remix

A new recording of a song by an artist other than the original. A cover can be faithful or transform the song's genre and meaning.

A guest performer credited on another artist's track, usually as "feat.": a rapper's verse, a singer's hook or a second voice. Features bring together different styles and audiences and are central to hip-hop, R&B and dance music.

A longer version of a track, with extra intro, outro or instrumental sections, made for clubs and DJs rather than radio.

A second finished recording of the same song by the same artist, with a different arrangement, tempo or sound rather than a reworking by another producer. Comparing two versions shows how much of a song's mood comes from production rather than from melody and words.

A Jamaican practice of remixing a record by stripping it to drums and bass and treating the rest with echo, reverb and drop-outs. Dub's studio techniques shaped techno, house and electronic music at large.

A track made by laying parts of two or more existing recordings on top of each other, typically the vocal of one song over the instrumental of another. Its art lies in finding songs whose tempo, key and phrasing line up.

Preparing a finished recording again at the mastering stage, the last step before release: adjusting its loudness, tonal balance and dynamics, often from the original tapes and for a new format or reissue. Unlike a remix, a remaster leaves the arrangement and the balance between instruments as they were and changes only the overall sound.

Taking a fragment of an existing recording and reusing it in a new one, as a loop, a chop or a texture. Sampling is central to hip-hop and dance music and raises questions of credit and copyright.