The Best Remixes of 2024 (So Far...)
We’ve officially reached the halfway point of 2024, and I wanted to commemorate the occasion by compiling some of the best remixes I’ve heard from this year. They are often overlooked and obscured in music coverage but a lot of my favorite songs are remixes, especially as someone who is an avid fan of electronic music where making remixes is most prevalent. And for the purposes of this list, I’m not including remixes that do nothing more than add a new verse from somebody to maximize the song’s crossover appeal - all of the songs on the list are wholesale reinterpretations of the songs with completely new productions.
Dua Lipa - “Houdini (Danny L Harle Slowride Mix)”
In 2020, Dua Lipa and The Blessed Madonna teamed up to create a remixed version of her LP Future Nostalgia, so her ear has always been aimed toward the clubs. For her follow-up album, she enlisted Danny L Harle to produce on the vast majority of songs - he got his start on A. G. Cook’s seminal electronic music label PC Music. And for the lead single “Houdini,” Danny transformed it into a slowed-down club banger that’s somewhere in between the works of Giorgio Moroder and Justice (their “Electric Feel” remix, especially). I prefer this version to the original, but both are great songs.
Vegyn & Lea Sen – “Turn Me Inside (Zero 7 Remix)”
Vegyn’s newest album is one of my personal favorites of 2024 so far, and for the first remix he enlisted the help of legendary British electronic duo Zero 7, best known for their collaborations with Sia very early in her career. Vegyn’s original, as well as many other tracks on his album, feel like a more modern spin on the ground they were treading in the early 2000s, but for their part Zero 7 make the song more danceable while at the same time retaining the melancholia.
Jam City, Aidan & Clara La San – “Touch Me (B Roll Mix)”
After a couple of vocal-driven pop albums and some production work for the likes of Troye Sivan and Olivia Rodrigo, Jam City’s EFM LP marked his full-fledged return to dance music as a producer, which delighted fans of his early work - particularly on the iconic label Night Slugs. With this remix, he transforms the amapiano-influenced album opener to a track that recalls mid 80s R&B hits from artists such as Loose Ends or The S.O.S. Band. Perfect summer vibes on this one.
Swami Sound – “Refuse (Ryan Hemsworth Remix)”
This is one of my favorite electronic tracks of the year, period - the always-prolific and versatile Ryan Hemsworth turns this melancholy garage cut into a trip hop masterwork. Definitely shocked at how overlooked this has gotten.
corto.alto – “Bye (Yoofee Remix)”
Moses Yoofee is one of my favorite musical minds of recent years - he began as a standout producer primarily of dubstep and 160 bpm club music but his output has gradually shifted more towards jazz in the last couple of years, even founding a trio that’s had a lot of success. His latest release under the Yoofee moniker Lost Papers combines jazz influences with broken beat and neo-soul, and this remix for jazz collective corto.alto very much continues in that fashion - particularly the broken beat. A stunning remix, he is truly one of the best producers on the planet.
Sound on Tape – “Hush Harbors (Wilfy D Remix)”
When it comes to the newer crop of UK Garage producers, not too many do it better than Wilfy D - I’m particularly partial to his collaborative EP with K-Lone. This track reminds me of a remix fellow UKG producer Y U QT did last year for “Set Me Free” by Lo5ive, they took an already-solid original track with soulful vocals into the next gear in order to do maximum damage in the clubs.
Kasra & Riko Dan – “Talk Up (gyrofield’s Tooth & Nail Mix)”
gyrofield has long been a favorite amongst drum & bass fans for her ability to make both some of the most beautiful music in the genre as well as pushing its boundaries and limits - her remix of “Want It” by Kumarion being a prime example of this. Recently, though, she’s been making a lot of club music in the 130-140 bpm range and, no surprise, absolutely excelling in doing so. This remix of drum & bass icon and head of Critical Music Kasra’s “Talk Up” is in the spirit of boundary-pushing artists in that tempo range such as Mumdance and The Bug, and anyone who is into club music needs to be paying attention to what she’s doing - this and songs like “Mile Run” and “Missed Call(s)” show she’ll be a force in this style for years to come.
Sicaria – “Still Swingin (Saliah Remix)”
One of the most unique remixes I’ve heard this year comes courtesy of British-Lebanese producer Saliah - here she fuses dubstep with jersey club influences which is a surprisingly untapped well that hasn’t been attempted too often, but this track shows that it can be done to excellent results.
Hudson Mohawke, Nikki Nair & Tayla Parx – “Set the Roof (Flux Pavilion Remix)”
Prior to its release, this Flux Pavilion remix of “Set the Roof,” one of the biggest club bangers of 2023, generated a ton of hype for good reason - this may be bold to say but I think this is the best song Flux ever put his name to, it feels very reminiscent of his older material like “I Can’t Stop” but a very modern and fresh take on it. I’ve also felt like his output recently has been extremely hit-or-miss but thanks to this and some other songs 2024 has been one of his best years in a while.
Avalon Emerson – “Sandrail Silhouette (Minor Science Remix)”
Minor Science is one of those artists that’s difficult to predict what exactly he’ll do next - always expect the unexpected. The Avalon Emerson original is a gorgeous dream pop-influenced song, so naturally he reworks it into a highly distorted bass-heavy banger. It completely lands, though, and this remix will definitely be rattling my car’s speakers all summer.