Global Groove: Remix

Among our master remix crew, we have near totally obscure knob-twiddlers laboring cheek-by-jowl with artists whose records you already have, and for whom remixing is a side project, rather than their main gig. Massive Attack, for instance, drop a chunky bass line into a fat groove behind late qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in "Mustt Mustt (Massive Attack Remix)." Down-tempo wizards Thievery Corporation lay their beats under the trancelike vocals of Anoushka Shankar in "Beloved (Thievery Corporation Remix)." And perpetual hip-hop faves the Roots add their urban accent to Afrobeat founder Fela Kuti and his son Femi on "Blackman Know Yourself (The Roots Remix)."

In Next Steps, we turn to some less familiar — but equally gifted — studio stars.

Remixers are the ravens of the music world, always retrieving bright, shiny objects to bring back to their nests . . . and do they ever fly far afield in search of their booty. "Far Away from Home (DJ Sugar Caine Mix)" originated in the central Asian Republic of Tuva, where Huun-Huur-Tu and other throat singers can actually produce chords with a single voice. Hedningarna's "Kruspolska (Sasha Remix)" started its life as a Swedish polka, though it's now decked out in trance-dance garb. And Omar Faruk Tekbilek retains a great deal of the Istanbul bazaar ambience from his original cut, but "Shashkin (Hefner Remix)" wields a techno edge that belies its source.

In Deep Cuts, even the far-flung Celts and Argentines get techno savvy.

Afro Celt Sound System's musical pedigree has always been, um, mixed, so it's not really such a great leap to hear them remixed, as they are in "Whirl-Y Reel 2 (Folk Police Mix)," with its waves of violin crashing in on a percussively rocky shore. Somewhat more refined, but even more danceable, is the beat-laden cover of Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla's "Tanguedia 3" by Nickodemus and Osiris. And when it's finally time to chill, half of superstar down-tempo duo Kruder & Dorfmeister has crafted a chill version of Sofa Surfers' "Sofa Rockers (Richard Dorfmeister Remix)" that's as soft and fluffy as a bunny's pillow.

Maybe you don't have the time or the money to make the Ibiza club scene this season. No worries: We can transform your living space into Cafe del Mar, Pacha, or El Divino for way less than a flight to Vegas. From Brooklyn to Brazil, Brighton to Bombay, our remixers hail from the four corners of the globe. While some of these behind-the-board studio wizards may be unknown to all but techno insiders, others are recording artists you already have in your collection, so dig in and hear them work their wonders, restyling jazz, pop, and world music into dance-floor masterpieces that will have you grooving in Balearic bliss.