For years, dance music fans who’ve wished for good Christmas remixes have mostly received lumps of coal in return. You know, compilations like Santa’s Sleigh Rave, or Xmas Xplosion. I made those titles up, but you get the point.
Having kept a running list of quality Christmas remixes, of all the countless holiday songs recorded over the last couple of decades, only Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Kristine W, Pepper Mashay, Madison Park, Joi Cardwell, and Reina have kindly treated us to an extended trip under the festively decorated discoball. Other artists like Pet Shop Boys, Saint Etienne, and Donna Summer have recorded beat-happy Christmas tunes, but only as single-edits. And not all are always made commercially available.
But for 2010, once again Mariah Carey has thought to make a little merry of her own on the dancefloor. This holiday season the singer released Merry Christmas II You, a sequel to 1994’s Merry Christmas, her multi-platinum set that birthed remixes of “Joy To The World” by house-music legend David Morales, while just last year the album’s most famous moment, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” was reworked as “Mariah’s New Dance Mix.” Now “Oh Santa!,” the highlight of Merry Christmas II You, follows her two previous holiday hoppers into the club.
Jump Smokers and Low Sunday were given the reigns for these “Oh Santa!” reswirls. Jump Smokers has beefed up the cheerleader beat with a few added flourishes, while Low Sunday turned out the only extended mix, though it’s a little slow. Neither are major bangers, but ’tis the season to not be so greedy, so I’ll consider this year’s wish fulfilled:
“All I Want For Christmas Is You,” which has sold over 1.6 million digital downloads, appears on Merry Christmas II You in an “Extra Festive” form. Mariah hinted via Twitter earlier this week that a merry megamix of her two original Christmas tunes was coming soon.
Though carrying her own little bundle of joy, Mariah’s making the rounds of ABC over the next couple of days, appearing on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition tomorrow night, and starring in her very own Christmas special, Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To You, on Monday at 9/8c.
Purchase Mariah Carey – “Oh Santa!” (The Remixes) via iTunes, Amazon MP3.
