Remixes overview

July 07, 2021

Remixes overview

[Last update: October 25th 2024]

This overview is to complement the discography and singles entries. It features all known Rank 1 remixes (including those that were cancelled after they were close to completion or finished). To view a timeline of all their official releases with sound samples/previews, please visit: https://symsonic1.blogspot.com

Nothing gets the party started like a good Rank 1 Remix! Whenever the guys have dedicated their talents towards remixing another artist, they've tended to offer something with their version that the original did not possess. At times this has led to Rank 1 Remixes with a radically different sound than the originals they were based on. A prime example is one of their, imo, must underrated remixes: Cosmic Gate - Fire Wire (Rank 1 Remix). Obviously remixing a Hard Trance classic like Fire Wire was never going to be an easy task. But in terms of offering something new on the basis of the old, they did an excellent job: taking the original hook and adding extra chord layers whilst shortening the notes somewhat completely changed the atmosphere of the original. Added with the echoing percussion and hissing fx, Rank 1 turned Fire Wire into a dark, industrial, Techy monster. I had the privilege of Piet dropping this live during Electronic Family Festival 2011 because I requested it and it did not miss!! Sadly, Trance fans are quite protective when it comes to their classics (takes one to know one, heh) and so this remix never really got the love it deserved for what it tried to pull off. Fire Wire (Rank 1 Remix) is just one example of Rank 1's Remixing genius as far as I'm concerned but there more examples.

Of course, they took Cygnus X's legendary Superstring and completely chopped it up and re-arranged this masterpiece in a way that suited them. The result was one of the biggest and most beloved Trance classics of all time: Despite ID&T's Sensation completely lost touch with its Trance roots post-2005, Superstring (Rank 1 Remix) remained a staple of the Sensation Megamix. After all, it was chosen as the very first Sensation Anthem for the legendary event.

When they completely reinvented themselves with Beats At Rank-1 Dotcom / After Me, it would only be a matter of time for them to utilize their new sound in some remixes as well. Mr Sam - Lyteo (Rank 1 Remix) killed many dancefloors throughout 2005 and beyond: a merciless banger of a Tech Trancer, this remix too, saw Rank 1 take an original and completely bend it to their will.

The guys' own take on the first Rank 1 collaboration ever, Life Less Ordinary vs. Alex M.O.R.P.H. was a fun and playful unusual remix. On the one hand it very much kept the original's structure intact, and also kept the Electro elements present. On the other hand they stripped most of this Electro down to its bare bones and applied the fx differently to make their version more minimalistic yet also more bouncy. The strings in the breakdown where replaced by playful synths playing a catchy variant of that beautiful melody in the original Life Less Ordinary. The original dominated dancefloors in 2006 and the Less Ordinary Rank 1 Remix got extend that run well into 2007.

2010 was an amazing year for Rank 1 Remixes. Following the massive b2b successes of L.E.D. There Be Light and Symfo after yet another soundshift for Rank 1, Anjunabeats must have felt they needed to get their hands on our Legends' soundbank! As a result, Anjunabeats did release not commission one, not two but as much as THREE remixes from the guys, of which the third would see its official release in January 2011. Velvetine - Safe, Mat Zo - 24 Hours and Super8 & Tab feat. Julie Thompson - My Enemy were all given the famous Rank 1 touch. What made these mixes stand out is that though they were obviously using modern day sound design, fx, basslines and whatnot, the melodies in them seemed to be a throwback of sorts to the Classic Rank 1 sound of 1999-2003. As a result, Rank 1 were effectively one of the very first acts to go "Retro" in this new decade. It was Rank 1 alongside guys like Bart Claessen (Hartseer, Who.is - We.Are, El Dorado) that tried to bring back some of that old glory. Rank 1 of course would release 7 Instead Of 8 (2012) and Elements Of Nature (2013, with M.I.K.E./Push) to critical acclaim. Though Dimension - Origami and Gouryella - Anahera are both often credited as being responsible for setting in motion the process of Trance slowly ripping itself free from the clutches of the Swedish House Maffia-driven Trance, people often forget that Rank 1 was ahead of the curve, and these remixes for Anjunabeats were the very first seeds they planted back in 2010.

For whatever reason the guys sadly released no remixes between 2014 and 2021. Luckily in 2022 they brought back the Magic of the Rank 1 Remix by re-imagining Aly & Fila and JES' Progressive gem Sunrise. For this remix, they gave the proggy original a more dancefloor-oriented feel and energy. They also kept JES intact (I mean, who wouldn't?!) and brought back those iconic Rank 1 supersaws for the main melody. The result is a short (by Yesteryear's standards) but incredibly sweet dancefloor anthem that still rocks my socks today (25-10-2024)! Rank 1 hasn't lost their ability to make killer remixes in the slightest.

I could keep talking for hours about their remixes but it's probably for the best that you discover them for yourself if you haven't already! Below you will find a big playlist full of them, OR, you could opt to scroll further and taste all the preview samplers you want at your leisure and preferred order. Happy hunting! :)

NOTE: sadly, neither Spotify nor Youtube have EVERY mix/version of their remixes... So we'll have to make due with what I was able to find.

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