Dance

Dance music is a type of music that seems pretty self explanitory but has a lot of different genres and a unique evolution. The way we think of it began in nightclubs in the 70s with a type of music referred to as disco. These clubs were mostly populated by people wanting to escape the hardships of society and provided a place accepting of all races and sexual orientations. Eventually this genre and culture would be briefly adopted by the mainstream though through a more commercial lens and by people who didn't understand the scene.

Disco would eventually lead to multiple new genres in music due to several innovations by key figures in the genre. Two of these figures were singer Donna Summer and producer Giorgio Moroder with their song I Feel Love. The song was made for their concept album I Remember Yesterday and each track was supposed to reflect a certain decade in music. This track was the final one and was supposed to reflect the future. Giorgio felt the synthesizer would help reflect this and point to a possible future of music. Though music had been made with synthesizers before this, those songs were mostly designed to be abstract and avante garde where I Feel Love was very clearly a pop song. The song created ripples on music that many wouldn't be able to catch up to for years. Today countless hit songs use electronic beats and sounds that would have never done before this song. Many artists would try to copy or build on the sound Moroder built and would be known for.

Another major innovation with this genre would be with the remix. Though remixing existed before, it hardly resembled the type of remixing we are familiar with today. This style has roots going back to Jamaica with a type of music called dub that extended songs with more instrumentals, reverb, and repeated hooks. It was mostly done live. Tom Moultan would be a major figure in applying these sensibilities to dance music. He noticed that when DJs were dancing by the time they finally started to get into the mood the song would be basically over as most were only 2 to 3 minutes long. He theorized that if the song was extended to 5 to 10 minutes people would be able to better enjoy the music. This proved to be the case as these extended tracks took off with extended versions of songs being made in the studio and put on 12 inch singles for Djs to mix together. Eventually, the next step in this process was in the hip hop community which at the time was tied heavily to dance music. DJs like Grand Master Flash and DJ Kool Herc began cutting and mixing tracks together by alternating records and scratching. This would catch the eye of producer Martin Rushent who had just produced the Human League's massive album Dare. He had the idea to try and cut tapes of the record and connect it together by hand to form new arrangements. This created a new choppy versions of the songs realying heavily on instrumentals, stuttering effects, and various sounds. The end result became the Human League album Love and Dancing and it ended up being one of the very first remix albums alongside Soft Cell's Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing and the B-52's Party Mix. This album would end up having a massive impact as more artists began adopting this remix in post style.

After disco faced massive backlash with people going so far as buring disco records in protest, dance music would enter a new transitionary period. There was still this demand for a place to getaway and have a sense of community, but now disco music was sense as cliche and overdone. However, there was still enough of an appeal to take these concepts further. Eventually, several of the new wave and post-punk bands would incorporate dance elements and remixes to their synth style. Concurently, there were also artists taking those disco grooves and adding synths to make boogie and post-disco sound. Disco music also remained extremely popular in Europe where incorporated even more synth based music in the form of Italo Disco. Other genres also began to pop up like Freestyle and Hi NRG to continued to explore what would the future of dance music be. Finally, the future would present itself with house music. This genre emerged from Chicago with DJs like Frankie Knuckles creating dance music that had a more underground feel to it. This music featured deep basslines, vocals that were often sampled or restructured, synthesizer riffs, and drum beats from machines like the Roland TR-808. House music would eventually spread beyond Chicago and become one of the most predominant styles of dance music.

Bad Girls by Donna Summer

This album was designed as a way to help push her in a new direction away from disco with Moroder noticing rock and new wave growing in popularity and disco being saturated.

Dim All the Lights has the longest held note, 16 seconds, for a top 40 hit by a female artist.

Redd Hott by Sharon Redd

Every song from this album topped the dance charts.

She worked as a backup singer as well as actress before this album.

Her sister Penny Ford was also a successful singer. She had solo success as well as being a member of several groups like Snap.

You Can Dance by Madonna

This album topped the dance charts and is the 2nd best selling remix album.

Madonna has 50 number one dance hits on the Billboard dance charts the most for anyone has ever had on this chart. This also the most number one hits on any Billboard single chart.

Speaking in Tongues by Talking Heads

This entire album stayed at number 2 for 6 weeks on the dance charts.

They began as an opening act for the Ramones at the CGBG.

Brian Eno produced three of their early albums. Their artistic and experimental sensibilities meshed together well leading to exploration of new sounds.

Rio by Duran Duran

They are considered pioneers of music videos and helped make MTV popular. Their videos were known for exotic locations and were even sold as video albums.

The band became popular through their mixture of fashion and New Wave dance rock. Describing themselves as Sex Pistols meet Chic.

Love and Dancing by Human League

The Human League had a complicated history before becoming hit makers. With the lead singer inheriting the band after the original members abonded it to form Heaven 17. The singer then had to scramble to make a new band and finding the two female singers by chance in a nightclub.

Get Loose by Evelyn King

She has had 2 number one dance hits as well as 2 number five dance hits.

She was a cleaning woman at Philadelphia's Sigma Studios when a producer heard her singing A Change Is Gonna Come and decided to sign her feeling she had potential to be successful.

diana by Diana Ross

This album was produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards as she wanted a fresher more modern sound and produced several hits despite fears that the disco sound would end her career.

Her song It's Your Move was heavily remixed for an influential vaporwave song by Machintosh Plus.

Nightclubbing by Grace Jones

Grace Jones began as a model before beginning a career as a musician. She has starred in movies Like a View to a Kill.

This album features a more new wave and reggae sound for the singer to continue her direction away from disco.

She has had 4 number one dance hits.

Questionnaire by Chaz Jankel

Glad to Know You was the biggest dance hit of 1982.

He has had 3 number one dance songs. 109 was also a top ten dance hit.

He was a member of Ian Dury & the Blockheads. They are known for their song Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick.

Speak and Spell by Depeche Mode

This album is known for its more synth pop sound due to Vince Clarke's production. He would eventually leave the band after this album. The band would go to have a progessively dark sound.

Depeche Mode have 10 number one dance hits across mutliple decades.

Upstairs at Eric's by Yazoo

Vince Clarke has the rare distinction of being a member of 4 bands that have had UK top 5 hits. Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly, and Erasure.

Yazoo has had 4 number one dance hits.

Situation was originally only a b side.

Greatest Mixes by Thompson Twins

Originally more of an underground band, the "filler" song In the Name of Love became a fluke hit in the US. This made them pursue a more dance based sound.

They have four dance number ones. In the Name of Love hit number one two seperate times.

Electric Cafe by Kraftwerk

They are considered one of the most influential bands. With their influence being on par with the Beatles.

This album has a more techno dance style with the band reaping the benefits of the genres that they built and inspired. The album had two number one dance hits.

Brotherhood by New Order

The band was originally Joy Division before their singer tragically killed himself. After this, they rebranded and moved in a new direction becoming equally influential.

The Killers named themselves after a fictional band feature in the New Order music video for Crystal.

From Here to Eternity by Giorgio Moroder

He has produced hits for countless artists like Donna Summer, David Bowie, Blondie, Sparks, and Freddie Mercury.

He has produced sountracks for multiple hit movies like Midnight Express and Scarface.

Before being synomous with electronic music, he was a successful pop and rock artist.

Controversy by Prince

Controversy/Get Off were number one for 6 weeks.

He has written and produced several songs for artists anymously like Stevie Nicks, The Bangles, and Sheena Easton.

His sound would often be imitated and gave birth to the genre called the Minneapolis Sound.

Let the Music Play by Shannon

She was known for having a very distinct sound very different than what others were doing at the time. It was often called the Shannon sound. The type of music would eventually be dubbed Freestyle.

She has had 3 number one dance hits.

Control by Janet Jackson

She has had 20 number one dance hits.

Producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis briefly worked with Prince before getting fired for being late. They have had success as producers making hits for Mariah Carey, Boys II Men, the Human League, and George Michael.

Poolside by Nu Shooz

DJ Peter Slaguis absolutely hated the original mix of I Can't Wait feeling it had no hook. He used everything at his disposal and even sampling Madonna to give it a hook. This version was so succesful the band flew him in to teach them to make music like him.

They have 2 number one dance hits and a number two.

History of Dance Music

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