Dance anthems

[Mumpo]

Just cleaning up the CD shelves here, and I've chanced upon a box set of dance anthem CDs that I'd forgotten all about. Dance anthems, yeah - You know you loved them! With their wailing diva vocals, cheesy three-note synth hooks, twinkling piano and meaningless feelgood choruses, these things were like a plague on the top 10 from the late 80's (the release of Ride On Time marking year zero) for, what, fifteen years or so, before more sophisticated forms of dance music (garage, then bassline and dubstep) finally muscled their way into the pop format. A much-maligned genre, but come on, there were some belters - looking down the CD inserts now, here are five (and there are plenty more) that could hold up to any other pop classics...

Rozalla - Everybody's Free

Sonique - It Feels So Good

N-Trance - Set You Free

ATB - 9am Till I Come

And of course, the peerless Baby D - Let Me Be Your Fantasy

[delicatemoth]

Dance anthems

Yay, happy musics! Though Baby D had a strong streak of melancholy in their sound, exemplified in the wonderful 'I Need Your Loving'

Probably the most consistent of these groups was Cappella, who produced a steady stream of dancepop nuggets such as 'Move On Baby'.

For me though, the happiest of the happies was Livin' Joy's 'Dreamer', which would double as my entry on the 'Music that makes you smile like a kid' thread. I've never heard, or wanted to hear, anything else by them but I love this one to bits.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Dance anthems

This kind of music was the enemy when I was about 18 years old. Seems strange to say that now, no doubt bloggers will laugh at my ignorance. But the dominance of this stuff on the charts at the time was really overwhelming.

Saying that, at the time I absolutely loved "Playing with Knives" by Bizarre Inc and I still love it now.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Dance anthems

Christ, there's so much wrongness going on with the dancers in that Dance Energy clip. First you get the conga, then there's a guy grinding his ass to a woman's crotch in some kind of strap-on fantasy - I think the kids call that an epic fail.

There also seems to be a fine line between bums dragged in off the street and club-kids in the studio.

[MsD]

Dance anthems

Rui da Silva's Touch Me is my favourite, but I do love Dreamer, and Love and Happiness by wossname, River someone. In recent years, the Jacques Lu Cont mix of Royskopp's What Else is There (much faster than the original). Ecstatic feel-good lyrics feel so completely right when you're dancing (especially if it's summer, and you're outside), whereas those "you can achieve your dream" x factor-type ballads seem so tired and cheesy.

[evilC]

Dance anthems

In retrospect, I think the Dance (i.e. House/Techno, broadly speaking) scene peaked with 'What Time Is Love'. It was also nice that someone was making danceable music that has both great and had a sense of humour without descending into crass parody.

'Voodoo Ray' and 'Pump Up The Jam' are still personal faves, too.

[George]

Dance anthems

You see, as much as I love the silliness and bloody-minded indifference to the music industry by the KLF, I just don't think they were musically anywhere near as great as many like to make out. Apart from the one with Tammy Wynette, that is wonderful.

[evilC]

Dance anthems

Although Tammy didn't think so.

[George]

Dance anthems

I don't think she understood at the time what she had got herself in for.

[hobbes]

Dance anthems

Best. Dance. Anthem. Ever.

Robin S - Show Me Love

[hobbes]

Dance anthems

Shit. I just did a whole post with about 12 links on and then lost it. Tool.

[Benjm]

Dance anthems

Gotta be a place here for K-klass' Rhythm is a Mystery.

[historyman]

Dance anthems

steveeeeeeeee wrote:

This kind of music was the enemy when I was about 18 years old. Seems strange to say that now, no doubt bloggers will laugh at my ignorance. But the dominance of this stuff on the charts at the time was really overwhelming.

It was a bit of a nightmare, actually. The early '90s were a time when I went to loads of house parties and most of the music consisted of bland, piss-poor dance anthem CDs endlessly played on a loop.

Is it possible to love dance music yet hate dancing? I've never liked dancing - except in a jokey blokey type way a la Madness - so maybe that's why I could never take to the music.