Finding the Rhythm

Dance Chart for 3/22/2013

A bit late on this cycle; posting it retroactively.  ;-)  Here’s what’s got me going at the present time…

TOP 15
Kesha – C’Mon (Cutmore Club Mix) (Sony)
Paul Van Dyk feat. Adam Young – Eternity (Paul Van Dyk & Alex M.O.R.P.H Club Mix) (Vandit)
John de Sohn feat. Kristin Amparo – Dance Our Tears Away (Extended) (Sony)
Punkrockerz feat. Carmen & Camille – IDGAF (MD Electro Club Remix) (CAPP)
Nicole Scherzinger – Boomerang (Cahill Club Mix) (Universal)
Sariah – Kill the Lights (Electro Club Mix) (Reigning Hearts)
Nikki Williams – Glowing (DJ Steve Watt and Jukebox Extended Remix) (Universal)
Depeche Mode – Heaven (Freemasons Club Mix) (Sony)
Tribal Saints feat. Rev-Players & Niki Torre – Moments of My Broken Heart (Josh Harris Club Mix) (Amathus)
Sultan + Ned Shepard & NERVO feat. Omarion – Army (Original Mix) (Strictly Rhythm)
Joanna Rays – Just Another Day (Club Mix – Full Vocal) (Sony)
Naked Highway – Cause This (Jared Jones Club Mix) (Indie)
Tegan & Sara – Closer (Sultan & Ned Shepard Club Mix) (Warner)
Tenishia feat. Chris Jones – Memory of a Dream (Club Mix) (S107/Armada)
Lawson – Learn to Love Again (Cutmore Extended Mix) (Polydor)

FAVORITE RECENT ADDS
Loreen – In My Head (Promise Land Extended Mix) (Warner)
Sophi – This is Our Love (Cahill Original Club Mix) (Indie)
Christina Aguilera – Let There Be Love (Cutmore Club Mix) (RCA)

STILL COOKING
Cherry Cherry Boom Boom – One and Only (Dave Aude Club Mix) (Universal)
Matthew Koma – Parachute (7th Heaven Club Mix) (Interscope)
Sarah Brightman – Angel (Wawa Extended) (Frontside)
Cascada – Glorious (Extended Mix) (Universal)
Alexandra Stan – Cliché (Hush, Hush) (Original Club Mix) (Ultra)

March 22, 2013 at 6:11 pm Leave a comment

Dance Chart for 3/8/2013

I’ve had a lot of requests recently to return to generating some sort of a regular chart. I decided there’s no time like the present. My expectation is to issue a new chart roughly every couple of weeks. Stay tuned. In the past, I’ve posted this to my own web site, and may again; for now, the blog seems like a great spot for it.

TOP 15
Nicole Scherzinger – Boomerang (Cahill Club Mix) (Universal)
Kesha – C’Mon (Cutmore Club Mix) (Sony)
Maroon 5 – Daylight (Wideboys Club Mix) (Universal)
Lawson – Learn to Love Again (Cutmore Extended Mix) (Polydor)
Paul Van Dyk feat. Adam Young – Eternity (Paul Van Dyk & Alex M.O.R.P.H Club Mix) (Vandit)
Kimberley Walsh – One Day I’ll Fly Away (The Alias Club Mix) (Universal)
John de Sohn feat. Kristin Amparo – Dance Our Tears Away (Extended) (Sony)
Cascada – Glorious (Extended Mix) (Universal)
Sarah Brightman – Angel (Wawa Extended) (Frontside)
Armin van Buuren feat. Fiora – Waiting For The Night (Beat Service Remix) (Armada)
Nikki Williams – Glowing (DJ Steve Watt and Jukebox Extended Remix) (Universal)
Tribal Saints feat. Rev-Players & Niki Torre – Moments of My Broken Heart (Josh Harris Club Mix) (Amathus)
Sultan + Ned Shepard & NERVO feat. Omarion – Army (Original Mix) (Strictly Rhythm)
Sariah – Kill the Lights (Electro Club Mix) (Reigning Hearts)
Alexandra Stan – Cliché (Hush, Hush) (Original Club Mix) (Ultra)

FAVORITE RECENT ADDS
Punkrockerz feat. Carmen & Camille – IDGAF (MD Electro Club Remix) (CAPP)
Joanna Rays – Just Another Day (Club Mix – Full Vocal) (Sony)
Depeche Mode – Heaven (Freemasons Club Mix) (Sony)
Naked Highway – Cause This (Jared Jones Club Mix) (Indie)
Courtney Stodden – Reality (Klubjumpers Extended) (Indie)

STILL COOKING
Marina and the Diamonds – How to Be a Heartbreaker (Almighty Remix) (Universal)
Misha B. – Do You Think of Me (Liam Keegan Club Mix) (Sony)
Matthew Koma – Parachute (7th Heaven Club Mix) (Interscope)

March 9, 2013 at 3:25 am Leave a comment

The top 50 dance songs of 2012

For several years now, one of my most popular perennial blog posts has been my top dance songs charts. For the 2012, I keep the list to 50 entries; I still believe that it is objectively demonstrable that the volume of well-crafted, quality music available commercially is at an historical low. That makes it difficult to find even 50 tracks that I’m excited about—let alone more.

You’ll find some important information along with comments, below the chart. I hope you enjoy the list and find it useful. Please support dance music and keep it alive by supporting with your entertainment dollars the artists, remixers and record labels who bring it to you.

Some random comments:

• Ayah Marar – Mind Controller (Wawa Remix) (Hussle Girl)
  This UK indie artist has produced an incredible track that was destined to be my #1 of 2012 from the moment I heard it. The original version is pure pop magic with its delicious vibe, great songwriting, and passionate vocal. Wawa took that strong foundation and kicked it up about 100 notches into a massive, thumpy, energetic dance track that I cannot stop listening to. The shameful part is that Marar self-released the track, and for whatever reason didn’t tick the box on iTunes that says “all territories,” leaving the song unreleased here in the US, and driving more than a few of my fans (I’m sure) toward illicit downloads. When will people learn that music knows no boundaries? I could rant about this all day, but it wouldn’t change the fact that this was the most killer track of 2012 in my book.
• 80s Artists are Still Going Strong
  While not everything I play is represented in the chart above, a couple of 80s artists are there (Exposé and Bananarama) and several more had releases during the year (including Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, Madonna and others). I find it pretty amazing, frankly, that so many of these artists are still around—and most of them never stopped making music to start with (they merely aren’t so much in the spotlight these days).
• Everything Gets Released—Eventually
  Several years ago, I was completely crazy about a little song called Wicked Ways by one Lisa Law. In fact, it was my #6 song of 2008. The really crazy part of it is that the song was never released; it appeared as a DJ promo briefly in 2008. Now, 4 years down the road, it finally saw the light of day. While it didn’t go on to become the hit I believe it deserves to be, it did hit my playlists again with a few new remixes, in addition to my original favorite from Soul Seekerz. This year, it’s #39.

Several things to bear in mind for those reading this chart:

• The artists and tracks listed are those I personally find the most interesting. I don’t read the Billboard charts, and I don’t care about them. I don’t pay attention to what’s on the FMQB chart, or what other DJs play, or even what promoters happen to tell me “everyone else” is playing. I play what I think has the best hook, or the sweetest groove, or whatever else about a song happens to catch my ear. As a result, my top 50 list is likely to be quite different than what you might be expecting.
• As a DJ, I characterize my music as “mainstream dance.” As a result, this chart may not even match your idea of “dance music,” especially if you prefer trance, techno, dubstep, or other sub-genres. “My” dance music is largely melodic, vocal, commercial, mainstream dance with largely house roots. Your mileage may (and probably will) vary.
• The tracks shown here are selected for the chart based on the number of times played, and other objective and subjective factors. In some cases, you might see some material here that wasn’t released in 2012, but that for whatever reason I “discovered” and started playing during the year.
• I often play a variety of mixes of a single song. My “preferred” remix is listed, though I may play others.

December 31, 2012 at 9:51 pm Leave a comment

Chart update January 15, 2010

I just posted my Top 25 Dance Chart for the week on my web site. You can read the whole chart by clicking that link, but here’s the Top 10 this week:

This week, four hot new tracks added to my regular playlist:

• Lemar – The Way Love Goes (Epic)
• Lady Gaga – Telephone (Interscope)
• Brian Anthony – Electricity (Sogni)
• In-Grid – Les Fous (D:Vision)
• Velvet – My Destiny (Bonnier Music [Denmark])

January 19, 2010 at 2:54 am Leave a comment

Chart update January 1, 2010

January 6, 2010 at 12:36 am Leave a comment

Chart update December 18, 2009

December 19, 2009 at 6:10 pm Leave a comment

Chart update December 11, 2009

December 17, 2009 at 11:25 pm Leave a comment

Chart update December 4, 2009

December 9, 2009 at 12:16 am Leave a comment

Chart update November 27, 2009

November 30, 2009 at 9:50 pm Leave a comment