It’s not often that I come across a Britney mix I haven’t heard, but when I do? OH! The sheer delight.
A few days ago, my friend Jonny of love:jonny sent over a remix I’d somehow never heard before: The James Holden vocal mix of the Steve Anderson-produced “Breathe On Me,” arguably my second favorite B song of all time.
The remix takes the throbbing trance perfection of the original and brings it to somewhat spookier new heights, stretching and distorting the singer’s sexy moans into lonesome cries on top of spaced-out synthesizers and bright flourishes of electronica. I’m utterly obsessed at the moment.
After a little e-snooping, the mix led to some intriguing info about the song–and yes, further confirmation that “Breathe On Me” was indeed intended to be a single off of 2003’s In The Zone.
James Holden was officially commissioned by Team Spears to mix the song back in 2004. According to a snippet he posted on his website back in July of 2004 however (just one month after Britney’s injury on the set of “Outrageous”), the single’s release was canceled:
the britney mixes i did recently.. it turns out “breathe on me” isnt going to be a single ever, so they’ll never be on vinyl. so they’re high bitrate mp3s from the original digital masters. i hope you enjoy them, it’d be a shame if noone ever got to hear them so this is the best i can do.
The article is no longer active on Holden’s website, and the site that re-blogged the information back in 2005 doesn’t have working links to the remixes. Luckily, they’re still circulating around the interwebz in glorious high quality, and I’m more than happy to share the wealth!
Along with the Vocal Mix, you’ll definitely want to nab the Dub Mix as well. Even though there’s hardly any vocals (aside from one signature Britney breath, the chorus line, and a few utterances of “baby”), it’s a slick, electro-glitchy affair that really compliments the original.
While “Breathe On Me” will never see the official single treatment it so rightfully deserved (one of the worst pop injustices of all time!), we can still cherish the memories of what might have been with these lush mixes.
I hope you love!
PS: Make sure to check out my interview with Mr. Anderson from earlier this summer in which he talks briefly about the experience of writing the track for B. Yay!