Dance
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A new Skrillex album is arriving in a matter of days.
Quest for Fire is scheduled to drop this Friday, Feb. 17, on OWSLA/Atlantic Records.
The DJ and producer first revealed the news to fans on Instagram Saturday night (Feb. 11).
“My new album QUEST FOR FIRE out 2/17. You can hear tracks from QFF in my basement set live on YouTube now,” he wrote.
In the caption for the YouTube video, he rounded up what seems to be a 13-song track list: “Rumble” feat. Fred Again.. & Flowdan x Hamdi – Skanka, “Xena” feat. Nai Barghouti, “Inhale Exhale” feat. Aluna, “A Street I Know” feat. Eli Keszler, “Tears” feat. Joker & Sleepnet, “Warped Tour ’05” feat. Pete Wentz, “Good Space” feat. Starrah, “Too Bizarre (juked)” feat. Swae Lee, Siiickbrain & Posij x Constantine & Squadooble – Bust Down, “Supersonic (My Existence) VIP” feat. Noisia, Josh Pan & Dylan Brady, “Leave Me Like This” feat. Bobby Raps x BABY AGAIN feat. Four Tet & Fred Again.., “Butterflies” feat. Starrah & Four Tet, “Ratata” feat. Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo, and “Still Here (With the Ones That I Came With)” feat. Porter Robinson & Bibi Bourelly.
“Rumble” was released as a single in January.
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Though he’s kept busy with singles and collaborations, the new full-length album comes nearly nine years after his last full-length, 2014’s Recess, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Watch Skrillex preview his new album tracks below. Quest for Fire can be pre-saved here.
When you think of love songs, artists like Frank Sinatra, Etta James, The Beatles, Al Green and Dolly Parton are probably among the first that come to mind. Sure, it is country, pop and R&B that have seen most of the biggest hits under the everlasting theme — but “love songs” encompass much more than just sentimental ballads.
EDM may have a reputation for heavy bass drops and addictive synth beats, but a growing number of dance tracks feature thoughtful and emotional lyrics, too. Several top 10s have proven EDM’s reach goes beyond the club and rave scenes. DJs like Calvin Harris have made the genre more accessible to all music lovers — with Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, Frank Ocean and Migos being among the collaborators who’ve brought vocals to his skillful arrangements.
When words and EDM’s trademark pulsing beats join forces, it’s no surprise that love is among the most popular subjects. Whether the lyrics detail finding your soulmate or realizing you still having feelings for the one that got away, there are hundreds of electronic tracks pinpointing the fuzzy feeling you get when you’re around that special someone. Billboard has narrowed them down and put together a list of our favorite EDM love songs of all time.
Let’s be honest, saying “I love you” doesn’t always come easy. Or if it does, it can be hard to show it. Thankfully, music is there to do the work for you – or at least encourage you to show the one you love just how much you care. Listen to 55 dance-ready ways to say those three little words below.
This week in dance music: Beyoncé made history in more than one way when she won the Grammy for best dance/electronic album, Diplo had some thoughts on the matter, we talked to the fast-rising RAYE, P!nk scored her first top 10 on dance/electronic songs and we got the backstory of a new study exploring the prevalence of neurodiversity in dance music.
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Jessie Ware, “Pearls”
Albums heavily featuring house and disco sounds are winning Grammys? Jessie Ware has logged into the chat. After winning our hearts (and the title of Billboard’s top dance album of 2020) with her most-excellent album What’s Your Pleasure?, the sultry club chanteuse is back again with a new single, “Pearls” — and the announcement of her next album, That! Feels! Good!, due April 28 via PMR / EMI. (Ware previously released another of the album’s tracks, “Free Yourself,” last summer.)
Like its namesake, “Pearls” brings luxury to the disco, with gilded keys and elegant strings that soar with Ware as she belts the euphoric chorus: “Let me go! Let me dance!” Like her iconic inspirations for the song, Donna Summer, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Teena Marie and Chaka Khan, Ware delivers eyes-closed, disco-diva bliss in a song she says “doesn’t take itself too seriously, but demands you to have a dance.” — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ
Flume, “Things Don’t Always Go The Way You Plan 1.2 [2020 Export Wav]”
Seeing Flume live on stage is cool and all, but there’s no better Flume-fan feeling than pressing play on a newly released Flume production. His tunes are the type you need to absorb by putting on those headphones, turning off the lights and exploring every nook and cranny of textured sound. In that regard, this week was stellar, because the Australian envelope-pusher dropped a surprise 10-track mixtape of previously unreleased bits and bops. The vibes are varied — from gritty rumblin’-bass rap growlers to tweaked and freaked romantic ballads to side-winding sonic sound tunnels and every shade of strange, surreal and superfly in between. There’s even a song with Panda Bear of Animal Collective! For whatever reason, these tunes never made it onto any other official Flume releases. I guess that’s because they were destined for this. Hey, Things Don’t Always Go The Way You Plan, but they do always go — especially when it comes to Flume. – KAT BEIN
BLOND:ISH, Eran Hersh & Darmon, “Sorry (With Madonna)”
Madonna’s “Sorry” — the second single from her 2005 Confessions On a Dancefloor — gets an official edit today from BLOND:ISH and L.A.-based producer pals Eran Hersh and Darmon. With their rework, Madonna’s vocals get pitched way down “so the vocal was recognizable but not obvious,” says BLOND:ISH. “We really wanted the person listening to this to be like ‘Oh f–k, wait, I totally know this song!’”
Indeed we do, with the sleek as chrome original here taking on a tougher edge that pays homage to the dancefloor-centric ethos of the original and has the nod of approval from Madonna herself. “We soon started playing ‘Sorry’ at our shows, and the response was overwhelming,” BLOND:ISH continues. “So much so that I said, ‘You know, we must be only one degree of separation, let me try and get a hold of Madonna.’ As they say, ‘You’ll never know if you don’t ask’, so I knew I had to at least reach out to see if she would be interested in formally collaborating on this with us. A good friend of mine sent her a message directly and we made it happen just like that.” This fresh version for “Sorry” is out via Insomniac Records. — KATIE BAIN
Floorplan, “We Give Thee Honor”
Worship is back in session. Floorplan, the father-daughter duo of Robert and Lyric Hood, have returned to Luke Solomon’s Classic Music Company with their latest EP, We Give Thee Honor / Makes Me Wanna. It’s a high-energy showcase of their gospel roots with two tracks that summon a higher power to the dancefloor. A-side “We Give Thee Honor” is a stomper right out the gate, with driving percussion, organ stabs and piercing synth strings seemingly designed to bring you to the edge of sensory overload. Powerful yet soothing gospel-choir vocals and a looming, earth-swallowing wail—be it human or machine—takes listeners over the edge in the best way. Even when the club hits peaktime, “We Give Thee Honor” leads the way to a new level of house heaven. — K.R.
Chloé Caillet Feat. Poté, “Know Now”
If you’re looking to slink into the weekend with a vibe that’s equal parts runway model and shadowy figure in the back of the club, French DJ and producer Chloé Caillet’s “Know Now” is the dark and mysterious groove that can get you there. From her upcoming EP on CircoLoco Records, this absolute mood is hitting parts of our brain that haven’t been stimulated since The Knife dropped Silent Shout. It’s a little bit haunting, a little bit sexy, and definitely all the way stuck in our heads for the next few months. The song features a delicately cool vocal from her friend Poté. Look out for the rest of this EP coming in the spring. – K. Bein
Francis Mercier, “Kamili”
New York-based producer Francis Mercier is poised for his biggest year to date, with the Deep Root Records founder making his Coachella debut in April in the midst of a world tour powered by a string of excellent releases. That streak continues with today’s dreamy “Kamili.” Out via Diplo’s Higher Ground, the house track is a collaboration with Zimbabwean producer Nitefreak and Kenyan singer Idd Aziz, who delivers soulful lyrics in Swahili about his brother, who’s been missing for more than two decades.
“Kamili is undoubtedly my most exciting release to date. It is such an honor to be collaborating with the talented Nitefreak, Idd Aziz, and Higher Ground on this very emotional and powerful record,” says Mercier. “Bringing African musical excellence to the United States’ dance music community is truly exciting.” — K. Bain
Following the suicides of Avicii in 2018 and The Prodigy’s Keith Flint in 2019, the conversation around mental health within electronic music community saw tremendous expansion and new levels of honesty regarding stress, self medication with drugs and alcohol and the burnout caused by both things in tandem.
Another benefit of this conversation is that it helped open a new one, with the dance music community more recently finding a focus on neurodiversity. The first ever study of neurodiversity within the electronic industry is putting a spotlight on just how many people in dance are neurodiverse, why this space is uniquely suited for them and how the industry can best support these individuals.
“There are artists of the highest level within the electronic music industry that have neurodiverse conditions,” says Tristan Hunt, who helped coordinate the study and last fall left his position as Regional Manager at the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM) to launch a coaching service for neurodiverse people within this world. (Neurodiversity refers to a difference in neurobiological cognitive makeup, so people with neurodiverse conditions have a nervous system biology different to “neurotypical” people.)
Hunt, who’s also a former DJ and who earned this coaching qualification after two years of training and who is himself neurodiverse, now has a thriving business working everyone from artists, to managers, to C-suite execs who are all learning to work with neurodiverse diagnoses like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia and more. His packed schedule makes sense, given the results of the study.
Commissioned and conducted by AFEM, the 2022 study spoke to 137 people within the electronic industry, with 45% of them from the U.K., 22% from the U.S. and the remainder from other parts of the world. 58% of these participants demonstrated a neurodiverse condition, although only 38% currently have a clinical diagnosis. (The decision to include both clinically and self-diagnosed individuals, was made, Hunt says, “given that a significant number of people worldwide go undiagnosed.” He cites NYU research noting that as many as 75% of adults with the condition go undiagnosed.)
While artists including Billie Eilish, Solange, Florence Welch and Cher have all discussed their neurodiverse diagnoses, the AFEM report marks the first time neurodiversity has been studied specifically within the dance space — a world that is in many ways an ideal match for neurodiverse minds.
“The neuroscience out there shows that people who have things like ADHD and dyslexia, for example, are among some of the most creative people,” Hunt says, “because the neurobiology is different in such a way that enables this very radical, nonlinear thinking to happen.” Thus, making music, producing art, creating events — all major components of the industry — are uniquely well-suited to neurodiverse people.
“It’s a natural fit,” he adds. “You can thrive in this place, because we particularly value creative skills.”
But just as mental health was and in cases remains shrouded in secrecy, so too did the study identify a perceived stigma around what Hunt calls “the hidden disability” of neurodiversity, finding that only 52% of people with a neurodiverse condition have told their organization or employer. Only 23% of neurodiverse people said they’d ask for support at their workplace.
“The perception of neurodiverse individuals is that we are lazy, weird, strange, and often can’t work traditional job hours,” says one member of the anonymous study.
The electronic industry also creates particular challenges for neurodiverse people, given its emphases on heavy socialization, partying, late nights and a pace that moves at the speed of email. “Neurodiverse people are often very loving, caring, compassionate individuals that can empathize and understand people in incredible ways,” says Hunt, “but the flip side of this is often that they can be much more easily overwhelmed.”
Tristan Hunt
Courtesy of Tristan Hunt
He notes that straightforward structural issues like an office with an open floor plan, noisy work space, or just being bombarded with an onslaught of calls, emails, texts and social media notifications can create an overwhelming cognitive load on a neurodiverse person, who may struggle to process and filter out this input, leading to overwhelm and shutdown.
Additionally, the current level of support for neurodiverse people within companies is, Hunt says, “really lacking.” The study reports that only 15% of people polled were aware of company policies regarding neurodiversity, with participants saying the topic never came up with human resources, that they had no one to tell about their condition, that they don’t want to be viewed or treated differently and that they worried disclosure might foster discrimination or misunderstanding among colleagues. 69% of people polled said their organization could do more to support them.
“Much is discussed on the drawbacks, but this needs to be balanced out with highlighting the benefits and ’superpowers’ that the neurodiverse brain can bring to any organization and community,” says AFEM member Silvia Montello, who’s been diagnosed with ADHD. “The more people with ND conditions in our industry are happy to discuss, communicate and campaign on the subject – especially those of us with long careers in this industry – the more the understanding will grow and the more those with ND brains will be able to grow and succeed because of their different wiring, rather than be left to struggle with it.”
Both straightforward and cost-effective, fixes include reorganizing office layouts, providing neurodiverse employees with spaces better-suited to their needs or provisions to work from home, checking with existing employees to see who may need support, offering trainings among non-neurodiverse employees to help them understand the issue, creating a company toolkit on the topic and acknowledging neurodiversity during interviews, in company policies and amidst onboarding.
“If employers and colleagues can both understand and accommodate their ND peers,” Montello says, “it will create a better, more harmonious and more successful community where everyone can thrive and all of our various unique talents and skills can be enjoyed both commercially and creatively.”
The overall goal of the AFEM study is to further the conversation around neurodiversity, thereby creating environments where neurodiverse people can thrive. Such destigmatization should lead to less self medicating, which can become a survival strategy when drinking and drugs are they only way to calm the mind.
“Many neurodiverse artists use drugs, sex, and/or alcohol as a copying mechanism,” says one anonymous members of the study. “Access to addiction or mental health advocates that specialize in the music industry would be helpful. There are general providers, but this niche requires specialized care.”
The good news is that all these changes are in motion. While Hunt’s client list is confidential, it includes some of the biggest players in the industry, with both Hunt and Montello saying they’re hearing much more on the topic now than ever before in their long careers in electronic music.
“The [companies I’m working with] are on the forefront with this, bringing people like myself and therapists and experts to support their staff and make adjustments,” Hunt says. “They’re creating a compassionate, warm, empathetic atmosphere that says ‘this is cool.’”
AFEM 2022 Neurodiversity Study At a Glance
— Of 137 people polled, 58% have a neurodiverse condition, but only 38% have a clinical diagnosis
— 79% of people polled are aware of neurodiversity, 70% have been hearing more about it recently
— 55% of respondents say they understand neurodiversity well, but this number drops to only 24% among people without an neurodiverse condition
— 71% say they wish they knew more about how neurodiversity affects people’s lives
— 53% say they believe neurodiversity is an important issue compared to other issues the industry is facing. This number drops to 40% amongst people without a ND condition
— 52% of people with a ND condition have told their organization. Only 23% have asked for support
— 15% know their organization has policies and procedures in place for Neurodiversity
— 72% of people agree there are many benefits to a workplace that supports neurodiverse people
— 19% of people think music industry supports neurodiverse people.
— 69% agree their organization could do more to support them
P!nk lands safely on Billboard’s multimetric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart (dated Feb. 11) with “Trustfall” at No. 8. The track, from her forthcoming album of same name, due Feb. 17, debuts as her first top 10 on the survey.
“Trustfall,” which P!nk co-wrote with Fred Again.. and John McDaid, the latter two of whom also produced it, earned 3 million U.S. streams and sold 6,000 downloads Jan. 27-Feb. 2, according to Luminate.
Concurrently, “Trustfall” bows at No. 1 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart, giving P!nk her first leader in her initial appearance. Plus, the track starts at No. 12 on Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs, P!nk’s first entry there, as well.
However, P!nk is no stranger to the Billboard dance charts, having logged seven No. 1s on Dance Club Songs, dating to 2002, and four No. 1s, among seven top 10s, on Dance/Mix Show Airplay since 2003. P!nk has topped Dance/Mix Show Airplay with “U + Ur Hand” (for two weeks in 2007), “So What” (one, 2008), “Raise Your Glass” (two, 2010) and “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” (one, 2012). (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.)
On the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, Ava Max debuts at No. 2 with Diamonds & Dancefloors. The pop/dance-leaning set, Max’s inaugural entry on the chart, opens with 15,000 equivalent album units, which also bring it in at No. 34 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
The set yields eight entries on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, with “Million Dollar Baby,” “Ghost” and “One of Us” leading the way at Nos. 11-13, respectively. “Baby” logged 1.7 million streams (up 33%) and sold 700 downloads (up 71%), the latter sum earning Max a No. 9 beginning on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales, where it’s her third top 10.
Max now has 11 Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart hits, including her track with Tiësto, “The Motto,” which peaked at No. 2 for 10 weeks (behind Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart [PNAU Remix]”) last March-May.
Elsewhere on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, SG Lewis logs his third appearance with AudioLust & HigherLove (No. 13, 2,800 units). The set contains two Hot Dance/Electronic Songs hits that each peaked in October: “Call on Me,” with Tove Lo (No. 27 high), and “Vibe Like This,” with Ty Dolla $ign and Lucky Daye (No. 31).
Next up on Top Dance/Electronic Albums come Cheat Codes with country crossover set One Night in Nashville (No. 14, 2,700 units). It’s the act’s first appearance on the chart, although it follows 27 entries, including three top 10s, on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, since 2015. Collabs from the new album “Something’s Coming,” with Lady A, and “What’s It Gonna Take,” with Mitchell Tenpenny, start on that tally, at Nos. 24 and 33, respectively.
Returning to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, Imanbek earns his second top 10 as a billed recording artist and Jay Sean scores his first with “Gone (Da Da Da)” (11-9). Previously, Imanbek lifted to No. 4 with “Goodbye,” with Goodboys (March 2021). Plus, his remix of SAINt JHN’s “Roses” spent three frames at No. 2 in April 2020. “Gone” is getting core-dance airplay at Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, KMVQ-HD2 San Francisco and WZFL (Revolution 93.5, All Things Dance) Miami, among other outlets.
Additionally on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Miley Cyrus vaults to her third top 10 with “Flowers” (25-10). The pop track, also in its third week at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, utilizes remixes from Addal, Dark Intensity and others in attaining core-dance airplay on SiriusXM’s Diplo’s Revolution, SiriusXM’s BPM and more.
At long last, RAYE is in charge of her artistry. “I feel so free as a creative for the first time,” says the 25-year-old London-born singer-songwriter, who went independent in 2021 following seven years under a record deal with Polydor Records. “It’s probably the happiest I’ve been.”
Now, the growing artist, who has writing credits with Beyoncé, Rosalía and Ellie Goulding, is riding the high of her 2022 hit, “Escapism,” with 070 Shake, which first took off on TikTok and continues to build on the Billboard charts. She has no plans of slowing down, either, and will tour throughout the year in support of her recently released debut album, My 21st Century Blues. “[The album] is a different range of feelings and blues within my perspective as a woman in this day and age,” she explains.
RAYE only ever aspired to be a musician: “Make it work, figure it out” has been her mantra from age 7. Influenced by her musically inclined family — including her Ghanaian-Swiss mother, who sang in church as a child, and her grandfather, a songwriter — she enrolled at South London’s BRIT School, home to alumni such as Amy Winehouse, Adele and FKA twigs. But she dropped out after two years, eager to forge her own path. “I felt like it was important not to be taught how to do ‘that thing,’ ” she says. “It’s something you’ve got to learn with your own voice and own way.”
As a teenager, RAYE would take the train after class to songwriting sessions, often “working with 35-year-old white guys,” she remembers. “It was important to get my skills up.” She self-released her first mixtape in 2014 and signed to Polydor in the United Kingdom soon after. Within a few years, RAYE scored her breakthrough on London producer Jax’s “You Don’t Know Me.” But, she says, some of those early wins were bittersweet. “As soon as the [record] deal was signed, I was ushered down a path sonically that I didn’t necessarily intend for myself.” She tweeted her frustrations in 2021, saying the label wouldn’t let her release an album, and parted ways with Polydor that year to go independent.
In June 2022, RAYE signed with distribution and artist services company Human Re Sources ahead of her long-awaited debut album, My 21st Century Blues. “Escapism,” a standout dance-rap fusion with 070 Shake, arrived in October and became RAYE’s first Billboard Hot 100 hit, reaching a No. 22 high. The song powers the 13-track set, half of which she co-produced. “Some of these topics, my close friends don’t even know about me,” she says, alluding to themes of body dysmorphia, toxic relationships, substance abuse and sexual violence. She began 2023 opening for Lewis Capaldi on his U.K. arena tour and will hit the road with Kali Uchis in April. “I wasn’t gunning for big chart success,” she says. “I was putting out music I love, now that I’m in complete control of my career.”
A version of this story originally appeared in the Feb. 4, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Beyoncé‘s Renaissance is certainly on that new vibration, marking history not just for Bey, but for dance and electronic music at the Grammys at large.
Renaissance‘s win for best/electronic album marked the first time the category was included in the Grammys telecast since being added to the awards 23 years ago. Picking up the trophy also made Beyoncé the winningest artist in Grammys history.
Renaissance — which features house music and includes collaborations from genre greats such as Honey Dijon and Green Velvet — beat out LPs by Diplo, ODESZA, Bonobo and RÜFÜS DÜ SOL.
All of these dance-world stalwarts have been previously been nominated for Grammys, with Diplo and RÜFÜS DÜ SOL both winning in prior years. (Only Diplo has previously appeared on the Grammys telecast, however, having shown up during BTS’ 2020 performance and during a performance of “Where Are U Now” with Jack U in 2016.)
While the dance music community was sharply divided about Renaissance‘s inclusion in the dance/electronic category — with many feeling that the album did not feature enough dance/electronic music to qualify it for the category — in the dance world, it’s also widely agreed that getting the genre in the global spotlight via telecast is definitely positive forward motion for electronic music at large.
Many also felt that Beyoncé’s inclusion in the dance/electronic categories did much for the mainstream visibility of house music and the genre’s LGBTQ+ roots. Beyoncé herself nodded to these roots in her speech, saying, “I’d like to thank the queer community for the love, and for inventing the genre.”
Previous winners of this award include The Chemical Brothers, Skrillex, Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, Flume and Kaytranada. The category is not, however, without pop precedence, as Madonna and Lady Gaga both won for best dance/electronic album in the category’s earlier years, before the EDM boom of the early 2010s changed mainstream consciousness about dance music in the United States and subsequently at the Grammys.
As many predicted, Beyoncé swept the Grammys’ two dance categories this year, with Renaissance‘s ’90s house homage single “Break My Soul” winning for best dance/electronic recording during the pre-ceremony. This category has never yet been presented during the telecast.
If the reported millions of fans registered for ticket queues is any indication, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour is going to be one for the books.The Queen’s first solo all-stadium show since 2016’s Formation World Tour was announced Wednesday (Feb. 1) after several days of speculation and reported venue location leaks. She’ll hit up Europe first in May, and will perform in North America beginning in early July.
There have been so many changes in the world since the last time Beyoncé performed a headlining show — and in her own life and career. Her family with husband Jay-Z grew by two, while she became the most-nominated artist in Grammys history and also garnered an Academy Award nomination. Considering the magnitude of her artistic growth since 2016 — coupled with the deep musical layers informing the RENAISSANCE era of her career — there is absolutely no telling what songs might comprise this tour’s setlist.
Beyoncé has never been a one-trick performer, and she consistently keeps fans on their toes with innovative ideas, fresh choreography and endearing song mashups. Now that she’s long beyond icon status, she has earned the liberty of continuing to do whatever the heck she feels like doing.
Where do you even start when thinking of the ideal setlist for an act as significant as Beyoncé, during a tour as massive as this one is expected to be? Will she pull deep cuts out of the vault? Will she hit every album era? Well, you won’t have to think too hard about all of that, because we have you covered.
Below is our dream setlist for Bey’s Renaissance World Tour. The setlist covers Beyoncé’s discography, keeps her past tour tendencies in mind, and also hearkens back to the beginnings of dance and house music, as Renaissance (and much of modern music as we know it) would hardly exist without them. We’re hoping that the show runs for a reasonable two-and-a-half hours — which would be fair, considering it’s her first trek in nearly seven years!
This week in dance music: Tomorrowland dropped the lineup for its 2023 festival this summer, Beatport announced that it’s acquired a majority stake in the International Music Summit, HARD Summer announced a return to downtown Los Angeles after a 10 year absence, Moody Jones was named the GM of Dance at EMPIRE (a newly created role that follows EMPIRE’s acquisition of Dirtybird last fall,), Skream, Tiga and DJ Minx lead the lineup for Desert Hearts’ 2023 event, Tiësto, Tate McRae and Joel Corry experienced a come-up on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs via the trio’s new “10:35” remix, and we analyzed the dance/electronic Grammy nominees ahead of the awards this weekend.
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Amtrac, “Nobody Else”
Some robots will Say Anything to get the girl of their dreams, and if you can’t tell someone how you feel in words, say it with a song! “Nobody Else” is the perfect serenade to dedicate to your special someone. Amtrac’s latest single takes its vocal from a sample of the Four Tops’ 1965 R&B classic “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” as a nod to the producer’s love of Motown. In true Amtrac fashion, though, there’s an odd hint of unhinged darkness lurking just below the synth-laden surface — and the adorable music video serves a fresh side of sinister ‘70s horror flick, too.
“Nobody Else” is the fifth single from Amtrac’s third studio album Extra Time, which was released in full today (Feb. 3) on his Openers label. The album is a cinematic showcase of vintage synth sounds, created during his time in lockdown. It’s something beautiful that came from a dark period, and we’re happy for the chance to dance to these tunes together with friends under the sun. – KAT BEIN
Schak feat. Kim English, “Moving All Around (Jumpin’) [John Summit Remix]”
After finding crossover success with Ewan McVicar’s 2021 single “Tell Me Something Good,” Patrick Topping’s Trick label unleashed yet another big hit this past October with “Moving All Around (Jumpin’),” the debut single from English producer Schak. The song, which samples late house singer Kim English’s “Bumpin’ & Jumpin’,” bursts at its seams with an infectious energy powered by a pounding bassline and vocals inspiring dancers to shake, shimmy and get silly.
John Summit has been a fan of “Moving All Around” since even before day one, rinsing it at Manchester’s Warehouse Project days before its official release. Perhaps in his biggest show of support, he has remixed the track himself. Summit nudges down the BPM a smidge, modding the original’s frenetic rave energy into something more tech-house-friendly with cryo-cannon builds and a sleek, grinding groove. “The UK hit by [Schak] has been stuck in my head for months and when [Topping] asked me to remix it i knew i had to give it my own spin,” he wrote on Instagram. Given Summit’s rapid rise in the past few years, it’s the kind of co-sign and audience expansion that can take Schak and “Moving” to the next level. — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ
Matt Guy, “The Devil”
Sometimes possession is fun! Let U.K. producer Matt Guy bring out your wildest urges via his latest, “The Devil,” an homage to the late ’90s/early 2000s rave hedonism that in fact samples the 2000 track “D.E.V.I.L.” by 666. (The sample isn’t just Guy being trendy either, as his The 90s Made Me Do It Radio 1 Mini Mix from last November demonstrated his true love for the ’90s rave sound.) Out via Armada, “The Devil” is pure peaktime fare as hot as the flames of hell itself. In this case that’s a very good thing. — KATIE BAIN
Habstrak, “Vision”
It’s been five years since Habstrakt left his native France to chase his dreams in sunny Los Angeles, and it’s taken about that many years to get his “Vision” clear.
“I wrote the first idea of this record when I first moved to Los Angeles in 2017, and it’s been haunting me since,” Habstrakt says. “I had a vision for it but could never get it right, until I recently decided to fully rework it after being inspired in Amsterdam for ADE and developing the album. This song is sort of a time capsule to me, with so many versions of it tied to memories of the life I started after moving from France to LA.”
The bass-driven house single was worth the wait. Out on Insomniac Records, its funked-up rhythm is sure to bring bodies to the dancefloor — and it’s only the first taste of things to come, as “Vision” is the second single from Habstrakt’s forthcoming debut LP. – K. Bein
Softest Hard feat. Blush, “My Boo”
Softest Hard is back with her first release of the year, “My Boo,” a pastel-coated remake of Ghost Town DJ’s’ 1996 hit of the same name. The L.A.-based producer seems to be on something of a nostalgia kick: last summer, she linked up with T-Pain on the Eiffel-65-referencing “I’m Blue.” Here, she collaborates with vocalist Blush on a “My Boo” cover that’s updated for today’s bedroom ravers. Whereas the original is sultry and laidback, made for a casual block party, Softest Hard cranks up the speed with a hardcore rendition whose beaming synths, pitched-up vocals and fast-paced drums fly by like a movie watched in forward motion. It’s fast, it’s sweaty, it’s cute and it’s out now on HARD Recs. — K.R.
Austin Millz, “Nobody Khan (Ain’t Nobody)”
Chaka Khan‘s 1983 classic “Ain’t Nobody” has been begging for a modern remix, with Harlem-born, Los Angeles-based producer Austin Millz heeding the call with his steamy, sexy, pure mood house edit of the hit. This one is all sunset vibes, dripping in blissed out sex appeal while maximizing the original’s sentiment that there simply ain’t nobody that can love me better. Out via Ultra, “Nobody Khan (Ain’t Nobody)” is the first of Millz’s many delicious edits to get an official release — a perfect way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the song (and Chaka Khan’s 70th birthday) next month. — K. Bain
Dance music is arguably having one of its biggest years ever at the Grammy Awards, led by our Queen Beyoncé, nominated in both best dance/electronic recording and best dance/electronic album for her club-oriented LP Renaissance and its life-giving lead single, “Break My Soul.”
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That nomination caused a stir in the dance music community, with many celebrating its inclusion as a win for the Black and queer roots of dance music, the leading dance producers who worked on the LP, and the visibility of house music in the mainstream realm while others side-eyed it as not entirely of the dance world.
Beyond the presence of this pop icon, the rest of the nominees are tried and true Grammy favorites, with previous winners Diplo, Kaytranada, David Guetta and RÜFÜS DU SOL all up for awards along with seven-time nominee Bonobo and three-time nominee ODESZA.
What does it all mean? Ahead of the presentation of the dance categories on the Grammys pre-telecast this Sunday (Feb. 5), we hash it all out.
In 2023, the Grammys have fully settled into their post-nominations review committee era, meaning the dance categories, among others, were determined by majority vote rather than a panel of experts. How do you think the removal of these review committees has affected the dance nominees pool this year?
ZEL MCCARTHY: Do you remember a few years ago when a woman rode a horse into a nightclub in South Beach? I think they got as far as the dance floor before the horse got spooked, the rider got thrown, and unbridled chaos was unleashed. Of course, it’s the album artwork of Renaissance that makes this club tale apposite, as Beyoncé, a divine being known primarily as a pop artist, rode a mirrorball-encrusted horse into the proverbial club that is the Dance Field this year and the result is chaotic. Disco visual aesthetics notwithstanding, “Break My Soul” is really a house-inspired record more than an actual dance track, but the Robin S sample is its stable pass into the paddock. Plus, as a tune, it undeniably slaps.
That said, Renaissance is not a dance album. The Grammys seem to know this, since two of the album’s tracks earned noms in the R&B and Traditional R&B fields. Given the exacting parameters each field establishes for itself, it strains credulity that some sort of nominations review committee-type invisible hand didn’t have something to do with leading this horse to the wrong starting line, perhaps in an effort to bolster the category’s star power, or maybe improve the jockey’s own record-breaking stats in this year’s derby. Either way, everybody knows that, when someone lets a horse into a club, you gotta shut it down.
KAT BEIN: I think the obvious knee-jerk reaction is to say, “Beyonce’s inclusion in the dance category seems to be a clear-cut result of this change,” but in reality, the dance category has long been a haven for strange pop inclusion. Should David Guetta and Bebe Rexha‘s “I’m Good (Blue)” be nominated simply because David Guetta was once a serious French DJ and producer, and this track interpolates a Eurodance hit from 25 years ago? Yeah, it has synths, but it has more hallmarks of modern pop music than electronic history. It’s a pop homage to the dance world… which is basically what Beyoncé’s album is as well, although Bey brings a touch more art to the table.
I think the greater issue at play, if it is at all an issue (and people seem to think there is one), is how we define electronic dance as a genre versus modern pop, which is all made with synths and electronic sounds. That issue already existed. I don’t think The Chainsmokers have been a dance act since “Closer” came out, and are rather a pop band, but we draw these weird lines to keep them in the “dance” category, as far as the industry seems to be concerned.
I don’t think much has actually changed in regard to nominations in the dance categories compared to anything that was nominated in the last five years. A major pop act just decided to make a dance record and submit for inclusion, and the timing is coincidental. We’ll see if the changes have any long-term effects.
KATIE BAIN: Without review committees in the mix to add a layer of tastemaking, it seems the dance Grammys have really settled upon a group of name recognition artists that feel safe and respectable, if not innovative, to nominate each year. No disrespect to any of these nominated acts, whom I’m generally all fans of, but to see the same artists over and over, and the same artists in both categories, in a genre that’s so incredibly diverse has to be at least partially a function of the review committees going away.
Is there anything surprising to you about this batch of nominees?
ZM: Given the bounty of excellent albums released this past year, it’s surprising that voters would have opted for three tonally similar albums of adult contemporary electronica and an album that is tantamount to a mixtape of singles from Diplo. Like, nothing here is technically bad, but is anything here inspiring?
On the recording side, the five nominees have so little in common with each other musically, it’s hard to compare them. Like the last few years, however, this category includes one or two tracks that are so forgettable, their inclusion speaks to the achievement of nomination campaigns above all.
KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ: I wasn’t very surprised. I think many dance music fans would have predicted most of these artists, and some are also Grammy dance-category darlings. (Bonobo and RÜFÜS have each been nominated for best dance/electronic recording in three out of the last four years, for example.) What gets me is the overlap: not just in the nominees’ musical styles, but how many of them appear in both categories. Yes, these artists are very prominent in the dance community, but they represent only a sliver of what our vast world has to offer. Some diversity would be nice, along with new and fresh names.
KAT BEIN: I think people were surprised to see Beyoncé, but now that I sit with it, nothing is shocking.
KATIE BAIN: I’m both surprised and unsurprised by how unsurprising this batch of nominees feels.
Let’s talk about snubs! Who didn’t get the nod and should have?
ZM: The majority of dance and electronic music is instrumental and not song-based in the way pop, rock and other mainstream genres are. There are entire genres of house, techno, ambient, and experimental music that are worthy of consideration, but it’s hard to expect artists to join the Academy and seek that recognition given what the awards currently honor. For instance, if the membership does have an understanding of DJing and electronic music production as art forms, it isn’t reflected in the nomination of a cover version of a late ’90s novelty Eurodance record.
KR: I would have liked to see Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal’s “B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)” in contention for best dance/electronic recording. It represents so much of the last couple years in music—the rise of U.K. club music, TikTok-viral success stories, sampling an older song and updating it for today’s dance floors. It’s also just really cute and fun and good!
The lack of Fred Again.. in either category is also surprising. With huge tracks such as “Jungle,” a full album, a Swedish House Mafia collab, a sold-out tour and a widely talked-about Coachella debut, it was the kind of star-making year that you’d think would be capped off by a Grammy nod.
KAT BEIN: As Krystal said, was anything Fred Again.. released possible to nominate? He is literally the biggest thing in dance music right now. His music and hype is so omnipresent, the mere phrase “Fred Again.. vibes” has become a meme as artists in any corner of house music desperately seek to carve out a slice of said hype, ironically or not. I was at Portola Festival in San Francisco, and they had to shut the whole warehouse stage down because it was so full of people, they were gonna break a fire penal code. Not that popularity alone should demand nominations, but he’s everywhere else. Why not the nom list?
Also, I feel Shygirl would have been a great artist to nominate for almost anything. She works with incredible producers and brings a fabulous energy to her tracks, and definitely creates inside the rave music space. Her work is also pushing the envelope in an interesting way, which deserves reward. I also feel they should have given Swedish House Mafia some love as the legacy act! That album was really fun!
KATIE BAIN: I agree with everything that’s been said here, particularly how weird the exclusion of Fred Again.. is. Over at the Brit Awards he’s nominated for album of the year, artist of the year and best dance artist. Given the incredible success he’s had and how widely beloved his music is, a nomination for him really could’ve marked a new type of dance music crossover at the Grammys. Feels like a missed opportunity. And yes Kat, I was also rooting for Swedish House Mafia.
If Drake‘s Honestly, Nevermind — which leaned fully into the sounds of of the moment underground house — had been submitted to the Grammys, would these categories look different?
ZM: Even if 2023 Drake was cool with trophies like 2019 Drake was, it’s hard to imagine him getting behind Honestly, Nevermind. As an artist who feeds off of his audience, despite critical acclaim, it feels like there wasn’t enough of a popular response to the album to keep him interested in promoting it and thus, he fulfills the promise of the album title in the process.
KR: I don’t think so. Based upon the reactions following its release, Honestly, Nevermind was not particularly well-received. (I find that mildly bizarre, considering the success of his previous dance-inspired singles like “Take Care” and “Passionfruit.”) Maybe in an alternate world it slides into best album on Drake’s name alone, but beyond that, I don’t think it would be successful.
KAT BEIN: I am one of the biggest Drake fans, historically, and I just did not listen to that album in full. I started it and then I was like, “Honestly, nevermind.” I really liked seeing his Instagram posts from Ibiza, I will say that much.
KATIE BAIN: I love this album, but given the other nominees in this category, I’m not sure the Grammys are up to speed on the type of underground house it showcases. So, nah.
Best dance/electronic recording. Who will win? Who should win?
ZM: “Break My Soul” will win. Kaytranada & H.E.R.’s “Intimidated” is a worthy rival to Bey, but if the Queen deserves any award this year, it might as well be this one.
KR: “Break My Soul.” A hit, a moment, a lifestyle.
KAT BEIN: “Break My Soul” is an uplifting track with an uplifting music video, and she’s the winningest woman in Grammy history. Personally, I like the RÜFÜS song the most. It has the most dynamics and interesting sounds in it, which is I guess how I rate music. I also like the Diplo song, in spite of myself.
KATIE BAIN: “Break My Soul.” It will, and it should, win, particularly given that this category wasn’t even around when the music that inspired the song was in its heyday during the early and mid-’90s.
Best dance/electronic album. Who will win? Who should win?
ZM: Beyoncé should win, but not because Renaissance is a great dance album; it’s just a better body of work than the four other underwhelming nominees.
KR: A win for Renaissance is a win for Honey Dijon, Green Velvet, Luke Solomon, house music and disco.
KAT BEIN: Geez, my logic for Best Dance/Electronic Recording said Beyoncé, so maybe Beyoncé. Who should win? I think ODESZA did a really interesting excavation of themselves on The Last Goodbye, and I’m a sucker for interesting stories and artists who try. I have some friends who helped produce the Diplo album, and I would selfishly love to see them get Grammys. I think these are all good albums with merit, but I struggle to say these albums moved the needle forward for the art of electronic dance music in general. So, in a weird way, maybe Beyoncé does deserve to win by virtue of being the most conversational?
KATIE BAIN: Beyoncé will undoubtedly win and, as Krystal said, that’s undoubtedly a very good thing for further visibility of its collaborators and themes. I do have a soft spot in my heart for ODESZA, who probably thought it was theirs to lose until Beyoncé rode in on her crystal horse. Considering that there were five years between this and their last album, it also seems unlikely we’ll be seeing them again in this category for awhile.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
ZM: For the last year, the Recording Academy has touted its many reforms as being emblematic of a “New” Academy. The televised show itself is operating in compliance with a highly touted inclusion rider, and all indicators from within and around the organization are that it is continuing to lead a recalcitrant industry towards meaningful improvements in equity and diversity. But the dance music industry has very quietly and deliberately resisted any such changes to the two dance field awards. Dance music power brokers have mollified concerns from Recording Academy leaders by upholding the existing categories as sufficient, and the overwhelmingly white and male nominees in those categories as accurate reflections of the state of dance and electronic music. Regardless, the music keeps on moving on. Maybe one day, the Academy will catch up.
KR: I still think dance music and electronic music should be separate categories.
KAT BEIN: This was the year I acknowledged that I am indeed an “old head,” and if that colors my interpretation of things as a critic, I will acknowledge it, but I will not apologize.
KATIE BAIN: I’m obviously biased and I say this every year, so not to beat a dead horse (in the club), but the dance categories really do deserve shine on the televised ceremony, particularly given how the nominations often reflect their role as a tangent of mainstream pop. I thought Beyoncé could be the one to inspire that move to primetime this year, but, just like always, we’ll see you at the pre-telecast.