I’ve been in love with the Verve Remixed series since it first dropped in the early 2000s. Those records were part of my DJ sets and at-home listening: classic Verve jazz recordings flipped by modern electronic producers in a way that felt respectful, musical, and actually useful for DJs and selectors. They were my gateway back into the Verve catalog at a time when I was living almost entirely in house, broken beat, and downtempo.
So when Verve brought back the original Verve Remixed on that beautiful orange starburst vinyl, it felt like a proper moment. Naturally, I hoped that meant the rest of the series—and especially the holiday edition—would follow.
We all know that holiday music is fun at first, but it can start to get really stale really fast. Good news, your boring holiday playlist is about to get a massive upgrade!
In October 2025, Verve finally delivered with Verve Remixed Holiday, a refreshed take on the 2008 Verve Remixed Christmas release. It’s not just a repress; it’s a curated hybrid—five classic remixes from the original CD plus five brand-new remixes from a new wave of producers like Ginton, Bolden, Tourist, Two Another, and DARGZ.
And for anyone into holiday vinyl, Christmas jazz remixes, or jazz-inspired electronic music, this one absolutely belongs in the crate.
A Look Back: The Original Verve Remixed Christmas (2008)
The 2008 Verve Remixed Christmas CD was one of the strongest seasonal projects of its time. It took iconic Verve holiday material and gave it a thoughtful, tasteful electronic twist—never tipping into cheesy EDM, never losing the character of the original performances.
Original Tracklist – Verve Remixed Christmas (2008)
- Louis Armstrong – “‘ Zat You, Santa Claus?” (The Heavy Remix)
- Count Basie Orchestra – “Good Morning Blues” (Real Tuesday Weld Remix)
- Ella Fitzgerald – “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” (St. Etienne Remix)
- Billie Holiday – “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” (Yesking Remix)
- Louis Armstrong – “What a Wonderful World” (Nickodemus Remix)
- Shirley Horn – “Winter Wonderland” (Davide Rossi Remix)
- Jimmy Smith – “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (Oh No Remix)
- Nina Simone – “I Am Blessed” (Wax Tailor Remix)
- Dinah Washington – “Silent Night” (Brazilian Girls Remix)
- Mel Tormé – “The Christmas Song” (Sonny J Remix)
- Nina Simone – “Chilly Winds Don’t Blow” (Fink Remix)
That tracklist alone is why the original CD became a cult favorite and a go-to for people who wanted holiday music that didn’t suck.
The 2025 Update: Verve Remixed Holiday (Crystal Clear Vinyl)
The 2025 Verve Remixed Holiday release takes that 2008 blueprint and reframes it for a new era:
- Five remixes return from the original album
- Five are brand-new remixes commissioned from a new generation of producers
The end result is a 10-track LP that feels cohesive, modern, and still deeply rooted in the Verve legacy.
Official Tracklist – Verve Remixed Holiday (2025, Clear LP)
- Nina Simone – “Chilly Winds Don’t Blow” (Bolden. Remix)
- Ella Fitzgerald – “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” (Two Another Remix)
- Louis Armstrong & The Commanders – “‘ Zat You, Santa Claus?” (The Heavy Remix)
- Count Basie – “Good Morning Blues” (The Real Tuesday Weld Clerkenwell Remix)
- Mel Tormé – “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” (DARGZ Remix)
- Billie Holiday – “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” (Yesking Remix)
- Ella Fitzgerald – “We Three Kings” (Tourist Remix)
- Nina Simone – “I Am Blessed” (Ginton Remix)
- Shirley Horn – “Winter Wonderland” (Christian Pommer Remix)
- Dinah Washington – “Silent Night” (Brazilian Girls Remix)
This is where the record really shines: it bridges the 2008 CD and the new 2025 remix approach, keeping the DNA of the original while making it feel alive again for modern listeners.
Cocktail Party or Dance Party? Both.
As a holiday jazz remix album, this thing hits a sweet spot. The sequencing works both as:
- A front-to-back listen while you’re decorating, cooking, or hosting, and
- A DJ-friendly source of seasonal curveballs that won’t clear the floor.
The newer cuts—especially the Bolden., Two Another, Tourist, Ginton, and DARGZ remixes—bring a little more texture and rhythmic modernity without going over the top. You’re still hearing Nina, Ella, Billie, Louis, Dinah, Shirley, Mel—but now in a context that fits neatly into a late-night jazz bar set or a sophisticated cocktail playlist.
Vinyl Pressing & Sound Quality
Verve Remixed Holiday comes pressed on crystal clear vinyl, the LP feels like a proper object, and these little touches add to the conversation when pulling it out of the sleeve, and collectors love it. Verve clearly understands that the overlap between jazz heads, electronic fans, and vinyl collectors is real; this pressing is good, with a warm midrange and solid low-end presence. You will hear artifacts from the original material, especially when listening on a nicer system, but that’s to be expected. If you throw an old jazz record, don’t expect it to have the sonic clarity of modern music, but instead a bit of that texture or old school stereo separation that makes those old records distinct and fun to listen to.
The remixes are detailed but not hyper-compressed, which is crucial for this kind of material. The classic performances breathe, the room tone is still there, and the electronic elements sit around the vocals rather than bulldozing them, for the most part anyway.
Standout Tracks
The Verve Remixed Holiday album doesn’t rely on any mediocre filler; it’s all very well done. Here are my favorite cuts though.
- Nina Simone – “Chilly Winds Don’t Blow” (Bolden. Remix) -A perfect mission statement for the album—moody, modern, but still all about Nina’s vocal.
- Ella Fitzgerald – “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” (Two Another Remix) – Smooth, contemporary, and tailor-made for holiday playlists that skew more cocktail bar than shopping mall. If you don’t get some props on this one, you need new friends.
- Mel Tormé – “The Christmas Song” (DARGZ Remix) – One of the most overplayed holiday standards on earth, somehow rendered fresh again with smart, restrained production.
- Ella Fitzgerald – “We Three Kings” (Tourist Remix) – This one feels like it could live in a downtempo or nu-jazz set year-round, not just in December.
These tracks are where Verve Remixed Holiday really earns its spot alongside the original series and other best holiday vinyl records in rotation.
Final Thoughts on Verve Remixed Holiday
As someone who’s been championing the Verve Remixed series for years, I’m honestly happy with how Verve Remixed Holiday turned out. It’s not a lazy repress or a gimmicky cash grab—it’s a thoughtful, 2025-ready evolution of Verve Remixed Christmas, with enough new material to justify the buy even if you own the original CD. Personally I’m biased towards the vinyl format, especially for holiday parties as the music becomes interactive and a conversation, not an afterthought or background music.
This is going to be heavy rotation holiday listening for me—and I’m sure many others, as there is a true shortage of cool holiday albums out there and one can only take so much Bing Crosby. And more importantly, it gives me hope that we’ll see more Verve Remixed titles back on wax, maybe even a brand-new installment built specifically for this era. Welcome back, Verve Remixed. I’ve missed you.
David Ireland is a professional strategist, creative, and marketer. He began his career in 1995 as creator and publisher of BPM Magazine. In August 2000, BPM Magazine merged with djmixed.com LLC, an online media company based in Los Angeles, which later evolved into the Overamerica Media Group [OMG] in 2003. In 2009, Ireland left Overamerica Media Group to serve as the VP of Marketing at Diesel. In 2011, he returned to his roots in media and cofounded the online electronic music publication Magnetic Magazine and created The Magnetic Agency Group. In June 2018, Ireland joined Winter Music Conference (now owned by Ultra Music Festival) as the Director to lead the reboot for 2019 and usher in a new era for the iconic brand. He served as Chief Marketing Officer at Victrola for three years, guiding product innovation and brand growth. He currently serves on the advisory board of Audiopool, a new music tech startup focused on AI-generated music licensing and artist revenue models.
