It’s been a long time coming, but the remix package of Zedd‘s “Spectrum” has finally landed today in the form of The Spectrum EP. We get seven fully loaded tracks by some of the biggest producers in the dance music world, with their unique takes on what is possibly Zedd’s biggest record to date. I previewed the Armin Van Buuren remix, Arty threw his up on Facebook, I had the pleasure of seeing A-Trak play his remix (with Clockwork) live at Camp Bisco, and contributor Bernie Roche made sure I took the time to listen to Gregori Klosman & Tristan Garner‘s “Knights” remix. Beyond those, we get to hear remixes by Congorock, Deniz Koyu, and Monsta (get these guys some LIKES!) – the latter being the producers I’m least familiar with, but they are new on the scene and big things are ahead for them.
I’m having a hard time deciding which versions are among my favorite. I mean I love the original and I think a lot of people out there can agree. And it’s hard to remix a song like “Spectrum” without removing too many of the original pieces. I was kind of hoping to hear something like what Pleasurekraft did with NERVO’s “You’re Gonna Love Again” where they completely changed the landscape of the song including the vocals. I’ll say that when Armin Van Buuren’s remix hit my ears my immediate reaction was “Wow”. The production value is incredibly high (what else do you expect from the world’s #1 DJ many several years in a row?), but it didn’t have the typical cheesy Trance sound that I’ve come to expect from AVB. And then there’s Deniz Koyu. This guy has been on a tear lately and his sound is just too good – I mean how many times have you heard his song “Bong” played over the past couple months (it’s among my favorites right now)? His remix is definitely more of a party anthem compared to some of the others. Lastly we have this British trio, Monsta, who take “Spectrum” and turn it into a hyphy Dubstep track and if you didn’t know better you may think it’s a Skrillex remix (check out the way they chopped up and changed the pitch of Matt Koma’s vocals). I think Monsta’s version may be the most creative and unique out of the seven remixes.
While I must preface this by saying I thoroughly enjoyed all the remixes, here are my Top 3 (right-click “Save As” to download):
Zedd – Spectrum (Armin van Buuren Remix)
Zedd – Spectrum (Deniz Koyu Remix)
Zedd – Spectrum (Monsta Remix)
Download the ZIP package with all seven remixes plus the original HERE.
If you like these tracks please make sure to support the artists and download from Beatport HERE.