The art of the remix lives on. These are my favorite remix albums of 2020.
5. Ultraísta – Ordinary Boy (The Remixes)
Typically, an album’s worth of remixes of one song tends to be a rather dull listening experience; I could barely make it through the 2016 Skint release of X-Press 2’s “Lazy” single, containing 14 interpretations of the same David Byrne-featuring song over an hour and forty-three minutes. Refreshingly, Ultraísta’s “Ordinary Boy” remixes are all exciting and insightful, approaching the song from various angles and backgrounds. Whether you prefer the spaced-out 2-step remix from Floating Points or FaltyDL’s restrained, downtempo take, there’s something for everyone.
4. Tycho – Weather Remixes
Ninja Tune revisits Tycho’s 2019 album Weather for a remix companion featuring new takes on the album’s 8 tracks, presented in the same order. It’s sort of a re-imagining of what the album could have been, and, no offense to the original, this remix album rocks. The Com Truise remix of “No Stress” is likely the biggest standout, though “Japan” and “Skate” rank pretty high up there.
3. HEALTH – DISCO4 :: PART I
Los Angeles noise-rockers HEALTH have always held the remix in high regard; their DISCO series has showcased collaborations with an array of talented musicians, and I’ll probably never get tired of hearing their remix of Purity Ring’s “Begin Again.” Like, seriously, listen to that song right now.
After releasing Vol. 4 :: Slaves of Fear way back in February of 2019, the band was relatively quiet until DISCO4 – Part 1 dropped in October. Over the course of 12 songs, HEALTH link with a smorgasbord of tasteful artists, including Xiu Xiu, JPEGMafia, Full of Hell, Ghostemane, Soccer Mommy, Youth Code, The Soft Moon, and 100 Gecs. It’s a veritable who’s who of new and old indie darlings, a remarkable coterie of sonic provocateurs that are synthesized into a whole. There’s an unexpectedly high amount of replay value, and my desire has been aroused for an eventual DISCO4 – Part 2.
2. Gil Scott-Heron & Makaya McCraven – We’re New Again
Gil Scott-Heron is sorely missed. What would he have had to say this summer when protests against racial injustice took place in cities across the United States? For clues, we turn always to his music, and not just the decades-old classics; there’s much yet to be gleaned from Scott-Heron’s 13th and final album, I’m New Here, released in February 2010. While Jamie xx delivered what is likely to be the definitive remix of the album in the form of 2011’s We’re New Here, released just three months before Scott-Heron’s death, jazz drummer and bandleader Makaya McCraven has now released his own take on the album, and it’s a doozy. Soul, jazz, and funk inspirations pair delightfully with Scott-Heron’s vocals, informing a new codex for understanding these songs. Jamie xx succeeded in contextualizing Scott-Heron’s album within the framework of xx’s lived experiences, while McCraven recenters the music back in the canon to which it belongs. There’s a lived-in familiarity to these new productions, a sense of timelessness, like these versions have always existed. It’s a profound listening experience and a poignant observance of the album’s 10th anniversary.
1. 100 Gecs – 1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues
On 1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues, 100 Gecs and their many co-conspirators craft an engaging and absorbing musical world brimming with fresh ideas and hot production. Take the “Ringtone” remix, which features Charli XCX, Rico Nasty, and Kero Kero Bonito’s Sara Bonito. The inspired contributors re-shape and re-forge the song into a pop epic, with strong lyrics and a catchy hook. Then there’s the “Hand Crushed By a Mallet” remix, featuring Chiodos singer Craig Owens, Canada’s Nicole Dollanganger, and the most inspired Patrick Stump vocals since Infinity On High. To think that a song this good could even exist lends supreme legitimacy to the remix as an art form and to this album as a conceptual whole. It’s worth checking out the digital edition, which has a few bonus tracks and live recordings, for the fans. If you’re still holding out on 100 Gecs or you just don’t “get it,” now’s the time to figure out what you’re missing.
Opinion of the Court 