Good Weather For Airstrikes

For me 2006 was more about the remixers than the remixes themselves, as many of the year’s best remixes can all be traced back to one single remixing entity or another. Metronomy was the undeniable cream of the crop, with Ed Bangers SebastiAn and Justice not far behind in the race for the hottest remixer(s) of the year crown. So here’s how were gonna do this. Rather than listing the year’s best remixes in usual year-end list form, I’ll be naming the best remix singles of the year (the single releases containing the best remixes), the best remixers of the year, and then will wrap it up by drawing attention to the rest of the year’s great remixes at the end.

REMIX SINGLES OF THE YEAR

MP3: “Atlantis To Interzone” - Klaxons
MP3: “Atlantis To Interzone” (Crystal Castles Remix) - Klaxons [fixed]
MP3: “Atlantis To Interzone” (Metronomy Remix) - Klaxons

First and foremost, props are in order for Klaxons for creating the most remixable track of the year. Case in point: this six-track remix EP, containing the original mix as well as five great remixes, all of which take a different approach and succeed on all accounts. Two of the mixes stand out above the rest, however, and they come courtesy of Canadian up-and-comers Crystal Castles and the unchallenged remixer of the year, Joseph Mount, known to you and I as Metronomy. The Crystal Castles remix has been the recipient of the bulk of the critical acclaim (and even made it onto the band’s debut US EP), and for good reason - the way they manipulate and rework those synthetic lasers is downright brilliant - but it’s the Metronomy mix that just might be my favorite remix of the year. From the epic “THE YEAR IS TWO THOUSAND AND SIX” intro to the incredible soaring and streaking lasers, presented in conjunction with a perfect stuttering drumbeat, Metronomy’s reinterpretation of the track is undoubtedly his finest work to date. Klaxons could pretty much do no wrong in 2006 and “Atlantis To Interzone” and its incredible remixability is perhaps their finest accomplishment so far. Thus, it goes without saying that I’m incredibly eager to see what 2007 has in store for the band, who are set to release their debut album this month and if 2006 is any indication, world domination isn’t too far on the horizon either.

Though not included on the single in question, Digitalism’s reworking of the track is pretty bangarang as well, so I’ve included it as a bonus below.

Bonus MP3: “Atlantis To Interzone” (Digitalism’s Klix-Klax Remix) - Klaxons

MP3: “Long Distance Call” - Phoenix
MP3: “Long Distance Call” (25 Hours A Day Mix) - Phoenix
MP3: “Long Distance Call” (Sebastien Tellier Mix) - Phoenix

Here is an example of the incredibly rare instance (I can’t remember another one) in which both of the remixes on a single manage to eclipse the original. You see, I wasn’t terribly keen on “Long Distance Call” when I first heard it on It’s Never Been Like That, the album that takes its name from the song, and it wasn’t until I heard the remixes that I fell in love with the track. It was the Sebastien Tellier remix that sparked my curiosity enough to seek out the whole single, and it’s Tellier’s lush, orchestral instrumentation that I feel better suits the track than Phoenix’s original crisp, jazzy approach. Upon listening to the single in its entirety I discovered that the 25 Hours A Day mix was every bit as good as Tellier’s and also outshone the original. Whereas Tellier’s keeps the same pace and tone as the original but beefs up the instrumentation, 25 Hours’ remix gives the track a face lift, turning it into a party anthem worthy of play in the finest indie discos the world over. With synthesized surges that recall Daft Punk at their finest (see: Discovery), 25 Hours A Day maximizes the dancefloor potential of the track and turns it into something Phoenix could only dream of. Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars deserves props, of course, for writing such a monumentally catchy lyric and vocal structure, but where Phoenix’s original instrumentation falters, Tellier and 25 Hours A Day step up and take the track to new heights.

REMIXERS OF THE YEAR

MP3: “Atlantis To Interzone” (Metronomy Remix) - Klaxons
MP3: “The Treatment” (Metronomy Remix) - Dead Disco
MP3: “El Manana” (Metronomy Remix) - Gorillaz

2006 was a big year for Metronomy. He released his debut album (which unfortunately failed to live up to the potential shown on his remix work), but more importantly, he established himself as the best remixer in the game. I first came across Metronomy on his excellent remix of Sebastien Tellier’s “La Ritournelle” (released in 2005; available as a bonus download below), and he amazed me with his ability to flawlessly synthesize such a lush and organic strings-based track and extract from it an electronic treasure. But it wasn’t until I discovered his mixes of Klaxons’ “Atlantis To Interzone” and Dead Disco’s “The Treatment”, my 1a. and 1b. for remix of the year*, within a week of each other that Metronomy’s sheer brilliance as a remixer thrust itself fully upon me. In both he soaks the track in his signature pounding synth pulses and focuses on one element from the original mix to manipulate and rework into something new and incredible. In “Atlantis” he takes the synth sirens of the original and takes them to new heights in the remix’s second half over a pounding, stuttering drumbeat. In “The Treatment” he takes that catchy vocal refrain and slowly brings it into the mix until the crescendo climaxes in a garbled burst of deconstructed vocals and the song takes flight. Both serve as shining examples of Metronomy’s near-divine abilities as a remixer, and while his debut album, Pip Paine (Pay Back The £5000 You Owe), failed to impress me anywhere near as much as the remixes did, Joseph Mount has a blindingly-bright future in the remixing game.

Bonus MP3: “La Ritournelle” (Metronomy Remix) - Sebastien Tellier

*”We Are Your Friends”, Justice’s reinvention of Simian’s “Never Be Alone”, was the undeniable remix-related highlight of 2006, but it originally surfaced as a remix over two years ago and technically only saw life as a legit single this year, so it’s out of the running for remix of the year. Thus, Metronomy’s take on “Atlantis” and “The Treatment” get the dual nod for remix of the year.

MP3: “We Are Your Friends” - Justice vs. Simian
MP3: “The Fallen” (Ruined By Justice) - Franz Ferdinand
MP3: “Human After All” (Guy Man After All Justice Remix) - Daft Punk

Justice owned 2006. Period.

MP3: “Camera” (SebastiAn Remix) - Editors
MP3: “Get Myself Into It (SebastiAn Remix) - The Rapture
MP3: “Human After All” (SebastiAn Remix) - Daft Punk
MP3: “Bossy” (SebastiAn Remix) - Kelis

SebastiAn made a name for himself as a serious player in the electronica world in 2006 with his incredible sophomore single, “Ross Ross Ross”. Furthermore, he established himself as a legitimate force in the remix game with excellent remixes such as his work on Editors’ “Camera”, the Rapture’s “Get Myself Into It” and Daft Punk’s “Human After All”. “Ross Ross Ross” established a signature sound built on frenzied samples and melodies that seem rooted in mechanical malfunction yet still manage to work flawlessly, so it’s no surprise that his three finest remixes employ all the same techniques that work so successfully in “Ross”. The emphatic synth stabs are all in place, that skipping-CD effect is there; even those swirling, high-pitched synth flourishes (oh, the flourishes!) drop by for a little meet-and-greet. “Camera” is the best of the bunch, in which SebastiAn dresses everything up in a whirlwind of overwhelming electronica, before things settle just long enough for that steady piano line and Tom Smith’s soaring chorus to rise above it all, while “Get Myself Into It” makes its money on that triumphant ascending synth progression and the cut up, looped vocals that appear throughout the track. The Daft Punk spirals out of control for 4 minutes and 47 seconds, It’ll be interesting to see what 2007 holds for SebastiAn since it seems he’s already created the essential track of his career, but even if all we get are more phenomenal remixes the likes of these you won’t see me complaining.

THE BEST OF THE REST: TOP REMIXES OF 2006
Metronomy, Justice and SebastiAn may have been responsible for an usually-high concentration of the year’s best remixes, but that’s not to say 2006 didn’t yield plenty of other incredible reworkings. Below are the best of the best, in no particular order.
MP3: “Mushaboom” (Postal Service Remix) - Feist

Probably my favorite remix outside of the ones mentioned above, this version removes Feist’s twangy, whimsical instrumentation in exchange for that typical Postal Service flare, isolating Feist’s soaring voice to sing over glitchy little booms and bips and a severe underlying synth line. However, the real highlight is the addition of Ben Gibbard’s cherubic (as usual) back-up vocals to the track.

MP3: “Chasing Cars” (Hey Team Remix) - Snow Patrol

The Hey Team, who are a self-described “Underground Resistance Unit formed to combat the vain and pretentious Hipster scene”, take the incredibly lame original template and actually manage to make a remarkably good remix out of it, dressing up Lightbody’s emotional whines up in samples (of everything from birds chirping to children playing) and glitch-pop booms and bips.

MP3: “Colours” (DFA Remix) - Hot Chip

The best thing to come out of the esteemed DFA camp this year, even though it doesn’t really feel like the remixing tandem’s typical distorted-bass-’n'high-hat style. In fact, where much of the rest of the DFA’s remixing catalogue possesses an undeniably dark, severe vibe more often than not, their “Colors” remix has a downright sprightly feel about it. It plods along at a languorous pace for a good bit and then BLAM - all of a sudden at the 2:50 mark shit just gets straight tropical out of nowhere. My favorite DFA remix to date.

MP3: “Banquet” (Boys Noize Vocal Mix) - Bloc Party
MP3: “Nothing But Green Lights” (Digitalism Remix) - Tom Vek

The two hottest remixes to come out of cooler-than-cool French electro-house label Kitsune this year. Neither are terribly life changing, but you better believe Kitsune knows their shit and fans of the original tracks will undoubtedly enjoy the remixes.

MP3: “Doctor Pressure” - Mylo vs. Miami Sound Machine

So it’s more of a mash up than a remix per se, but it’s seen official release in multiple forms (as a b-side twice and eventually as its own single this year) and is, y’know, incredibly awesome, so it makes it onto the list anyway. The original is a flawless dancefloor classic, and the introduction of those classy Latin synths and Gloria Estefan’s vocals just makes it that much better.

MP3: “Magick” (Simian Mobile Disco Remix) - Klaxons

Simian Mobile Disco owned the spotlight in the British electro scene in ‘06 (and don’t expect that to change in ‘07 either), and though the duo saw a lot of action as the most sought after remixing entities in Britain last year, this Klaxons update is the stand alone highlight of their remixing catalog to date.

MP3: “Crosses” (Stanton Warriors Remix) - Jose Gonzalez

The mighty Stanton Warriors made a name for themselves in 2006 with solid remix after solid remix, but it’s this pounding “Crosses” remix that best shows their potential. The moment that siren roars up from beneath the mix and explodes as the beat burst to life is the solitary highlight of the track, but the duo do a great job of taking a track that embodies the quintessence of chill and gives it new life as a dark, brooding club banger.

MP3: “Waters of Nazareth” (Jhn Rdn Mix) - Justice

John Redden locks up the award for unofficial remix of the year on this track, as he accomplishes the seemingly-impossible feat of outdoing not only the brilliant Erol Alkan, but Justice themselves (whose self-remix of the track was a b-side to the Waters of Nazareth single) as well with his reworking of “Waters”.

MP3: “Gold Lion” (Diplo’s Optimo Remix) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Diplo’s remix of “Gold Lion” brought him massive amounts of attention and acclaim when it leaked before the original mix of the track earlier this year, and rightfully so - it’s great. For whatever reason, I’ve never been terribly keen of Diplo’s work, but he won me over with his work on “Gold Lion” and does a brilliant job of updating the triumphant strums of the original with stuttering electronic synth surges and massive drum stomps.

MP3: “Face” (The Teenagers Remix) - The Black Ghosts

Bonus MP3: “Face” - The Black Ghosts
Bonus MP3: “Homecoming” - The Teenagers

Though I’ve not posted on them yet, the Black Ghosts deserve your immediate attention if only for the fact that it’s the new project of former Simian front man and incredible vocalist Simon Lord; expect them to get a lot of coverage around these parts in the new year. They subtly released their debut single, “Face”, in late ‘06 and this excellent remix by the Teenagers (who are incidentally also extremely awesome) is every bit as good as the bangin’ original. Also available for download is the original track, as well as the Teenagers’ awesome-tastic debut single, “Homecoming”.

MP3: “We Share Our Mother’s Health” (Ratatat Remix) - The Knife
MP3: “Wildcat” (E*Vax Remix) - Ratatat

Two hotter-than-hot Ratatat remixes, the former sees the ‘Tat infusing the Knife’s incredible “We Share Our Mother’s Health” with their signature heavily-processed basslines, while the latter showcases E*Vax manipulating said bass surges to wonderful effect.

MP3: “I Want You To Stay” (Field Music Remix) - Maximo Park

Finally, we’ve got the black sheep of the bunch, Field Music’s “I Want You To Stay” remix, which is less of a true remix and more of a complete overhaul, as the band keep Paul Smith’s excellent vocal but toss out all of the original instrumentation in favor of their one. You can’t argue with the result, though.

UPDATE: Oh, wait, shit - somehow I managed to forget one of the top five remixes of the year (thanks for opening my eyes to my mistake, Mitsch), but I’ve rectified the situation below. Also, many of the remixes you guys are talking up in the comments for inclusion on here were actually released in 2005 (most of those MSTRKRFT mixes with the exception of that Wolfmother edit, Trentemoller’s “What Else Is There” remix [which actually made my ‘05 list], among others), and I just plain wasn’t all that into Jacques Lu Cont’s “When You Were Young” remix.
MP3: “Standing In The Way of Control” (Soulwax Edit) - The Gossip

It seemed like just about everyone loved this track to pieces in ‘06, and rightfully so. Though I’ve never been a huge fan of the Gossip in the first place, props are in order for the band as the original is an excellent track in its own right, but the Soulwax boys just do everything (those skittering cymbal crashes, those aggressive in-your-face percussion sections) right here. It’s inexcusable that I overlooked this one in the original post, as it’s one of the top five remixes of 2006, without a doubt.
*exhausted sigh* There you have it, the best remixes 2006 had to offer. I’m aware updates are few and far between these days, but hopefully the truly MASSIVE amount of downloadable content in this post is adequate penance for the downtime.

ELSEWHERE
So apparently someone decided that Thursday, January 4th should be the day all of my dreams come true. Just check out all the hot fire that’s hit the internet over the last 36 hours or so:

• Discobelle’s got the upcoming Justice single, and fuck if it isn’t every bit as hot as I hoped it’d be. Justice’s debut LP is supposedly set for an April release in both Europe and the US, and word on the street is that the new material sounds “RETARDEDLY GOOD”. Can’t. Fucking. Wait.
• Fluokids are rockin’ two ridiculous exclusives today. First up is Erol Alkan’s latest remix, the dub mix of Klaxons’ incredible “Golden Skans”, which is every bit as beautiful and glorious as it sounds. And as if tha wasn’t enough, they’ve also got Para One’s hot-off-the-presses remix of “The Prayer” from the upcoming single release of the track. I much prefer Alkan’s work on “Golden Skans” to Para One’s take on “The Prayer”, but they’re both a must listen for fans of either band.
• James points out how great December was for excellent new Brit Pop and has the great new singles from Fear of Flying and the Video Nasties to prove it.
• And finally, am I the only one who thinks the new Modest Mouse single is absolutely awesome?

Oh and yeah, Happy New Year and shit.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 5th, 2007 at 5:14 am and is filed under Year-End Best of Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.