Ares Carter Reworks Oxia’s ‘Domino’ For A New Generation
Few electronic records come with quite as much baggage for a remixer as Oxia’s ‘Domino’. Twenty years after its original release, New York producer Ares Carter has taken on the enduring club classic with an official new remix for Armada Music.
The challenge is an obvious one. ‘Domino’ is built around a triplet synth melody that has become instantly recognisable across generations of dancefloors, while its various versions have accumulated more than 150 million Spotify streams. Rather than attempting to reinvent that defining hook, Carter uses it as the anchor for his own interpretation.
Finding what could sit underneath it proved to be the key. Carter worked through several versions of the remix before arriving at a bassline capable of giving the production its own identity without fighting the original melody. From there, he brings ‘Domino’ into the indie house territory that has increasingly defined his output.
“Being asked to remix OXIA’s ‘Domino’ is a true honor. It’s such a legendary record, so I really took my time with it,” Carter explains. “I went through several versions before finding a bassline that sat right underneath that iconic triplet synth melody, but once it clicked, the rest of the remix almost wrote itself.”
The New York producer has been steadily expanding his profile through house and indie dance, picking up support from Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati, Keinemusik, Black Coffee and John Summit. His touring schedule has also taken him to Awakenings, Mysteryland, Elrow Marbella and Ultra Music Festival, alongside Ibiza appearances at Pacha, Amnesia and UNVRS.
Carter’s version follows Space 92’s remix earlier this year as Armada continues to revisit Oxia’s 2006 original two decades on. For Carter, the approach is less about replacing a classic than finding enough room inside one of electronic music’s most familiar melodies to leave his own mark.
