What makes a perfect remix?

It’s a question that’s kept producers up at night since the dawn of time, it’s driven philosophers to the brink of sanity and kept political cabinets debating for days on end. In light of the recent remixes of his lofi emotional D&B A Taste Of Hope by Odd Mob and Emperor, we asked IMANU for his thoughts on the matter…

“I think a remix should sound like what the original artist would make if they had access to the original sound sources,” the Rotterdam producer reasons. “It should sound like a remix but also stand on its own. If you know the original then it should feel like a remix but not have a shock factor drop that makes no sense? That will only ends up sounding gimmicky and not timeless at all.”

Words of wisdom from the artist whose first remix (under his old name Signal) was of Enei way back in 2016. The first remix he ever had of him was done by Lockjaw, also in 2016.

“It’s cool to see how people treat your sounds and how they use them in ways you don’t think of,” he reflects. “They have a fresh view on a sound that you’ve spent ages making and which means something completely different in my mind that it does to them.”

Cue the fresh interpretations of A Taste Of Hope (a tune he named after a Runescape quest). Both Odd Mob and Emperor were picked by IMANU who’s a substantial appreciator of both artists.

“What I really like about the Odd Mob one is that he added his own vocals to it. He made it really cool and gave it boat party vibes but without being cheesy,” says IMANU. “Then Emperor gave it a totally different spin, he made it a dancefloor banger but without compromising the emotion. I’m a big fan of both.”

That’s not all IMANU is a fan of. We asked him for his favourite remixes and he came back with these selections. Each one a certified peach. Dig deep, enjoy… And stay tuned for more IMANU news a little later on in the year. 2022 is a verified biggie for the young artist.

Mark Knight ft Skin – Nothing Matters (Noisia Remix)

“One of the best D&B tracks of all time. There’s not a single track that sounds anywhere near this. Only Noisia could have done something like it. They give it such a different mood and the way they have the bass sound follow what the vocal does. Do you know how hard that is to do? It’s such a great track with all the breaks and switches. People don’t do this anymore because it’s so hard to pull off but Noisia totally pulled it off. Bellissimo!”

Seekae – Test & Recognise (Flume Remix)

“The thing I love about this is that it starts off with a super dissonant melody which, on its own, is kinda ugly. It doesn’t make any sense. But then the chords come in and it’s like, ‘What? How did that change to something so beautiful?’ Suddenly it all comes together and turns into this beautiful relaxing house track.”

Ben Bohmer & Panama – Weightless (jamesjamesjames Remix)

“Jamesjamesjames is a house producer from Australia who makes a lot of great house music with a lot of retro and old school elements. He can go from ratchet house to beautiful anthems like this remix. This is a huge hit from him, the vocal from Panama is amazing. I’ve been enjoying a lot of very pretty music lately and this has been a real stand out track for me. The modern synths and old school drums… Yeah I love this.”

Eprom – Oksana (Ivy Lab Remix)

“This is one of the best remixes ever in terms of interpreting one sound and totally flipping it. If you know the original and you hear this, you’ll know it’s a remix. But it’s also completely in its own lane. They use the same vocal lead and flip it from a dark bass track to a nice vibe and hip-hop beats. It has such a swag, I don’t know to explain it!”

GTA – Red Lips ft Sam Bruno (Skrillex Remix)

“This was a gamechanger when it came out. You can’t go wrong with me if you have a good vocal and a good reese running together. That can make a track for me. And with all those trademark Skrillex elements, it’s one of the biggest tracks within this side of dubstep. I love it.”

Otosan – Nowhere ft Julia Lostrom (Odd Mob Remix)

“Odd Mob is from Australia and he makes this unique house music that no one else is making in my opinion. I love his melodies and sound design, they have so many vibes. We started talking about a year ago about doing remixes or collaborations and I’m so glad that finally happened. But this remix, it’s quite traditional in a way. It’s got this older progressive house vibe but with a unique spin on it. I really like it.

Mikky Ekko – Pull Me Down (Emperor Remix)

“I feel like no one knows this one! it’s quite old and it’s not D&B, it’s future bass – not something you’d attach Emperor’s name to if you follow his more recent music. But I’m an old Emperor fan and he did loads of sick dubstep and trap and that kind of stuff. He still does under the name Monuman but I love the old Emperor stuff, too. This is really pretty. I heard it at a time when I really related to it. You know… love and stuff. So it has a special place in my heart. A very nice relaxing track.”

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