Is There A Secret To A Truly Great Remix?

Is there a secret to a truly great remix? We spoke with Giulia Tess, Steffi & Manni Dee to get to the heart of the art of the remix.

The remix is an integral element of electronic music and DJ culture. A good remix can bring out the very best in a tune, sometimes it can eclipse the original, and occasionally, a decent remix can momentarily define an entire scene.

Think of Skream’s iconic La Roux In For The Kill remix, Armand Van Helden’s massive remix of Tori Amos’ Professional Widow , Justice vs Simian’s anthemic We Are Your Friends or 4 Hero’s classic remix of Nuyorican Soul’s I Am The Black Gold of The Sun – all these remixes managed to retain some spirit of the original while also taking the tune further, somewhere better.

We spoke to three artists to get their take on what it takes to make a great remix.

Giula Tess: Don’t be afraid to be weird, or really give your interpretation when remixing... there’s a reason they have asked you so don’t be shy to add your twist

Giulia Tess

Italy-born London-based DJ and producer Giulia Tess has released her music on Future Bounce, R&S, Ross From Friends’ label Scarlet Tiger, He She They and More Time Records.

Aside from her Rinse FM residency, she’s appeared on NTS, BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and Reprezent Radio, and regularly DJs at venues like Phonox and Fabric.

Attack Magazine: What is the art of the remix?

Giulia Tess: The art of the remix is, in my opinion, manipulating, editing and rearranging an original song into something different, creating a new edit from a given piece that reflects you as a producer. Doing this in a refreshing and appealing way is not always an easy task, which I guess makes it an art in itself!

The challenge of making it a ‘good’ remix is being able to stay true to the original stems and heart of the songs but allowing yourself the freedom to put your own personal touch into it.

When I get commissioned a remix, people want my production mixed with the original, so the ideal remix would be to create a balanced blend of the artists. The best possible scenario of a remix is to make something that would appeal to all of the collaborators and their audiences.

And what makes a remix a bad remix?

From a remixer point of view, accepting to remix a song that you’re not really feeling usually makes it ‘bad’. I don’t accept ones I’m not feeling because I know that I won’t be able to produce my best work.

Another scenario that would deliver a bad remix could be when the remixer does something completely different from their own style, so therefore deluding the expectation of the label or artist’s request. Also if you completely miss the main elements of the original, and avoid, for example, the leading melody, main vocal etc then you can miss the point and it will lose the perception of being a remix.

How do you decide if you’re going to remix a track or not? What reasons might you have to turn a remix down?

If I like it or not! There’s no compromise on that. In the case that I like it, I will listen really carefully to the main elements and see if my interpretations will fit, or potentially go somewhere. If I don’t like the track, I will turn it down. Also, if I feel as if there is nothing that I can contribute to it then I won’t remix it either. It can be the case that I like the track too much as it is, and I feel like there is nothing more to add so it’s not always for a negative reason!

And have any of your remixes ever been turned down by labels? If so, why?

Not yet! However there is a remix I did recently that has yet to come out, so who knows…It might never come out!

Do you have a favourite remix of your own? What about it do you like?

My Max Cooper remix of Spectrum. Max is an artist I respect so highly, so naturally I was really excited to work on one of his tracks. Spectrum is a really beautiful and inspiring song, so the interpretation came naturally to me. My intention was to create a version that people could play in clubs – it’s always really well received when I have played it so I’m really pleased.

Are there any of your remixes that you don’t like, or that you regret doing? Why?

No, but there are some remixes I wish I mixed and arranged differently. For instance, I now wish I could have added an outro to a remix from last year… On another track, when I listen to it back I’m always bugged about the bass. To other people these are small things that you might not notice, but because it’s my work I wish I could go back and change them.

Do you have a particular way you approach a remix or is each one different? & how long does a remix take you?

First, I analyse the song by listening to it a lot. I tend to upload the stems into Ableton and highlight the main parts and work on those right away. Sometimes I already have an idea of where I will go when I’m listening to the song without looking at the stems, but at other times I need to play around with the main features until I find the direction I want to take.

This can take me any time between a week or a month and a half. The main idea tends to come really quickly but it’s finishing it and adding the final elements that takes the longest.

Who would you love to remix in the future?

This is a really hard question…Okay, I have a long list but to name a few: Caterina Barbieri, Caribou, Tame Impala, Romare, bar italia, Young Fathers, Sam Smith, Nathan Fake, SAULT, Sofia Kourtesis, New Order, and of course, Björk. I could go on and on but here’s a small selection of some of my favourite artists

What’s the single best piece of remix-related advice you would give someone starting out?

Don’t be afraid to be weird, or really give your interpretation when remixing. If someone has approached you it’s because they like your production already so I think that in itself should give you confidence to run with it. Utilise the skills you have made your staple in your own songs and bring them into the remix. As I said, there’s a reason they have asked you so don’t be shy to add your twist.

Steffi: If I don’t feel the track or I can’t paint a picture after listening to it the first time, I would not take on the job

Steffi

Producer, DJ, Berghain resident and head of the Candy Mountain, Klakson and Dolly labels, Steffi has also released her music on labels including Ostgut Ton, 3024, Dark Entries, Ed Banger and Because Music. 

Attack Magazine: What is the art of the remix?

Steffi: I think that it’s different for every producer. For me the main goal is to make a good track in the first place. Make a version of the original theme that is doing justice to the tune but from a personal and slightly, or completely, different perspective. 

What makes a remix a good remix?

What makes a track a good track in the first place – This is so subjective; some people might value staying close to the original a lot and therefore want the remix to have strong relationship to the original and honour the main elements but personally I am very open-minded when it comes to approaching a remix and where it takes me, as long as I can deliver quality on the table.

And what makes a remix a bad remix?

I am not the person to decide as that’s a matter of taste.

How do you decide if you’re going to remix a track or not? What reasons might you have to turn a remix down?

The main reason for me to turn down a remix would be if I had no affection for the original track. If I don’t feel the track or I can’t paint a picture after listening to it the first time, I would not take on the job. 

And have any of your remixes ever been turned down by labels? If so, why?

Yes, I have had a remix that was turned down because I left too much of the main vocals out of my version. 

Do you have a favourite remix of your own? What about it do you like?

I have lots of favourites actually as it becomes such a personal process, every time it’s a new experience with the source material – like making your own track. 

One of the remixes I did that comes to mind is the remix I did for Christine and the Queens. It was great to work with the original vocals and keeping the song structure and pop feel but giving it a different style and at the same time still staying close to the original. 

Are there any of your remixes that you don’t like, or that you regret doing? Why?

I don’t regret any of my remixes. Some were harder to make than others but that’s the great learning process in producing. The more you do it the better you get but when I look back so far I look back with positive feelings only as I can remember when, where and why I made them and simply loved doing them. Of course some stick out more than others but that doesn’t make them less important. 

Do you have a particular way you approach a remix or is each one different? & how long does a remix take you?

I remix everywhere: on the plane, at home on the sofa, in the studio, it really depends on my mood, but I always finish remixes in the studio. I love to break down the parts on my laptop to see what I have and do some sketches before I take it into the studio. Sometimes the original has so many great elements that I would not even go into the studio to record extra elements until I have developed my own version.

Who would you love to remix in the future?

The list is long!!!!

What’s the single best piece of remix-related advice you would give someone starting out?

Be yourself, don’t think about what it needs to be or how it needs to sound, enjoy the process of making a track with the elements you have. 

Manni Dee: Pick something that interests you and don’t do it for clout

Manni Dee

The music of producer/DJ and multi-disciplinary artist Manni Dee has been released on labels like fabric Originals, Perc Trax, Possession, S.L.A.M. and Tresor and he’s remixed artists including Daniel Avery, Louisahh and Max Cooper. 

Aside from a Rinse FM residency and international DJ schedule, he also works in film, fashion and event curation.

Attack Magazine: What is the art of the remix?

Manni Dee: Reworking a track in your own style while keeping some essence of the original track

From a producer’s standpoint, I like hearing remixes that manipulate original sounds or concepts to create something new. Akiko Harua’s remix of Pillow Princess is a great example of how you can flip a concept while musically hinting at the original.

And what makes a remix a bad remix?

Making something that has no parts from the original or no relation to it. Although sometimes stems can be manipulated so much that they’re hard to recognise and the track still bangs.  

How do you decide if you’re going to remix a track or not? What reasons might you have to turn a remix down?

On first listen there has to be a couple of sounds that inspire me. If I don’t have any ideas of what I can do with the stems I’ll turn the remix down unless it’s an artist I really like. 

And have any of your remixes ever been turned down by labels? If so, why?

No, but there’s one I did for Scalameriya and his brother Razbibringa under their Sons of Silvia alias that never came out. It was just before the pandemic. The label ceased operations during lockdown.

Do you have a favourite remix of your own? What about it do you like?

Tough to choose one but I can narrow it down to two. My remix of Loneliness on the Run by Metronomy (the non club mix) and my remix of Scatter by New Frames. 

The Metronomy remix allowed me to dig deeper into a sound palette and genre I’ve been working in recently. The New Frames one always does damage on the dance floor. I sampled Still Tippin’ by Slim Thug for the vocal line to incorporate some of my hip-hop influence. 

Are there any of your remixes that you don’t like, or that you regret doing? Why?

No!

Do you have a particular way you approach a remix or is each one different? & how long does a remix take you?

Each remix is different, but I often start by putting the stems in logic and picking out the parts that inspire me to create some sort of foundation. 

Who would you love to remix in the future?

I’d love to remix Jockstrap or Arca. 

What’s the single best piece of remix-related advice you would give someone starting out?

Pick something that interests you and don’t do it for clout. Don’t be intimidated to really mess some of the parts up and use them as a foundation for experimenting with sound. Remixing in different genres than you’re used to can often lead to some interesting results. 

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