You don’t need us to tell you that remixes are an essential part of electronic music. But if you want us to give you a list of 5 essential remixes, we’ve got you covered.
First, there was mixing. Not long afterwards, there was remixing. Some DJs use remixes to bring their music to a wider audience. Some have made entire careers out of remixing. The best remixes take songs in unexpected directions, sometimes improving on the originals. This is our list of 5 essential remixes that every music fan should hear.
1. Roberta Flack – Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes) (Steve Hurley’s House Mix) [Atlantic, 1988]
Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’s remix of ‘Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes)’ is a brilliant example of a remix surpassing the original in terms of popularity and quality. While the LP version of the song had the melodic hooks of a hit, it took Silk to bring out its true potential. Ditching everything other than the vocals, Hurley reworked the track into a house classic. His remix features instrumental hooks, dancefloor-friendly stabs and an irresistible jackin’ rhythm.
2. Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full (Seven Minutes Of Madness – The Coldcut Remix) [4th & Broadway, 1987]
“This is a journey into sound.” An ambitious opening for an ambitious remix. English dance duo Coldcut took Eric B & Rakim’s hard-edged hip hop track as a starting point, and transformed it into something utterly unique and revolutionary. The remix has vocal clips from movies, samples of Israeli singer Ofra Haza, samples of James Brown, Don Pardo, extensive scratching (that sometimes takes the track on unexpected detours). This remix took risks, and they were risks that paid off. In full.
3. Michael Jackson – Rock With You (Frankie’s Favourite House Mix) [Epic, 1995]
The late Frankie Knuckles was the master of the remix. Whenever he remade a track, he gave it his all. There are countless Frankie Knuckles remixes we could have included here, but this version of Michael Jackson’s chilled-out classic is a particularly effective example.
How do you do a dance remix of a song that is already a dancefloor classic? Frankie showed us how. He added an emotive, extended piano introduction to the track, building up to a more hard-edged rendition of the famous beat. Then, as we near the end, he treats us to some unheard Michael Jackson vocals. The additional piano part is what really makes this remix stand out. What was a fun, simple track is now grand and dramatic, but no less fun.
4. Robin S – Show Me Love (Stonebridge Club Mix) [Champion, 1992]
The Stonebridge remix of this song was so successful that most think it is the original version. This remix went gold in America, topping the Billboard dance chart, and reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is now one of the most iconic dance tracks of all time, and it proved that house music could crossover to the mainstream with great success. It’s iconic synth riffs and powerfully soulful vocals influenced countless dance tracks in the proceeding years.
5. Donna Summer – I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley Mega Mix) [Casablanca, 1982]
In another case of remix outdoing first mix, Patrick Cowley’s ‘Mega Mix’ of Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ became one of the most celebrated dance tracks of the 80s. Cowley’s synth virtuosity is unrivalled. At a time when audiences were still unfamiliar with fully electronic instruments, Cowley launched an unrelenting synth-attack like no other. Summer’s floating vocals are the blurred scenery passing Cowley’s hard driving beats. His synth-solo at the 8 minute mark was groundbreaking. This fifteen-minute firestorm has been burning down dancefloors for decades.