Chapel Club - All The Eastern Girls (RAC Remix)
Subject to a good old fashioned record label scramble for their signature this year, Chapel Club's dark and melodramatic pop is perfect for these long winter nights. Sounds of Interpol, White Lies and dare I say it, Joy Division in their sound, as they declare in the opening seconds of this track "this is a love song." RAC (The Remix Artists Collective) give this a subtle shimmering sheen that grows in substance the louder it is played.
Rihanna - Rude Boy (TC Remix)
The undoubted queen of pop, Rihanna continually churns out tune after tune of acceptable chart domination. TC's dark, twisting remix is an incredible piece of work, looping that earworm of a vocal and hitting it with the deepest of squealing sub-bass. He picks up the pace around two minutes in and that drum and bass roll comes out of nowhere to ensure absolutely no-one is left stationary on the floor.
Tensnake - Coma Cat (Treasure Fingers Remix)
Absolutely dominating the Ibiza scene this summer, I doubt there was a house set in 2010 that didn't feature that hypnotic piano in some form or other. This mix from Treasure Fingers was my personal favourite, adding a gorgeous disco drop.
Shit Robot - Take 'Em Up
With LCD Soundsystem declaring that this years album would be their last it was left to the other artists on DFA to fight it out to become the label's flagship act. Shit Robot may just have put themselves in pole position with this beautiful glittering synth-pop track featuring LCD and The Juan Maclean collaborator Nancy Whang.
Frankie & The Heartstrings - Hunger
Following in the footsteps of other north-east luminaries The Futureheads, Frankie and The Heartstrings prove once and for all that the regional accent, harmonised backing vocals and new-wave guitars are the perfect means to deliver indie-pop with a sense of urgency.
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - The Garden
I really can't get enough of just how good TEED are already and am so excited about hearing so much more from them next year. 'The Garden' is more laid back than some of their remixes and all the better for it, the vocal interchange between Orlando and Luisia from Lulu and The Lampshades tells the story perfectly astride video game bleeps and irresistible melodies.
Caribou - Odessa
Always a maverick Dan Snaith seemed to find some sort of momentum this year with his excellent album 'Swim'. This is my favourite cut from that LP, a work that holds itself together despite the myriad of layers within. Junior Boys synth-pop, Erland Oye vocals, little ESG sounds here and there, scratchy guitars and bouncing bass motifs all come together some how to produce one of the most accomplished tracks of the year.
Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith - Not In Love
A cover of Platinum Blonde's 1984 new wave hit, fellow Canadians Crystal Castles somehow managed to persuade The Cure's Robert Smith to add his vocals. Their gothy, screechy synths sound so much better with a proper vocal, which warms their too-often frosty sound. The whole track could quite easily be exactly what The Cure would sound like were they emerging around about now and this is very obviously a good thing.
Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets (Jakwob Remix)
At the beginning of the year this was THE go-to track when the dancefloor was teetering on the edge, desperate for that dirty wobble to push them over. Ellie's voice always sound great over dubstep beats and Jakwob adds the perfect tempo to heighten it further. The whistling, ghostly break in the middle just builds that anticipation even further, the looped vocal makes it almost unbearable before those breaking drums, rising synths give way to that bassline.
Jack Beats - Out Of Body
Not as many classic remixes from Jack Beats this year (aside from the incredible 'Shutterbug') as last but this double A-side (with 'UFO') more than made up for it. A grinding, jacking, beat, elastic bass and soaring vocals, bleeps and the requisite almost silent breakdown and build made this a fidgety masterpiece.
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