With remixes, it's the grand anthemic overhauls which seem to capture the imagination. You know how it works: an auteur dance producer collides with the individuality of a band and their sounds are amalgamated. Songwriting meets techno production to form something that should be more than just the sum of the parts.

These remixes are the talk of the Internet, the leaks that fuel MP3 blogs. It's no wonder then that some artists now hardly seem to bother with original tracks at all. Why would they? A high profile remix allows their sound to travel from the underground world of house and techno to other musical landscapes, without any need to worry about how a label promotes your work. Presumably, you just take the fee, which for some of these guys must be handsome.

All of this is why some artists just keep on releasing great remixes, and we know who they are by now. First and foremost amongst them in 2007, yet again, is Carl Craig. Two tracks in the top 5 tells the story of another year in which Craig released one gem after another. There are so many that everyone will have their own personal favourite. From the angry EBM thump of his Faze Action mix to the lush and woozy Junior Boys to the dark Italo of his take on Brazilian Girls "Last Call" and beyond, take your pick.

Ricardo Villalobos, meanwhile, tops the poll with his bleak and epic reshaping of Shackleton's ‘Blood on My Hands’. Like most artists who figure anywhere near the top 5, it's not a flash in the pan or a one off, but one of a string of great remixes. From his uncharacteristically short version of Shinedoe's ‘Phunk’ to a slowly morphing, meandering take on Chica and the Folder's ‘Angelus Novus’, Ricardo too seems to thrive on remixes.

Audion is another producer who favours the radical overhaul, as anyone who's been unfortunate enough to have heard Black Strobe’s original version of ‘I'm A Man’ will confirm. This was probably the most hyped techno record of the year, and the short three weeks or so it took to leak in the summer felt like a strange return to a world where people had to wait for music. When it finally emerged, it somehow managed not to be an anti-climax.

But with these Godzilla-sized remixes dominating the top 5, it's nice to see someone flying a flag for the functional remix, for the low key event of dance producers remixing each other. In 2007, all year long, Holland's 2000 and One came up with the retouches that made you buy records regardless of what the original was doing. His remix of Aardvarck on Rush Hour makes it in at number 5, but his work for Perspectiv (‘Low Profile’), Moon Harbour (‘Send in the Clowns’), and Bpitch Control (‘The Dark Side Of The Sun’) tells its own story. Let's not forget that this is a guy who has been producing techno for fifteen or twenty years, and on 2007's evidence, he’s working with more enthusiasm than ever.

Down the ballot sheet, there are so many honorable mentions. Ewan Pearson's remix of Cortney Tidwell seems to stand aloft and apart from sound or scene, already feeling like a classic. DJ Koze's remix of Sid Le Rock's ‘Naked’ is as difficult to resist as it is to classify. Agnès’ Limmatz Luffmadratz Redive mix of Chaton's ‘Catch The Beat’ is one of the most beautifully functioning house records you can hope to hear (or play.)

Spare a thought for Radio Slave too, whose many fine remixes are curiously absent despite his coming third in the RA Producer of the Year poll. Countless other fine remixes are strewn down through the voting, including remixes by Redshape, Sebo K, Jackmate, Henrik Schwarz, Martin Buttrich, Mike Huckaby, Samim, Todd Terje, Apparat, Stefan Goldmann and so many more, more than you could hope to mention.

For them and for all the other remixers, democracy has spoken, as 2007 speeds to a close. - Ronan Fitzgerald

05. Aardvarck - Cult Copy (2000 and One's Chicago Dirt Mix)
[Rush Hour Recordings]

“Rush Hour must have found an enormous blob of vinyl in their garden shed recently because they released no less than twenty 12-inch records in 2007, including two EPs worth of remixes of Aardvarck’s old schoolish ‘Cult Copy’. Best of the bunch—even outclassing the Carl Craig and Dexter remixes—is 2000 and One’s jackin’ Chicago Dirt remix, which dispenses with most of the original and remains content to pump a revolving Midwestern synth stab over cavernous techno beats for seven minutes. Not much more to it than that really, but the trick is in the sound of the synth: “filthy” and “dirty” are two of the most clichéd words in dance music, and might even be banned here on RA, but 2000 and One redeems them with a synth that honestly sounds like it has a bit of grit stuck inside its filters. Don’t clean that machine, Dylan!” - Jeremy Armitage

04. Black Strobe - I'm a Man (Audion Donation Remix) [Playlouderecordings]

“Audion rips up ‘I’m a Man’ and rebuilds the track as a sort of "Nick Cave does acid house" confessional. The result is truly anthemic, but not in the huge speaker-blowing way that Audion's recent work has been. Still, when it does ignite, stand well back. The remix works because you'll find yourself thinking that the eleven minutes in which you listen to it are the most intense and vital of the evening, making it the perfect record with which to finish or start a set. This is even more miraculous when you consider the fact that the original is a piece of truly desperate cock rock that sounds like what would happen if Buddy Holly and Trent Reznor had a Summer/Moroder style sexual encounter in the recording booth. It's a testament to Dear’s skills that his remix uses little or no elements from the original and yet his remix sounds like you really wish Black Strobe would: lean, mean and dangerous.” – Ronan Fitzgerald

03. Faze Action - In The Trees (Carl Craig C2 Remix #1) [Juno Records]

“The string-laden original of 'In The Trees' has remained something of a (reasonably widely available) cult classic, so the good folk behind Juno.co.uk decided to mark their tenth anniversary by making it the first in their ten-part re-release/remix series. All mildly interesting – until we heard they had roped in Carl Craig, and then we got quite excited. And then we put his C2 remix on and got even more excited, as it's very good indeed. Beginning with dramatic stabbing synths, Craig slowly layers the key elements into an impressive, all-encompassing groove. The eventual arrival of the distinctive orchestration is quite an event—doubled-up and slightly phased, the strings carry an impressive malice unthinkable from the original. It's a big track—another big track—so it begs the question: when is the “Carl Craig's getting too damn popular” backlash going to begin? Any Detroit-obsessed dullard brave enough to call him out? More fool you if you do.” - Barry O’Donoghue

02. Junior Boys - Like A Child (Carl Craig Remix) [Domino Recording Company]

“Like their British counterparts Hot Chip, the Boys have crossover appeal to both ravers and rockers alike. I’m always a sucker for quality vocals in my house music thus ‘Like a Child’ lends itself well to the remix treatment with Jeremy Greenspan’s sultry whisperings leading the charge. Carl Craig strips it all back to great effect, speeding things up for the dance floor and leaving only a continuous loop of the opening melody. While the original is a slow dreamy melodic number, Craig creates a building intensity, really stretching it out. After working you up for a good four minutes, the beat finally drops and you are left with a sense of satisfaction that Carl has come through again—all that’s left is to shake your ass and ride it on home.” – Angus Dawson

01. Shackleton - Blood On My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Mix) [Skull Disco]

“Though advocated as dubstep’s infiltration into techno, this in fact is the opposite. Shackleton’s original was a conga driven track with a lightness of touch in the percussion that lent itself very well to after-hours party mix-ins, and that’s just what happened in 2006. Fruit ripe for Villalobos to pick, his treatment of it is testament not only to the genius of the original, but of his sensitivity to the emotion in Shackleton’s production, which he distills with great skill and care.

Bringing the mournful vocals into the foreground in sharp relief against the modulating rhythm and haunting synth fog, Villalobos opens up vast spaces in the track, all of them vertically below, creating a sense of teetering on the edge of unfathomably deep chasms. Over eighteen plus minutes of undulating landscape, Villalobos creates sharp flashes of brilliance – peaks and troughs of tragedy that are creepily, brilliantly uplifting.” – Janet Leyton-Grant

Individual lists

Chris Arden
1. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends (Harvey Mix) [DFA]
2. Tony Allen - Kilode (Carl Craig Mix) [Honest Jon's]
3. Studio - Life's A Beach! (Todd Terje Beach House Mix) [Information]
4. Shackleton - Blood On My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Mix) [Skull Disco]
5. Camille - Ta Douleur (Henrik Schwarz Mix) [EMI Music France]

Jeremy Armitage
1. Tracey Thorn - It's All True (Martin Buttrich Remix) [Virgin]
2. Aardvarck - Cult Copy (2000 and One's Chicago Dirt Remix) [Rush Hour]
3. Till Von Sein - Gestern (Efdemin Remix) [Morris Audio Citysport Edition]
4. Pier Bucci - Hay Consuelo (Samim Remix) [Vendetta]
5. Trentemoller & Buda - Gamma (Minilogue Remix) [Kickin Records]

David Berkley
1. Junior Boys - Like a Child (Carl Craig remix) [Domino]
2. Lusine - Drip (Apparat Remix) [Ghostly]
3. UNKLE feat Ian Astbury - Burn My Shadow (Agoria Remix) [Surrender All]
4. Phonique - Worked It Out (Charles Webster Remix) [Dessous Recordings]
5. Underworld - Crocodile (Oliver Huntemann Remix) [Underworldlive.com]

Todd Burns
1. Kissogram - My Friend Is A Seahorse (James Priestley & Dan Berkson’s Bariz e Syntho Remix) [defDrive]
2. Shackleton - Blood on my Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Mix) [Skull Disco]
3. Bebel Gilberto - Bring Back the Love (Prins Thomas Miks) [Ziriguiboom]
4. Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts (Studio Mix) [Parlophone]
5. Matt John - Olga Dancekowski (Audion's Paradise Cafe Mix) [BAR25]

Philipp Cerfontaine
1. Scott Ferguson - I Cried for You (Walk in the Park Remix) [Deep Vibes]
2. Aardvarck - Cult Copy (2000 and One's Chicago Dirt Remix) [Rush Hour]
3. Siobhan Donaghy - Don't Give It Up (Carl Craig Dub Remix) [Parlophone]
4. Blackstrobe - I'm a Man (Audion's Donation Remix) [Playlouderecordings]
5. Gui Boratto - Mr. Decay (Robert Babicz Universum Disco Mix) [Kompakt]

Peter Chambers
1. Beck - Cellphone's Dead (Ricardo Villalobos Entlebuch Remix) [Bpitch Control]
2. Lopazz - Share my Rhythm (Isolee remix) [Get Physical]
3. Hatchback - White Diamond (Prins Thomas remix) [THISISNOTANEXIT]
4. DJ Koze vs. Sid LeRock - Naked (DJ Koze remix) [Cereal Killers]
5. Shackleton - Blood on my Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Mix) [Skull Disco]

Richard Chinn
1. Faze Action - In the Trees (Carl Craig C2 Remix #1) [Juno Records]
2. Dennis Ferrer - Transitions (Sasse Edit) [Objektivity]
3. Ben Westbeech - Hang Around (Wahoo Main Mix) [Brownswood Recordings]
4. Gummihz - Isolate (Sebo K remix) [Mobilee]
5. Battles - Atlas (DJ Koze Remix) [Warp]

Paul Clement
1. Dennis Ferrer - Son of Raw (Loco Dice Remix) [Objektivity]
2. Faze Action - In The Trees (Carl Craig C2 Remix #1) [Juno Records]
3. Black Strobe - I'm a man (Audion's Donation Mix) [Playlouderecordings]
4. Ben Westbeech - Hang Around (Wahoo Main Mix) [Brownswood Recordings]
5. Innersphere - Phunk (Ricardo Villalobos Remix) [Intacto]

Angus Dawson
1. Ambivalent - R U OK (Marco Carola 4 beats mix) [Minus]
2. Tiefschwarz - Ghostrack (Shonky remix) [Souvenir]
3. It - Women In Toilet (Stefan Goldmann Macro Version) [Electrochoc]
4. Romboy vs Chelonois r Jones - Helen Cornell (Stefan Goldmann Macro Version) [Systematic]
5. Dirt Crew - Places (Smash TV remix) [Dirt Crew Recordings]

Tami Fenwick
1. Faze Action - In The Trees (Carl Craig C2 Remix #1) [Juno Records]
2. Tracey Thorn - It's All True (Martin Buttrich Remix) [Virgin]
3. Trentemoller & Buda - Gamma (Minilogue Remix) [Kickin Records]
4. Swayzak - Smile and Receive (Apparat Remix) [Studio !K7]
5. Markus Enochson – Red Coffee (Redshape Remix) [Imprime]

Ronan Fitzgerald
1. Junior Boys - Like A Child (Carl Craig Mix) [Domino]
2. Zander VT - Then and Before (Redshape's Present Mix) [Memo]
3. Black Strobe - I'm A Man (Audion's Donation Mix) [Playlouderecordings]
4. Chaton - Catch The Beat (Agnès - Limmat Luftmadratz Redive) [Sthlmaudio]
5. Saint Germain - Rose Rouge (Taksu Edit Rhadoo Mix) [White]

Stephane Girard
1. Marc Romboy vs Cherlonis R Jones - Helen Cornell (Stefan Goldmann Macro Version) [Systematic]
2. Feist - My Moon My Man (Boys Noize Remix) [Kitsuné]
3. Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let the Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan's Objects in Space Remix) [Ever Records]
4. DJ Mehdi - Signatune (Thomas Bangalter Remix) [Ed Banger]
5. Junior Boys - FM (Ten Snake Remix) [Domino]

Mohson Iqbal
1. Chaton - Catch The Beat (Agnès - Limmat Luftmadratz Redive) [Sthlmaudio]
2. Swayzak - Smile and Receive (Cassy Beatmix) [Studio !K7]
3. DJ Koze vs. Sid LeRock - Naked (DJ Koze remix) [Cereal Killers]
4. Portable - Don’t Give Up (Cassy Remix) [Süd Electronic]
5. Shackleton feat. Jackson Del Rey – Next To Nothing (Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts Remix) [Crosstown Rebels]

Janet Leyton-Grant
1. Pole - Achterbahn (Shackleton Remix) [~scape]
2. Echospace - Sonorous (cv313's Midst Of Something Beautiful Mix) [fortune8]
3. machinefabriek - Mist (Weightless Remix) [Kning Disk]
4. Shackleton - Blood On My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Mix) [Skull Disco]
5. Staffan Linzatti – Quibble (Efdemin Remix) [District Of Corruption]

Alex Macpherson
1. Mari Boine - Vuoi Vuoi Me (Henrik Schwarz Remix) [Universal Jazz Germany]
2. P Diddy ft. Christina Aguilera - Tell Me (Switch Remix) [White]
3. Junior Boys - FM (Tensnake Remix) [Domino]
4. Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan's Objects In Space Remix) [Studio !K7]
5. Faze Action - In The Trees (Carl Craig C2 Remix #1) [Juno Records]

Chris Mann
1. Shackleton - Blood On My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Mix) [Skull Disco]
2. Substance and Vainquer - Emerge 1 (British Murder Boys Remix 1) [Scion Versions]
3. Gudrun Gut - Move me (Burger/Voigt Remix) [Monika Enterprise]
4. Riley Reinhold - Lights In My Eyes (Dominik Eulberg Fernweh Remix) [My Best Friend]
5. Pole - Düsseldorf (The Mike Huckaby S Y N T H Remix-Detroit)
[~scape]

Joshua Meggitt
1. Gudrun Gut - Cry Easy (Pole Remix) [Monika Enterprises]
2. Pole Düsseldorf (The Mike Huckaby S Y N T H Remix - Detroit) [~scape]
3. Rework - Yeah Yeah Yeah (Chloe Remix) [Playhouse]
4. 2Raumwohnung - Ich Bin Der Regan (Moritz Von Oswald Mix) [It.sounds]
5. Troy Pierce - Horse Nation (Heartthrob Remix) [M_nus]

Steve Mizek
1. Len Faki - Rainbow Delta (Jerome Sydenham remix) [Ostgut Tonträger]
2. Ben Westbeech - Hang Around (Wahoo Main Mix) [Brownswood Recordings]
3. Kraak & Smaak - No Sun In The Sky (Henrik Schwarz Remix) [Jalapeno Records]
4. Junior Boys - Like a Child (Carl Craig remix) [Domino]
5. Beck - Cell Phone's Dead (Ricardo Villalobos Entlebuch Remix) [Bpitch Control]

Siana Petro
1. Italoboyz – Victor Casanova (Samim Remix) [Mothership]
2. Aardvarck - Cult Copy (2000 and One's Chicago Dirt Remix) [Rush Hour]
3. Sasse - Gravity (Peter Dildo Dirtymind Replay) [Moodmusic Records]
4. Worthy – Irst Te? (Claude VonStroke Remix) [Dirtybird]
5. Innersphere aka Shinedoe - Phunk (Ricardo Villalobos Remix) [Intacto Records]

James Poletti
1. Battles - Atlas (DJ Koze Remix) [Warp]
2. Matthew Dear - Elementary Lover (DJ Koze Remix) [Ghostly]
3. Lazy Fat People - Low Profile (2000 And One Remix) [Perspectiv]
4. The Chemical Brothers - Do It Again (Audion Remix) [Virgin]
5. Shackleton - Blood On My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now
Mix) [Skull Disco]

Carl Ritger
1. Shackleton – Blood On My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Remix) [Skull Disco]
2. Junior Boys – Like A Child (Carl Craig Remix) [Domino]
3. Pole - Winkelstreben (Peverelist Remix) [~scape]
4. Model 500 – Starlight (Echospace Mix) [Echospace]
5. Black Strobe – I’m A Man (Audion’s Donation Mix) [Playlouderecordings]

Bjorn Schaeffner
1. Shackleton – Blood On My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Remix) [Skull Disco]
2. Etienne Jaumet - Repeat Again After Me (Ame Mix) [Versatile]
3. Miss Fitz - Menternal (Villalobos In The Pipe Mix) [Raum...musik]
4. Marlow & Claudia Nehls - Water (Jackmate Mix) [Moon Harbour]
5. Tiefschwarz - Troubled Man (Broke Mix) [Get Physical]

Colin Shields
1. Shackleton - Blood On My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Mix) [Skull Disco]
2. Rufus Wainwright - Tiergarten (Supermayer Remix) [Polydor]
3. Mari Boine - Vuoi Vuoi Me (Henrik Schwarz Remix) [Universal Jazz Germany]
4. Beanfield - Tides (Ripperton Remix) [Compost Records]
5. Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes (DJ Marky Remix) [White]

Lee Smith
1. Junior Boys – Like A Child (Carl Craig Remix) [Domino]
2. Markus Enochson – Red Coffee (Redshape Remix) [Imprime]
3. Argy - 1985 (Sydenham & Rune Remix) [Liebe*Detail Spezial]
4. M.I.A. – Swoon (Shonky Remix) [Sub-Static]
5. Heartthrob - Baby Kate (Sascha Funke Remix) [M_nus]

Christopher Thomarios
1. Plan Tec - Espas Psiquicios (Jonas Kopp Psiquic Rmx) [Spectral Sound]
2. Lazy Fat People - Pixel Girl (C2 Remix) [Planet E]
3. Ellen Allien - Go (Marcel Dettmann Remix) [Bpitch Control]
4. The Viewers - Blank Images (Lazy Fat People Remix) [Audiomatique]
5. Radio Slave - Screaming Hands (Wink Interpretation) [Rekids]

Enrique Vanegas
1. Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid - Sun Never Sets (Holden Remix) [Domino]
2. Tundra - The Rivulet (Jesse Somfay’s Delsyd Remix) [Manual]
3. Shackleton - Blood of my Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Remix) [Skull Disco]
4. Battles - Atlas (DJ Koze Remix) [Warp]
5. Lusine - Drip (Apparat Remix) [Ghostly]

Rick Warner
1. Eyerer & Chopstick – Haunting (Gui Boratto Remix) [Session Deluxe]
2. The Viewers – Blank Images (Lazy Fat People Remix) [Audiomatique]
3. Christian Smith & John Selway – Transit Time (Dubfire Remix) [Sino]
4. Gel Abril – Very Wrong (Chaim Remix) [Be As One]
5. Zwo! – Flavour (The Youngsters Remix) [Thump Elektroniks]

Jacob Wright
1. Matthew Dear - Don and Sherri (Hot Chip Version) [Ghostly]
2. Shackleton - Blood On My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Apocalypso Now Mix) [Skull Disco]
3. Yo Majesty - Club Action (Bagraiders Sailing to Baltimore remix) [Lab-Rok]
4. Kevin Saunderson - Bassline (Loco Dice Remix) [KMS]
5. Mari Boine - Vuoi Vuoi Me (Henrik Schwarz remix) [Universal Jazz]

Robbie Younan
1. The Phoenix - Rise Up (D-Dub Mix) [Northern Exposure]
2. Markus Lange - Perihelion (Julian Jeweil Mix) [Craft Music]
3. Simon Baker - Confused (David K Mix) [Viva Music]
4. Radioslave - Screaming Hands (WiNK Intepretation) [Rekids]
5. Pedro Madeira - Long Shadows (Christian Prommer Mix) [Buzzin Fly]

What were your top remixes of 2007?
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