The 10 Best Skrillex Remixes

When people talk about Skrillex's production work, it's normally for his solo tracks. The man behind OWSLA is 1/2 of Dog Blood, and is getting his fee

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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When people talk about Skrillex's production work, it's normally for his solo tracks. The man behind OWSLA is 1/2 of Dog Blood, and is getting his feet wet with some hip-hop production credits. For some reason, his remix game gets left behind.

Think about it: he's remixed Lady Gaga twice, alongside reworking tunes for everyone from Avicii to the Black Eyed Peas, plus he won a Grammy for his "Cinema" remix! His signature sound has a number of different variables, and he's unafraid to flex his studio muscles over the original ideas of his peers.

On his birthday, we take a look at Skrillex's 10 best remixes to show you that he's bigger than the stereotypical sound people associate with him... or that he's signature sound isn't just "Bangarang" 50 times over, and the best way to understand that is to take a look at his remix work.

SebastiAn ft. Mayer Hawthorne - "Love In Motion (Skrillex's Funkt-Out Mix)"

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This is an interesting take on the SebastiAn tune. Skrillex works the vocals perfectly, and drops his signature, glitch-y effects onto the track, including quick slap bass stabs that sit perfectly in the wall of sound he tends to create. It's oddly not as intense as his other tracks, like he blended the calmer portions of his sound with a bit of the more spastic styles.

Lady Gaga - "Died This Way (Born This Way Skrillex Remix)"

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The wailing in this one is amazing. Sounds like he literally jacked a Gaga scream and decided to ride that out as the wild melody atop his heavy dubstep beat. It's always interesting to hear pop tracks get taken into this zone, and Skrillex really churned out what sounds like the death wail of some insane ghost.

Black Eyed Peas - "Rock That Body (Skrillex Remix)"

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Skrillex turned this one into a twisted house banger. He totally warps a number of bits from the BEP track, making his own melody out of damn near everything from "Rock That Body." It's crazy to hear when will.i.am's voice does fall into the track, as you'd almost expect his presence to throw too much into the track, but Skrilly balances things out superbly.

Avicii - "Levels (Skrillex Remix)"

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No, Avicii isn't safe either. Skrillex takes his cue from that catchy vocal, dropping one of his signature dubstep rhythms, lead by some beautiful melodies and random synth twinkling throughout. Those are the kinds of melodies that Skrillex works well with, and he found a way to bring this anthemic tune to light while still making it undeniably his own.

Monsta - "Holdin' On (Skrillex & Nero Remix)"

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Skrillex wasted no time grabbing a release from Monsta, and called in Nero to help craft this huge drum & bass rework of their "Holdin' On." It's a great blend of Skrillex's signature bass on a hard-hitting dnb track. This one was so wicked, the drum & bass crowd could not deny it's beauty, helping propel this tune (and the rest of the release) into the stratosphere.

La Roux - "In For The Kill (Skrillex Remix)"

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"In For The Kill" was a huge anthem for La Roux, and the kind of track that's ripe for the picking. Skrillex must have been chomping at the bit to rework this one, as he wasted no time when it came to putting her vocals through his normal obstacle course from the start. The actual track is a headnodder's delight, with a really tight rhythm born throughout the glitches and usual synth assault. The original is ominous and brooding, and Skrillex's remix matches that feeling in spades.

Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance (Skrillex Remix)"

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Remixes like this make the case for Skrillex to be getting more original production work, even if it's to totally weird out an album cut or outro. He manipulates Gaga's vocals and at points of the track, truly makes her chanting another instrument. A shining example of what many probably assume "EDM" sounds like, for good or ill.

Birdy Nam Nam - "Goin' In (Skrillex "Goin' Hard" Mix)"

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We've heard Skrillex rock a number of different dance music styles, but we're leaning on his drum & bass as the preferred sound from him. He seems to understand the genre perfectly, and his basslines really work well at that tempo. One of two mixes of Birdy Nam Nam's "Goin' In" that he's done, he really rides the dnb wave effortlessly. This is the funkiest his sound gets, and we hope he explores this sound more in 2013.

Nero - "Promises (Skrillex & Nero Remix)"

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There's no way this could be avoided. The original was huge in and of itself, but Skrillex and Nero team up to draw even more epicness out of this anthem. That huge vocal was screaming for a massive bassline to match it, and these forces aligned to create one huge enough to shatter foundations and murder subwoofers. Just an inspiring, monstrous piece of beautiful dubstep.

Benny Benassi - "Cinema (Skrillex Remix)"

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This one has been all over; it went from being the theme used during a WWE commercial to winning a Grammy for Skrillex. The lyrics are pretty touching, and play like the love scene in a movie. The male lead caresses his lady's cheek, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. And his come-ons work... a little too well. She loves this, then turns into this seductress, turning the bedroom into a freakshow. Her aggression leaves, and it's back to the calm serenity. Skrillex won with this one.

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