The Best Remixes of 2013

The art of the remix is one that intrigues us here at DAD. It's one thing to spend the time creating an original piece of music; some producers chae m

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Complex Original

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The art of the remix is one that intrigues us here at DAD. It's one thing to spend the time creating an original piece of music; some producers chae making "the perfect beat" for most of their careers. It's another to reimagine existing sounds, making sure to inject enough of your personality into them while staying as true as you can to the source material. It's not easy, and shouldn't be. These remixes showed us the way in 2013; they made us stand in the club, mouth agape, amazed at the beauty (and turn up) that they contained. They made us want to follow the producers more. And most importantly, they make us remember the year that was. Here are the best remixes of 2013.

Lana Del Rey - "Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix)"

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Label: Spinnin'

Remixing Lana Del Rey has made sense, as she's an Internets darling (for good or ill), but Cedric wasn't going for the LOLZ or the views; he set out crafting a rework that will play well off of her vocals, while giving you something to turn your frown upside down to. Pure energy once this one gets worked up.

Elvis Crespo - "Suavemente (Kennedy Jones Trap Remix)"

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Label: Buygore

An unexpected rework from an intriguing producer, Kennedy Jones scored an anthem early on with this remix of Elvis Crespo's "Suavemente." We're not sure how many people actually rocked to the original like that, but Kennedy made believers out of us all with his take on this merengue smash.

Foals - "Late Night (Solomun Remix)"

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Label: Warner Music UK Limited

Foals was remix fodder for many producers, so much so that the deluxe edition of their Holy Fire featured a number of impressive reworks of their material. They were great, but there was something about the way Solomun crafted his take. It truly embodied the "late night" vibe, but kept a consistent deep house vibe throughout. Helped make Solomun one to watch for many of us.

Rihanna - "Stay (Branchez Bootleg)"

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Label: n/a

Branchez stays consistent, but it feels like many of you aren't properly hearing him. His bootleg of Rihanna's "Stay" did a great job of playing with her vocals, pitching them to the point where you almost don't even know it was a RiRi track, all the while stuttering both the beat and her vocals atop a piano-driven, chilled number. We won't just call this "trap" and be done with it. It's got more feels than that.

Mutated Forms - "Wastegash (The Upbeats Remix)"

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Label: Grid Recordings

The original quietly blew our minds in 2011, but we're not sure we were entirely ready for this take from The Upbeats in 2013. They towed the line well, playing the "halfstep" of the original perfectly while beefing up both the drums and the bass. It feels subtle, but there's a lot going on in here. And there's something in the way this one truly grows during the second half of the tune. Monstrous.

Kavinsky - "Odd Look (A-Trak Remix)"

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Label: Record Makers

Where does A-Trak find the time to continuously blow our minds? One of the few that was allowed to rework Kavinsky's "Odd Look," A-Trak gave us a great bounce to rock to, making sure to include the wonderful throwback vibes that Kavinsky employs without taking away from the party vibe he crafted with this one.

Kanye West - "Bound2 (Pawn Remix)"

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Label: n/a

There was a time when every goddamn producer was putting their time in remixing tracks from Yeezus. Some were better than others, but none of them were what Pawn did to "Bound2." First off, no one was thinking about trying to juke out his material, especially with those hyper amens thrown atop. Pawn beefed up that bass, focused on Charlie Wilson's wailing, and kept it moving. Gotta love how he siphoned off what he needed and let the rest marinate, giving us a totally different take on this track.

Addison Groove & Sam Binga - "Rzor (Friction Remix)"

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Label: Shogun Audio

The original "Rzor" dropped on 50 Weapons and immediately blew us away. The crescendo on this one had us hooked... but who knew that Friction had this monster of a remix on the ready?! Like all good dnb, he didn't have to go about totally rearranging this, just reimagining it at ~170BPM, adding a new intensity to it without taking anything away from it. There's a reason that Friction is a threat, and remixes like this are the exact definition.

Mat Zo & Porter Robinson - "Easy (Lemaitre Remix)"

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Label: Astralwerks

Back when we were waiting for whatever we thought Random Access Memories was going to be, Lemaitre was the Daft Punk that we didn't know that we always wanted. Their remix of Mat Zo & Porter Robinson's huge "Easy" was proof positive that impressive house that had equal parts disco, electro, and intergalactic funk could exist outside of France. This is one of those sonic escapades that you couldn't help but get lost in... and it was hard to let this one go as it ended. Thank You Rave God for the rewind.

Justin Timberlake - "Suit & Tie (Dillon Francis Remix)"

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Label: RCA

Well, this was supposed to come out on RCA, right? We never heard word about that, but this was an official remix that Dillon Francis ultimately crushed. How he decided to take that horn-led single into this trap excursion is beyond us, but we're glad for it. The icing on the cake isn't even the bass, it's the way he chopped that vocal throughout. Especially since he barely let's Justin get a few lines out. All about that classy turn up.

Congo Natty - "UK Allstars (Machinedrum Remix)"

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Label: Big Dada

Congo Natty already knew how to blend jungle music with the sounds of reggae and dancehall, and "UK Allstars" finds him getting a number of talented UK toasters in one place. Machinedrum on the remix? Given the opportunity to blend his own love for jungle music, Machinedrum digs back into the mid-1990s, from the dancehall riddims to the warm bass that he uses. And those edited amens. He nailed it like he had been making these bits since '96.

AlunaGeorge - "Attracting Flies (Baauer Remix)"

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Label: Island Records

2013 was the year that people really paid attention to what was going on in that 100-110BPM range, and when Baauer wasn't crushing people the skulls of fans with his huge trap tracks, he was adding a lot more bounce to his work, like this remix of AlunaGeorge's "Attracting Flies." Even better than the swing in his instrumental is the way he played with the vocals, really allowing the pitched down vibes in the hook to really embed themselves in his bottom-heavy bass. Nothing to do to this one but go ham to it.

Infinity Ink - "Infinity (Skream's 99 Remix)"

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Label: Big Beat

When Skream says he's taking it to '99 with a remix, he's not fucking around. He officially opened a new chapter in his production in 2013, properly exploring the house and garage vibes he'd been digging into over the last few years, and this remix of "Infinity" was already feeling like a relic of a golden era (via that vocal) that Skream's '99 version felt like they all fully embraced the sound they were looking for.

Miguel - "Do You (Cashmere Cat Remix)"

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Label: n/a

Do you remember how many mixes you heard this remix in over the summer? We do: all of them. Cashmere Cat was already "here," but it felt like this Miguel bootleg is what really put him over the moon for many DJs and fans alike. And when you get wrapped up in its heavenly essence, you'll know why. Cashmere Cat's music has forever bedroom eyes, and there's nothing wrong with taking your lover back to yours and throwing on a mix of nothing but the Cat's jams. Start with this one, though.

Chase & Status - "International (Skrillex Remix)"

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Label: Mercury

Even Skrillex got stuck in that ~100BPM flavor. Heads calling this dubstep are sadly mistaken; he's just employed that heavyweight bass of his in a bounce arena, and the result was impressive. From those random blurts of bass to the way the "international" vocal flowed over this, Skrillex had a real winner that, while not immediately foreign to his sound, was enough of a diversion that we realized what we'd already started to know: the OWSLA head wore a cloak of many colors.

Jamie Lidell - "What A Shame (RL Grime & Salva Remix)"

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Label: Warp

Jamie Lidell got a number of producers to remix his latest material, but they all paled in comparison to the immaculately epic trap rework that RL Grime and Salva put onto "What A Shame." They let Jamie's vocals lead the way, but once this one drops, you're just lost in a padded room full of subs, far-off wails, and a hypnotic melody. Love how the marching drums play in this one; it truly feels like a war's going on, and the bass wins every time.

Mt. Eden - "Sierra Leone (Ta-ku Remix)"

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Label: Ultra Music

Ultra made a great decision grabbing Ta-ku for this rework. His studio churned out a grip of remixes in 2013, but this was heads above the rest when it came to seeing the full spectrum of his sound; sure, there's a hip-hop vibe to the beat, but the bass? Straight out of the dubstep bin. The intro is as captivating as anything we've heard this year, with those vocals wrapping around a heartbeat-paced beat and lost synths floating in the ether. The drop is pure animalistic aggression, and we like what it does to us. Ta-ku wins.

Jackson and His Computer Band - "Vista (Hudson Mohawke Remix)"

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Label: Warp

This remix had the world in a frenzy when HudMo first dropped it on Triple J; heads made sure to rip a recording of it and start passing it around on the 'Net. Mind you, it wasn't even done, but we felt how epic it truly was. It's one of those tracks that you truly find yourself immersed in. HudMo doesn't even get into the meaty big beat until the three minute mark, but the build-up to that release might be better than sex (for some). It's truly a masterpiece, and adds weight to the argument that HudMo (and TNGHT in general) are more that "trap."

Mala - "Changes (Harmonimix)"

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Label: Deep Medi Musik

James Blakes Harmonimix of Mala's "Changes" is proof positive that timeless music has no real expiration date. This gem sat on dubplate for a few years before Mala dug it back out for his Essential Mix, only to then subsequently release it via a one-sided white label. You'd think it was too good for that, with the sonic journey it takes you on, but then you have to realize: quality music lives on, without the need for fancy artwork or big stories. Let the music just be, and in turn, the music will transport you somewhere serene. There's no anger when this track is playing. Everything is floating in the sky, from that car over there to your mom's cat. Just float on to this one, ascend into the heavens, true believer. But don't let reality slap you too hard when you come back down...

Disclosure - "You & Me (Flume Remix)"

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Label: PMR

No beat topped this in terms of perfection. From the orchestra and vocal intro to those drums (oh, those drums!) to the horn melody that Flume employed. This remix of Disclosure's "You & Me" wasn't too concerned with verses, and while it dabbled in a hook, it was all about getting back to those drums. Simple vibes, but they meant so much when this tune really got going. Flume made you wait, savoring the calm before throwing you right back into the deep end. Flume truly had 2013 eating out of the palm of his hand, and with treats like this remix, everyone was well fed.

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