Dave Aude

For the sake of argument, we’ll say Sean “Vote or Die” Combs really did invent the remix. But it was Dave Aude who perfected it. At least when it comes to morphing pop pap into smoking club creations. Aude has destroyed and rebuilt tracks from a range of artists that includes pop legends Sting and Yoko Ono, pop strumpets Ashlee Simpson and T.A.T.U., and pop-country folk Wynonna Judd and Big and Rich. Aude mixes have hit the top of the Billboard club charts eight times — including an Aude original “That Phone Track” — establishing him as a DJ for the people. But whereas Aude’s penchant for pop reconstruction could potentially diminish his appeal in the eyes of dance music purists, it hasn’t hurt his ability to rub … um … elbows with buxom clubgoers wearing wet dental floss, if the candid photos on his Web site are any indication. Your move, P. Diddy.