A Six Degrees Collection: Christmas Remixed - Holiday Classics Re-Grooved

Dance music is all about the remix, and no genre is safe. As proof, San Francisco's Six Degrees Records have loosed a ragtag band of DJs upon that venerable institution, the Christmas classic. Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Dean Martin, and others all get the turntable treatment here, from the likes of Dan the Automator, Mocean Worker, and Robbie Hardkiss. As one might suspect, the kitsch/fun factor is off the charts. "Baby It's Cold Outside," for instance, lounges comfortably beside any exotic, Les Baxter-style oddity, as Louis Armstrong's crackly vocals meet a slow breakbeat snare drum. Meanwhile, Beef Wellington fashions a swinging beat around Crosby's "Happy Holidays," and successfully mixes it with the song's jaunty horn section. Other attempts are less endearing; versions of "Joy to the World," and "The First Noel" inspire only energetic rolls in the graves of their composers. Still, even if you believe some wax simply shouldn't be tampered with, this collection offers a giddy abundance of holiday cheer. --Matthew Cooke