On Friday, house DJ Pete Tong dumped an exclusive gem on unsuspecting listeners during his weekly podcast: A remix by Redanka, of Snow Patrol’s Open Your Eyes. Redanka is no stranger to electro-fused indie pop, his past credence turns up works like “In A State” (unrelated to the UNKLE song of the same name), as well as remixes of Conjure One and Suicide Sports Club. What’s notable however, is that yet another pop hit has been remixed for progressive dance music consumption. This is simply the continuation of a long-running tradition that’s opened up in a big, big way in 2006.

The Rundown

Maybe it wouldn’t have been such a big deal, had it not been for Future Retro. Released by Rhino — a label with a historical penchant for creating compilation cash cows — this disc brought together a series of 14 hits from the 80′s, commissioned to today’s electronic big shots for remixes. The names included such giants as The Crystal Method, Adam Freeland, Elite Force, Static Revenger, Infusion, Bill Hamel and Way Out West. It was released in February, and tracks (such as the Method’s reworking of New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle) were littered across mix CDs and DJ sets.

It didn’t stop there. Two months later, New Order popped up on the radar again, this time with Planet Funk remixing the single “Waiting For The Sirens’ Call.” Coldplay emerged with mixes of “Talk” by Junkie XL and Jacques Lu Cont following an early bootleg version by Max Graham. Imogen Heap’s acapella brilliance of “Hide & Seek” spawned a series of bootleg mixes led by R3volve, Usher recruited the services of Sander Kleinenberg for “Caught Up,” Nine Inch Nails employed a remix contest (an increasing trend) for “Only” and the Killers again re-enlisted Lu Cont for their latest single, “When You Were Young” after the massive success of 2005′s “Mr. Brightside.” Things swing full circle to Snow Patrol, with a recent bootleg remix of “Chasing Cars” by Blake Jarrell and Topher Jones pounding through clubs.

Granted, this has been going on a while — sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. Junkie XL made a worldwide splash by giving modern treatment to Elvis’ “A Little Less Conversation,” subsequently earning massive exposure in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and running up the charts to #1 in over 20 countries. But a belated attempt by Paul Oakenfold to capitalize on Elvis’ “Rubberneckin” went down in flames. Likewise, Adam Freeland’s harrowing and disingenuous bastardization of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” drew sharp criticism.

Trickle-Down

The recent focus on remixing pop tunes has reached an unprecedented level, and perhaps the pop stars themselves are partly to blame. Forward-thinking bands such as Depeche Mode and New Order have been bucking the trend since day one, while psuedo-diva Madonna enlisted dance music’s finest in an attempt to cull a relationship with the underground movement and reach out to fans that would otherwise spit on her relentlessly overwraught schlock. Other bands attempted an outright adoption of dance music, only to fall back and leave it to the professionals; as U2 did through the 90′s and leading up to 2000′s remix-laden single, “Beautiful Day.”

In a sense the unwitting marriage between pop music and EDM’s reinterpretation indicates a larger hope for both sides. The digital underground is growing bigger every year, and with the advent of online distribution seems poised to make a clean jump into pop culture spotlight. Bootlegging pop stars offers an element of familiarity for new adopters — a Coldplay fan may soon follow the rabbit trail provided by Junkie XL to discover a whole new world of breakbeat — and when done correctly turns average names into dance floor demigods, as Blake Jarrell and R3volve witnessed firsthand.

Likewise it can work in the opposite direction. Alternative band Grand National garnered a largely curious fanbase following Sasha’s spacey touch on “Talk Amongst Yourselves.” Britain-based Longview created a new legion of followers by enlisting downtempo maestro Ulrich Schnauss to produce a pair of remixes. Both bands won fledging support based on the additional exposure provided by established electronic music producers, leveraging the inquisitional nature of independent scenegoers to promote their work.

The Ableton Effect

In early 2003 the tools finally caught up. Real-time remix/performance software Ableton Live finally lifted off into full throttle, paving the way for a whole new bag of trickery and transforming the entire approach to DJing with a ground-up digital solution. The ease of use prompted early adopters Richie Hawtin and BT to create samples and loops for the specific purpose of conjuring live sets in clubs, and it wasn’t long before on-the-fly remixes followed. BT’s early Ableton sets were laced with a number of pop artists never touched by remix artists, including The Police, The Beatles and The Who. When fellow house gurus Deep Dish sardonically kicked out a mix of Eminem sampling “Nobody listens to techno,” the message was clear: Pop’s sacred cows were about to be slaughtered.

Coupled with the persistent promotion of electronic shows on college campuses, Ableton allowed a freewheeling everything-goes approach to music and offered greater accessibility to the masses. It wasn’t long before trendy crowds packed Avalon and Spundae hoping to hear their latest radio favorites, and for fans of 2005′s “Feel Good Inc.” by the Gorillaz, it was almost a complete certainty.

Today and Tomorrow

There’s no indication of the tradition slowing down. Pop music has always been the top feeder that energizes and inspires the various independent scenes: Whether it’s punk cover bands, hip hop bootlegs or jazz ensembles. And while it’s been going on for decades, it’s only within the last few years that dance music has leapt decisively on the bandwagon. Given the level of market exposure that it has already achieved, it’s no surprise that fusions between the two remain staunchly popular amongst both EDM fans and radio station dwellers alike. While the purists may run for cover amongst blippy dubs in dank nightclubs, the overwhelming electronic proletariat will likely embrace a progressive inclusion into pop music. And so long as artistic merit rises above the foray of commercial profiteering, this will remain a good thing.