The 25 Best Remixes of the Last 25 Years

Dua Lipa is reinventing her sound. At least, temporarily.

With the debut of a remixed “Levitating” on Aug. 13, she’s kicked off a new promo cycle just months after the release of her excellent sophomore studio album, Future Nostalgia. Only, the material she’s promoting isn’t entirely new.

Rather, as the overhauled version of the album cut indicates, she’s handing over the master recordings of the LP to let some of dance music’s best and brightest chop up her tracks however they see fit for a new album titled, appropriately, Club Future Nostalgia.

Already, producer The Blessed Madonna has worked her magic on the aforementioned “Levitating,” with Missy Elliott and the actual Madonna pitching in to pump up the star power. If the rest of the LP, which is set to include a Mark Ronson remix of “Physical” featuring Gwen Stefani, lives up to the energy of this first taste, we’re all in for one hell of a treat.

While we await the album, due Aug. 28, we thought we’d take a look back at the 25 best remixes to have come our way over the last 25 years. You know, to get us in the mood.

When Megan Thee Stallion brought Beyoncé aboard the remix of this track off her 2020 EP SUGA, she didn’t simply ask Queen Bey to sing a new hook. Instead, the two powerhouses essentially recreated the entire song, with Bey spitting some fire verses right alongside rap’s newest queen.

LISTEN HERE

This Saint Jhn track has been around since 2016, but it didn’t gain any traction until Kazakh producer Imanbek chopped it up and turned the evocative song into the ultimate party jam in 2019. Chances are you’ve only ever heard this version of the song, which has peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

LISTEN HERE

In 2019, Norwegian producer Kygo gave the world a gift when he transformed a 20-year-old Whitney Houston cover of this Steve Winwood song into the trop-house track of our dreams, giving us all another change to revel in that glorious voice taken from us way too soon.

LISTEN HERE

Pop fans lost their minds when Britney Spears tapped Nicki Minaj and Kesha for a remix of this killer track in 2011. With the latter, who co-wrote the song, handling the chorus and the former delivering a truly fire verse, this one will keep us dancing until, well, you know.

LISTEN HERE

This 2001 collab between Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule for a reissue of a track off her second album, J.Lo, paved the way for her transition into a more R&B/hip-hop sound in the ensuing years.

LISTEN HERE

When Taylor Swift added Kendrick Lamar to the remix of this song off her album 1989, she took the also took the opportunity to update the instrumental, allowing for this song about friendship gone wrong to live up to its full fiery potential.

LISTEN HERE

In their first collab ever, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj completely reinvented this standout track off the former’s self-titled 2013 album. It was here that we got our first sense of the game Queen Bey could spit, giving the Queen of Rap a serious run for her money. And that reference to the infamous elevator incident? In a word: flawless.

LISTEN HERE

As if this 2017 smash hit reissue from Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber—which once shared the title of longest-reigning number one on the Billboard Hot 100 at 16 weeks—wouldn’t be featured on this list.

LISTEN HERE

And as if the song that took its place, 2019’s genre-bending hit collab between Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, wouldn’t be here either. “Old Town Road” was remixed several times over the course of the year. We remain partial to the one that added Young Thug and Mason Ramsey—yes, the Walmart yodel kid—into the mix.

LISTEN HERE

Rihanna and Britney Spears joining forces to sing the praises of chains and whips? We like it, like it.

LISTEN HERE

When Diplo got his hands on this Kelly Rowland track off her 2011 album Here I Am, he totally overhauled the sultry song, moving Lil Wayne‘s killer verse up to the top and giving the whole thing an icy electro feel that improved upon the original’s somewhat sleepy R&B vibe.

LISTEN HERE

Mariah Carey worked with Sean Combs—who was still going by Puff Daddy at the time—on this remix of the track off her 1995 album Daydream. Thanks to his production and a fantastic feature from Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the reissue blew up, kickstarting her crossover into the hip-hop market.

LISTEN HERE

As originally produced, this Mike Posner track is a melancholic, acoustic look at the dark side of fame. In the hands of Norwegian producer Seeb, the melancholy remains. It’s just that, with the new trop-house production, you could now dance through your tears.

LISTEN HERE

Bet you didn’t know that the version of this Britney Spears hit off her first album, 1999’s …Baby One More Time, that you’re most familiar with is actually a remix! When it was tapped for inclusion on the soundtrack for the teen movie Drive Me Crazy, Brit and producer Max Martin hit the studio to re-record the vocals, giving the song a new intro and its iconic “Stop!” interjection at the breakdown. And the rest is history.

LISTEN HERE

Lana Del Rey‘s 2012 pop ballad is gorgeous in its own right. But in the hands of French producer Cedric Gervais, it became an absolute house and Eurodance hit, ready to take 2013’s dog days of summer by storm.

LISTEN HERE

This iconic collaboration between Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Missy Elliott was only ever performed once—live at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards—but it lives on in infamy on Madge’s remix album Remixed & Revisited. You’ll just have to close your eyes and relive all the onstage spit-swapping in your imagination. (And yes, that makes a total of four appearances for Britney on this list.)

LISTEN HERE

After Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera debuted a reworked version of this controversial track off her 2013 album ARTPOP live on The Voice, it proved to be the perfect tonic for those with a bitter taste left in their mouth thanks to R. Kelly‘s inclusion on the original. And now that the original has since been scrubbed from existence on all streaming platforms, this far superior collab is, rightfully, all that remains.

LISTEN HERE

We liked this track when it was just Lorde by her lonesome on her 2017 album Melodrama. But we absolutely loved it when Khalid, SZA and Post Malone came aboard the remix, each singing new verses they wrote themselves.

LISTEN HERE

The original version of this song, featured on Kylie Minogue‘s 2003 album Body Language, is one of the very best of her career. It’s risky to mess with near perfection, but that’s what the Chemical Brothers did. Luckily for them, it paid off. Their propulsive production kicks the whole affair into overdrive. It’s a force.

LISTEN HERE

When Jamie xx got his hands on this soaring stomper off Florence + the Machine‘s debut album, adding his The xx bandmates into the vocal mix, he turned it into a skittering, stripped-back sensation.

LISTEN HERE

The decision to turn this Ed Sheeran hit into a dancehall duet with Nyla trading off verses with our favorite ginger pop star was a truly brilliant one.

LISTEN HERE

By adding A$AP Ferg into the mix on this reissue of this track, originally featured on their debut album, Haim injected the slinky and somewhat menacing tune with that much more verve.

LISTEN HERE

When this song first appeared on Disclosure’s debut album, Settle, it was one of few where brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence opted not to feature a guest vocal, relying on Howard alone. But when you have the option to add Mary J. Blige to your track, you take it. She sings the damn house down here.

LISTEN HERE

We’ll admit it, we found the original of this Selena Gomez track—released as the lead single off the 13 Reasons Why season two soundtrack—a bit sleepy. This Riton & Kah-Lo remix, however, brought the whole thing to life.

LISTEN HERE

In the hands of long-time collaborators The Weeknd and Illangelo, this bombastic Lady Gaga track off her 2011 album Born This Way became something more sinister and sultrier. Featured on the full-length remix album released that same year, it’s the best of many mind-blowing reinventions Gaga commissioned for the material on the original LP.

LISTEN HERE

Club Future Nostalgia: The Remix Album drops Friday, Aug. 28.