The thing about remixes is that they’re, like, infinite. Nearly every producer does them and—as we currently stand in this party jam/DJ-worship culture—nearly every producer, band, songwriter, DJ, whoever solicits them. Labels like Kitsune and Kompakt issue seemingly endless comps and mixtapes filled with the things. If your album was moderately electro, heavily promoted or even remotely anticipated, you’ve got a single EP (or two, or three) with several edits. It’s just the way shit works.

And, really, it works out just fine, especially for total techno nerds like me. Not only do we get to hear new versions of already great songs (or great versions of sub-par songs, e.g. the T. Rauschmiere remix of David Gahan’s “Bottle Living”), we get tidy little intros to producers who otherwise might have fallen below our radars.

But it does make compiling a definitive list a tad tricky; there will always be something missing. A million producers, a million edits, one year and 10 spots does not easy work make. These are the remixes that stood out the most for me, the edits with something just a bit stronger, more inventive or purely catchy than the others I’ve stockpiled throughout the year. One more week, and this list could’ve changed entirely— remix hoarding is anything but a static hobby.

For most of these tracks we’ve embedded Lala players. You’ll need to have a Lala account to get the songs to play. However Lala accounts are totally free to sign up for and you really should just have one by now!

Honorable Mentions: Empire Of The Sun – “We Are The People (The Shapeshifters Vocal Remix)”, Uffie – “Pop The Glock (Ellen Allien Bang The Glock 2009 RMX)”, Bear In Heaven – “Wholehearted Mess (Pink Skull Remix)”, Kid Cudi – “Day ‘n’ Night (Danny Scrilla Dubstep Remix)”, Depeche Mode – “Wrong (Thin White Duke Remix)”

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10) Tycho – “Coastal Brake (Lusine Remix)” Coastal Brake [Ghostly International]

Seattle’s Lusine is among my favorite producers to take off in 2009, and this remix exemplifies why: ambient, atmospheric and almost cozy-warm, “Coastal Brake” sprawls out like a Pacific Northwest thunderstorm, all gorgeous and intimidating. Here’s hoping 2010 is the year of Lusine.

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9) Modeselektor – “Suckerpin (Feadz Remix)” Happy Birthday Remixed #3 [Bpitch Control]

A fresh take on a years-old track (my fave from 2007′s Happy Birthday), Feadz amps up the industrial and acid-house references bubbling beneath “Suckerpin” and effectively creates something that feels a little familiar but still entirely reimagined.

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8) Jogger – “Nice Tights (Nosaj Thing Remix)” Friends of Friends Remixed [FoF]

If you have yet to check out Nosaj Thing, get on it; you’re seriously missing out. The LA producer exploded into the forefront this year, and his breathless, chilly version of “Nice Tights” is just another in a string of captivating and slightly off-kilter creep-hop tracks. Listen now.

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7) Andi Teichmann – “Tape (ADA Remix)” Adaptations Mixtape #1 [Kompakt]

The most standout remixes are those that totally reimagine a song, and this ADA edit is like a whole new world. Teichmann’s original lo-fi/freak-folk/weirdo-electro track is great enough by itself, but pit it against ADA’s smooth, disco-ish production and you’ve got something worthy of Erlend Oye’s Unrest. Which brings me to…

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6) Whitest Boy Alive – “1517 (Morgan Geist Remix)” 1517 EP [Bubbles]

The Erlend Oye/Morgan Geist pairing has never gone wrong (see: the Unrest classic “Ghost Trains”), and “1517″ is predictably perfect. More expansive and developed than Geist’s productions for Oye’s solo work, this remix takes a hot minute to get started—but once it does, you’ll beg it not to stop.

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5) Pet Shop Boys – “Love Etc. (Gui Boratto Remix)” Love Etc. Remixes [Astralwerks]

Because it clearly wasn’t enough that he killed it with this year’s epic Take My Breath Away, Gui Boratto had to go and outdo himself with a remix so gorgeously perfect, I’d be surprised if the Pet Shop Boys didn’t weep a little when they heard it.

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4) TIE: Fever Ray - “Triangle Walks (Tiga’s 1-2-3-4 Remix) & (Allez-Allez Remix)” Triangle Walks [Mute]

Each “Triangle Walks” remix is so perfectly imagined, favoring one over the other is like deciding which kitten is cuter . It ultimately boils down to whether you prefer Tiga’s tight constructions or Allez-Allez’s thumpy and wandering electro, and I’ve got a serious soft spot for both. You be the judge.

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3) School of Seven Bells – “Trance Figure (Nobody Remix)” Iamundernodisguise [Ghostly International]

A standard School of Seven Bells jam (read: floaty! ethereal!) gone sinister. Nobody’s simply creepy bass and beats take the Dehenza sisters’ vocals from Lilith Fair to total nightmare and, as a result, renders the original completely moot. Download immediately.

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2) Royksopp – “This Must Be It (Apparat Remix)” This Must Be It [Astralwerks]

Apparat, Royksopp and Karin Dreijer-Andersson in one track? You’re right. This MUST be it. If by it, you mean the best day of my life. (Listen for the dropped beat post-chorus and try not to hate Apparat for being so good.)

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1) Peaches – “I Feel Cream (Proxy Remix)” I Feel Cream EP [XL]

Choose one. Proxy is A) a total ripper, B) the next big thing, C) the Russian King Midas, D) a fucking genius, E) all of the above. He didn’t necessarily come out of nowhere, but this Moscow producer has such an ear for sick beats and bass, it’s difficult to understand why he didn’t hit the Justice stride long before Justice did. My money’s on E.

- Rue Sauvage