Veronica Electronica
was originally supposed to be released as a companion to
Madonna
's revelatory 1998 genre pivot
Ray of Light
, digging even deeper into the world of electronica with a set of remixes from some of the most notable producers of the time. Instead, it would be over 25 years before this once-fabled effort would be released. While much of it had existed in the wild for
diehards to enjoy over the decades,
finally received official release in 2025 as an eight-track set. For all the buildup and the resulting compilation, this may be somewhat of a disappointment for those expecting more from the vault: regardless of how good these selections may be, there are only seven remixes and just one demo of a "new" song that wasn't on the original
. For more forgiving fans, however, this release offers a fascinating peek into the era, providing more intense, trance-y forays for some much-beloved tracks. The remixer list is a who's who of turn-of-the-millennium techno stars:
BT
and
Sasha
team up on the urgent "Bucklodge Ashram New Edit" that propels "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" to a more blissed-out plane. Next, the latter superstar DJ tackles the joyous title track, hardening it into a tough, pounding dancefloor stomper. The late
Peter Rauhofer
(aka
Club 69
) transforms "Skin" and "Nothing Really Matters" into deep trance escapes, as the other "Skin" remixer,
Victor Calderone
, puts a hypnotic spin on "Sky Fits Heaven." Original producer
William Orbit
's "Widescreen Mix and Drums" edit of
's centerpiece "Frozen" is as advertised, creating a darker shadow world that is both cinematic and tribal. Finally,
Fabien Waltmann
slaps some drum'n'bass skitter and ominous atmospherics on the formerly yearning ballad "The Power of Good-Bye," totally twisting the emotional impact of the original
standout. Remixes aside, fans who haven't dug around the Internet over the years and are eager to hear something fresh should head straight to "Gone Gone Gone," an urgent bop that makes this entire effort worth checking out. These additions to one of
's most critically acclaimed eras make
one of the more intriguing releases to come from the retrospective anniversary series that was rolled out into the 2020s; it also pairs nicely with the dancefloor remix compilation
Finally Enough Love
(on which even more remixes of
tracks and some familiar names can be found). ~ Neil Z. Yeung