The Knife discuss what it takes to make a good remix

Remixes always seem a bit of a minefield to get right. Do you differ greatly from the original and risk offend both the artist and their fans, or do you give it only a tiny reworking and render your efforts pointless? Well, The Knife have outlined what they think makes a good remix in a rare interview with Dazed Digital.

” look for people who to try to do things differently,” the Swedish band’s Olof Dreijer told the publication in conversation with producer Hannah Holland. “We usually ask people to not be too precious with the vocal, but go crazy with other sounds, and we do tend to ask people we have some connection to so we maintain a community feel.”

“If I’m feeling the track and the artist, then I look for interesting sounds to work with, hooks and textures to mould,” Holland said in response. “I’ve been fortunate to remix a lot of female artists as well as male. It hasn’t been a conscious decision to be gender specific, but I do prefer female vocals. I also tend to have a relationship with a lot of the people I do remixes for.”

You can hear Holland’s remix of ‘Raging Lung’ below, premiered by Dazed. The full interview can be read here.