Personal top 5 dance records of 2010

Every blog and critic has been unleashing their top picks from last year and it all sounds the same. Top pick across the board goes to either Kanye or Arcade Fire and I get it. Both artists released stellar albums but what about the party records?

Sure, dance albums don't hold much longevity for most as they're usually not great for solo listening, however, I find good dance music invigorating and motivating no matter what I'm doing.

These 5 choices will be quite debatable to many especially with the omissions of some great releases from the likes of Caribou, Crystal Castles, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip etc. etc. etc.
These aren't the most accomplished albums of 2010, no these are the ones that made me sweatiest.

Without any further ado, here's my top 5 Dance records of 2010:

5. Daft Punk - Tron Legacy


Ok, so on a whole this isn't really a dance record, actually it isn't at all, but it's fucking Daft Punk so it has to be up here. The three or so actual bangers on here are worth the price of admission, much like how the games sequence in the film is worth the price of your ticket alone. I wasn't a huge fan of this soundtrack until after I watched the film and witnessed how the music accentuated all the scenes perfectly. Great stuff by these DJ legends.

4. Crookers - Tons of Friends


Italian dance masters, Crookers, finally released their first album in 2010 to very little fanfare. After dominating the club scene for so many years it seemed many people were already over Crookers by the time Tons of Friends hit the streets which is too bad. Many missed out on this eclectic mix of heavy dance numbers that spans many genres, from dubstep to electro-grime to euro house and more. All around a great party album and the first effort that real Crookers fans had been waiting for.

3. Twin Shadow - Forget


Not much to add after the review I posted up here the other week. An emotional record with some unforgettable dance hooks.

2. Tanlines - Settings E.P.


These Brooklyn boys took me by complete surprise. The first time I heard Tanlines I knew I was going to be addicted to their dance/pop/world music. Tanlines have an easily acceesible sound due to their various influences, it seems whenever I play any of their stuff in public people always ask "who is this?". Settings is a 6 track e.p. so the biggest issue I have with it is that it leaves me wanting much more. Turn up these guys on any cold winter night and get whisked away to a slamming island party.

1. Robyn - Body Talk


Body Talk is pop perfection, not one song disappoints. I've been a fan of Robyn for a long time and this new record just blew me away. In almost every way Robyn has improved upon her 2008 self-titled album. This is one tight record that is immensely fun yet not brain dead. Get down on it ASAP!

Twin Shadow live @ The Horseshoe Tavern Jan. 12, 2010

Been looking forward to seeing Twin Shadow live since their album Forget became my soundtrack for the winter.
Sometimes though, life has a way of getting in the way of plans. I had a family dinner that stretched to about 9:30 pm and i didn't get to the show till somewhere between 10:30 and 10:45, with the doors opening at 8:30 I was hopeful that Twin Shadow hadn't hit the stage yet.

Unfortunately, when i entered the sold out show, Twin Shadow was already a few songs into their set.

The band themselves were absolutely stellar. I wasn't sure what to expect but George Lewis, Jr. and his band played all their songs with much energy and perfection. The slower songs of Forget took on a new dance floor feel, while the faster ones became even more intense.

As for the crowd, well it wasn't as bad as say most Toronto crowds. People were definitely moving their butts but the size and layout of The Horseshoe Tavern restricted anyone from really letting loose let alone getting a good vantage point of the band.

All in all, the show just left me wanting more (although this is mostly own fault) and I hope they return very soon in a larger venue.

Rating: Pump-Action









Here's a video i took of them playing "Forget" a terrific winter anthem that's been keeping me warm lately.

Twin Shadow - Forget (2010)

I first caught wind of Twin Shadow after his album Forget dropped in October of 2010, the album was getting some great reviews and with the promise of hearing some good neo-wave tunes i decided to check it out.

Forget is not only one beautiful album it's on my shortlist of the best of last year, easily. The music of Twin Shadow is nostalgic, (i couldn't get the image of an 80's high school prom out of mind the first listen through) not only in the musical arrangement but the lyrical work is mostly based on memories and the "what could have beens".

The mix of the grooving 80's toe tapping beats and the nostaligic lyricism makes Forget the perfect winter album. With lyrics like "... I cannot wait for summer, I cannot wait for June" and "...when winter sets in it has a way of crystallizing the bad times, the fevers, the heartaches" this baby you can put on with hot cocoa and lose yourself in while the blizzards rage on outside.

As for dancability, well the record doesn't have an incredible amount of legs on the floor. Half of the songs are slower while the other half are upbeat and could easily be played at a party, just don't expect people to tear the roof off.
Twin Shadow makes dance music for the lonely, nostalgic, cold dancers.
So put on your dance shoes by the fire and tear up that bear skin rug, this one's a beaut.

Twin Shadow plays The Horseshoe Tavern on Jan. 12 (tomorrow!) and i'll be there with bells on. Keep watch for a review of that show sometime coming up in the next week or so.


Rating: Disco Queen

The Bloody Beetroots: Romborama (2009)

Just like one of their best jams reprises "I love The Bloody Beetroots". I've been listening to this Italian house/noise/electro duo for some time. Their music is aggressive and loud, yet it never lets go of melody. Every Beetroots track follows melody that seems simple but is stretched to its most extreme point.
There's nothing quite like dancing to a great Beetroots track, it's music that forces you to let go of all inhibitions and get sweaty. Due to the obvious amount of speed and aggression to their music it lends itself well to moshing which can get annoying when you want to let loose at a live show.
In fact, their music is so raw that the last time I saw them live they were playing as a rock band rather than DJs.


Romborama is their first album, having released a few EPs and many remixes prior, they were already a big name on the dance scene. While a few tracks will be familiar to fans much of the album is new material. It opens with the title track "Romborama" which acts as an intro to the album instead of a full on dance number. Pianos, screaming vocals, excessive distortion, menacing synths is what greets the listener. It's a threatening hello but sets the tone of what the Beetroots are all about. As "Romborama" settles its waving noise to silence the second track "Have Mercy On Us" enters with Mozartian gusto. Bob Rifo, one of the masked DJ's and the primary writer of The Bloody Beetroots material, was classically trained in music and he lets it show in his dance music quite often. On this particular number he lets go and creates a swooning epic that's cool as hell while being a beautiful composition. Think Mozart pissed off on speed.

Romborama features many guest vocalists to help give the album some weight, such as: The Cool Kids, Beta Bow, Steve Aoki, and Vicarious Bliss plus others.
Many of these songs lend themselves well to vocal treatment yet some miss their mark. The most exciting collaboration with The Cool Kids on "Awesome" falls short of expectations, and is too short overall. Maybe The Beetroots were aware of this because the record ends with the same beat but instead with vocals by Italian rapper Marracash which turns out to be the much superior version.
The best moments come when The Bloody Beetroots bring the noise; songs such as Cornelius, Talkin' In My Sleep, Warp 1.9, Fucked From Above 1985, Yeyo, House No. 84, I Love The Bloody Beetroots, are strong aggressive dance numbers that will make you move no matter where you are when you hear them.

Their slower songs are still quite good; one odd one is "Little Stars" featuring Vicarious Bliss which consists of a slow beat that sounds sort of Christmasy. The vocals seem to be two characters, one a French child and the other a bum, talking to one another. It's a weird little track but helps break up all the noise.
The biggest surprise on the album is "Second Streets Have No Names" with vocals by Beta Bow. It's an emotional pop outting that works really well as a whole and likely holds the most mass appeal out of the whole album.

Overall Romborama was definitely worth the wait fans had to endure for The Bloody Beetroots to release an official album. With 21 tracks the whole run time rides close to an hour and a half which some will find exhausting but if you're a fan then you'll eat it all up. Not completely a five star outting due to some tracks missing their marks but it's all extremely well crafted music and if you can withstand the noise, you should give it a listen.
I can't help but think that if Mozart or Beethoven were alive today, that they would be making music quite similar to what The Bloody Beetroots offer.




Rating: Roman God

A dance primer and a reference card on the rating system.

I've been meaning to do something with this blog for a while and have decided it'd be a great place to write music reviews. Specifically dance music reviews. I've always been a fan of dance music, i think the first album i ever owned was Vanilla Ice's To The Extreme... which was huge. I would beg my parents for disco records for my birthday and Christmas, in particular i wanted a Village People album. They decided against it, and got me Queen ones instead.

It wasn't until my mid to late teens that I found myself on the dance floor. At the time Toronto was booming with indie dance music and the city was quickly becoming a hot spot for all things dance. In the past few years the genre has dwindled somewhat, like a cocaine high the kids got bored and moved on to things with more substance.
I still love dance music with all my heart, the primal urge to move our bodies to a beat needs to be tapped.
Dance may be the one true way towards world peace.
Of course, like anything, dance music isn't for everyone but i think that has more to do with people looking down on dance culture rather than the act of dance.
To dance is to be happy, it is letting go, it is letting an intimate part of yourself out into the world, it is expression in its most instinctive form.

My first wave of reviews will be on records that i've been listening to for awhile and have been out for some time. Then slowly it'll become only new stuff.
I've worked out a bit of a visual rating system that works as follows:

BLOODY MESS:
The lowest rating for a record. This album made me want to cut off my feet and throw them at the artist for ruining my dance step.









TWO STAR TWO TONE:
This record had some alright jams sprinkled sparsely throughout but mostly, it's an uncomfortable improper affair.









PUMP ACTION:
This record is pretty fun and you'll wanna strap on something comfortable and get down to most of it. Nothing too impressive.







DISCO QUEEN:
This record makes you wanna hit the floor with some drinks and get your hug on. A good time.









ROMAN GOD:
This record made me hit the floor with the power of some sort of mythic beast. It makes me want to dance with a lion.









Well, let the dancing begin.

goodbye partner, hello solo

and so now, as the music recedes us

i once again... by choice i might add.. dance alone.

ho-down

So far, as i can tell, i'm not very good at dancing with just one partner