If ever you wanted to know what a rave in a disused railyard would sound like, look no further.

Abstraxion ‘Resonance (Matrixxman remix)’

While Abstraxion’s sex-soaked acid groover ‘Resonance’ is undeniably brilliant already, sometimes all you want to do is sweat. Heady and progressive, with jagged stabs that tear through the mix like lasers through the mist, Matrixxman’s remix is built purely for the late hours.

Christian Bonori ‘Shark Attack (Alex Bau “To The Floor” repaint)’

Just like Ronseal, this one does exactly what it says on the tin. Four. To. The. Effing. Floor. While the original offered a tricky sci-fi trip, the Credo boss cranks up the rawness, letting loose an unstoppable twisted stomper. Pretty sure his kill-to-death ratio has just gone through the roof...

Breakage ‘Staggered Dub (Sam Binga Remix)’

Binga’s dubbed-out rework of this early Critical outing from Breakage tones down the junglistic mania of the original but pays tribute by keeping the signature killer vocal. This one’s been tearing up many a set at Fabric and the like (often within the same evening). Binga doing what Binga does best!

Jubei & Goldie ‘The Prayer (Om Unit Remix)’

There’s just no stopping Om Unit at the moment. Following his remix of the Nasty Habits classic ‘Shadow Boxing’, the Bristol producer takes on a slightly more modern offering from Jubei’s 2012 debut LP. From a ‘Headz-style stepper to an atmospheric-yet-militant roller with expert precision.