Reimagined and better. Remixes are one of the biggest parts in music, being the official way to release an artist’s vision of a track originally created by someone else. Throughout time, we have been blessed with some amazing reworks that to this date are still huge and receive appreciation. Follow along the list as we are about to go down memory lane looking at 5 remixes that became bigger than the original track.
- Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji – Pressure (Alesso Remix)
Back in 2011, Alesso gave us one of the most iconic EDM tracks ever made. Still in his setlist these days, the song is a masterpiece. Everything is perfect about it, the vocals, the leads, the build up, the tension it creates, and finally, the drop. With such a legendary sound, Alesso won the award for the ‘Best Progressive Track‘ at the 2012 International Dance Music Awards.
2. Mike Posner – I Took A Pill In Ibiza (Seeb Remix)
This is that song you first heard on the radio and immediately fell in love with. From a folk-pop track to a golden era, tropical house classic, Seeb have topped charts in countries such as the UK, USA, Belgium and The Netherlands. The remix is true to the sounds of 2015/2016 when tropical house was at its peak with other songs such as ‘Stole The Show‘ and ‘Perfect Strangers.’
3. Lana Del Rey – Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix)
‘Summertime Sadness’, but make it a festival anthem. The legendary Cedric Gervais produced one of the most loved progressive house songs to this day. Turning a slow bpm record into an EDM classic, the song has debuted at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Lana Del Rey’s highest-charting solo. Cedric’s remix also reached number 4 in the UK singles chart and went platinum in Germany.
4. Benny Benassi feat. Gary Go – Cinema (Skrillex Remix)
From tech house to electro house and dubstep, Skrillex has done it all, but nothing compares to his remix of ‘Cinema‘ by Benny Benassi. The dubstep icon stole the show with this release that received a 2012 Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording and stayed on Billboard’s Dance list for more than two years after its release. The ‘Cinema‘ remix is now Skrillex’s 14th most streamed song on Spotify with 159 million streams.
5. Steve Aoki feat. Wynter Gordon – Ladi Dadi (Tommy Trash Remix)
Another Golden Era gem, this time coming from one of the progressive house pioneers, Tommy Trash. Having tracks such as ‘Reload’ and ‘Sunrise (Won’t Get Lost)’ in his discography, Tommy is truly a legend of the genre. In 2012, he released his version of ‘Ladi Dadi’ by Steve Aoki and Wynter Gordon. The remix went on to be played at the biggest festivals and clubs in the world by artists like the Swedish House Mafia, Tiesto and Kaskade.
While this list only features five of the biggest remixes ever produced, there are still a ton of them out there that could make this article go on forever. It is great how listeners can think a track couldn’t get any better and then be blown away by a remix. Remixes have always been a way of keeping older and iconic songs fresh and adapted to the newer sounds of the industry.
