What does remix mean?
Remix is a modern word for a new version of an existing work, especially a song or recording. To remix something means to alter, rearrange, combine, or otherwise transform its elements while retaining recognizable features of the original. In music, remixes may change the tempo, rhythm, instrumentation, vocals, or overall style, often creating a version suited to a different audience or setting, such as a club or radio edit. The word has also broadened beyond music to describe new creative works that reinterpret older material, including films, literature, images, and digital content. Remix became particularly prominent through electronic music and DJ culture in the late twentieth century, although its combination of the prefix re-, meaning again, with mix gives it an immediately understandable sense of making something anew. Today it can sound technical and professional in the recording industry, but informal in ordinary conversation. It is also useful beyond entertainment: “remix” conveys transformation, experimentation, and the creative reuse of existing material rather than merely making a copy.
A new version of an existing song, recording, or creative work, created by altering, combining, or reworking elements of the original.
"Fans praised the atmospheric remix of the song."
Common in music and contemporary media; an unofficial remix may also imply experimentation or adaptation for a different audience.
To create a new version of a song, recording, or creative work by altering, combining, or reworking its elements.
"They remixed the acoustic track into an upbeat electronic number."
Widely used in music and digital culture, but by extension it can refer to reinterpreting other kinds of creative material.
The regular plural of the noun is remixes, with the final s pronounced /ɪz/.
"The producer has released several remixes of the track."
A remix rebuilds a song without erasing its identity, turning familiar material into something new.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does remix come from?
Remix is a twentieth-century formation combining the prefix re-, meaning again, with mix. Mix comes through Middle English from Old French and ultimately from Latin miscere, meaning to mix or mingle. The compound was established for altered versions of recorded music before its meaning broadened to creative reinterpretations in other media.
Related word forms
How remix is actually used
Remix is especially common in music, electronic dance music, and contemporary creative media. It can be neutral and technical in industry contexts, while in general conversation it often suggests an unofficial or experimental reinterpretation.
Easily confused with remix
A remake generally creates a new work from the same source material, whereas a remix usually reworks an existing recording by transforming its musical elements.
A mix combines separate recordings or tracks, while a remix usually begins with an existing recording and reshapes it into a new version.