Current Dance Picks....

[discokicks]

I thought I’d give this a try and start a thread spotlighting some good recent dance releases to demonstrate a positive rather than bleak picture of today’s club music. I hold much respect for Bernie and this website, its members, their love of disco and also their continuing interest in music that moves the soul. Through these listings, I'm hoping to show that the disco feel can still be found.

Still working in a part-time DJ position, I continually hunt for interesting, quality club releases today just like I did 24 years ago when I landed my first club spot. I feel that my situation gives me a totally unbiased opportunity towards music that’s being offered to the clubs. I have no ties to the music industry and no friends who are DJs plus I am relatively free from the backstabbing and peer pressure that plagues so many big city DJs.

My home city is a tiny, insignificant spot on the world map...population approximately 400,000. I play music on Saturday nights at the city’s one and only gay dance club where the crowd is made up of about 50% gay guys (majority 20 - 30 years of age plus quite a few older), 20% lesbian, 20% straight girls and 10% mixed-up, curious on-lookers who hear that the music is the best in the city.

My information comes from the few music forums that I frequent plus I receive weekly emails from dance music websites and music labels introducing me to their up-to-the-minute releases. I spend a lot of time and attention to what’s being offered....sorting thru a lot of disposable, unappealing crap but, just as it was years ago, it’s always worth it when you find those musical gems.

All that I ask is that you approach these suggestions with an open mind. Today’s music is mostly electronically produced but this is what Giorgio and Patrick Cowley brought to the table. I always look for soulful and/or unique vocals and creative instrumentation. For most of today's club tracks, it’s all about the one doing the remixing and there are certain names that I watch for.

I invite others to post suggestions as well. They don’t need to be totally current songs...say within the last five years. I'm going to keep my recommendations to two or three songs each week plus post a link for listening...a picture’s worth a thousand words.

Here are three that have been moving my dancefloor for the past month now:

RUNAWAY- Jamiroquai
Click on the Grant Nelson mix...simply wonderful!
JAMIROQUAI - Runaway

SAVE A PLACE ON THE DANCEFLOOR - Dawn Tallman
Lots of whistles of appreciation when I play this one...Junior Vasquez mix seems to work the best.
Dawn Tallman - Save A Place On The Dance Floor For Me (Incl. Junior Vasquez Mixes) - Traxsource.com - the best House Music mp3 downloads

RAIN DOWN LOVE - The Freemasons feat. Siedah Garrett
With their recently released double cd of hits called Shakedown, they're ruling the dancefloors and bringing back the soulful house sound. This song seems to be the one everyone's waiting to hear on their Saturday night out.
YouTube - Freemasons - Rain Down Love (Official)

[markydefad]

Thanks for the tips, dk!!!

Now tell me, would any of the numerous remixes sound anything like the short versions on YouTube??? This is the major problem I had and why I stopped buying any 12" remixes---cuz they sounded nothing like the song I originally heard!!!

Oh, I see you did for the first 2--but not the last one which is the one I watched on the Tube!!!

oh, or is the "official" the mix to look for???? Why does it have to be so damn tricky????

[discokicks]

Originally Posted by markydefad

Thanks for the tips, dk!!!

Now tell me, would any of the numerous remixes sound anything like the short versions on YouTube??? This is the major problem I had and why I stopped buying any 12" remixes---cuz they sounded nothing like the song I originally heard!!!

Oh, I see you did for the first 2--but not the last one which is the one I watched on the Tube!!!

oh, or is the "official" the mix to look for???? Why does it have to be so damn tricky????

But that trickiness of locating the best mix is half the fun! No pain....no gain...

Actually, the video is the newer mix of the Freemasons tune. My favourite is the original club mix...much more grittier and exciting. Here's another link and click on side one, track two...

FREEMASONS feat SIEDAH GARRETT - Rain Down Love

[qdearl]

I luv these songs, play them every chance I get when we do a party

I'm in Heaven - Jason Nevins f/Holly James
Steppin' out (ext. mix) - Kaskade
Little Love (club mix) - Lil' Love
Life is But a Dream (LP mix) - Masters @ Work

(snippets of all, available on iTunes)

[tony98]

Although i play mainly Disco,Funk & Soul in bars i also have a monthly local university party which gives me the chance to play Dance & R&b. Although there seem to be more quality House tracks around in the 90s you can still find them. I would recomend these recent releases.
"Ocean Drums" - Jerry Ropera & Micheal Simon ft Kathy Brown.
"Church Lady" - Dennis Ferrer.
"Touch Me" - Houzecrushers.
"Guilty" - De Souza ft Sheena.

[musiquelover]

Here are ten of my favourites from 2006 & 2005 (with sound snippets):

1. Bah Samba: Portuguese Love (Phil Asher's Restless Soul Mix) (cover of the equally great Teena Marie song: nearly 11:30 minutes with rain/thunder intro, nice break with flute, better than the regular album version)
2. Blaze Presents UDA Feat. Barbara Tucker: Most Precious Love (Franck Roger Remix) (my favourite mix of this one with its laid-back mood)
3. Ron Hall & The MuthaFunkaz Feat. Marc Evans: The Way You Love Me (Dim's T.S.O.P. Version) (the Tom Moulton mixes are quite good as well)
4. Reel People Featuring Sharlene Hector: The Rain (Rasmus Faber Remix) (the Reel People mix is also nice)
5. Julien Jabre: Swimming Places (Original) (also check out the Pete Heller Remix)
6. Sybil: Don't Give Up (Club Mix)
7. Fish Go Deep Feat. Tracey K: The Cure & The Cause (Balearic Soul Remix)
8. HippSoul Feat. Chill: Paradise (Club Mix)
9. Kings Of Tomorrow Feat. Haze: Thru (Simon Grey Vocal Rework) (there's a Simon Grey dub worth checking out)
10. Peven Everett: Stuck (Original)

[QUINNY]

I guess the only thing they lack is good musicianship.

On one level I can sorta get into them, BUT after the third or fourth track with the same basic tenet, I sorta get bored with 'em. I couldn't imagine playing them for X hours without going into autopilot mode (albeit very quickly). Most of the reason why these don't really appeal to me is because they all sound soooo generic. The reason Disco worked for so long was down to real musicians pushing the envelope, using their own highly individual ideas and coming up with the odd gem. Sure, there were the clones during Disco's heyday and they're the ones we tried to avoid, but even the clones had some individuality in comparison to 99.9% of what's on offer today. Maybe that originality was down to real musicians playing in real time and the basic recording process involving many musicians laying down a groove.

I wanted to like the above tracks, I really did, but they have no heart, no passion and nothing new to offer, IMO.

[musiquelover]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

I guess the only thing they lack is good musicianship.

On one level I can sorta get into them, BUT after the third or fourth track with the same basic tenet, I sorta get bored with 'em. I couldn't imagine playing them for X hours without going into autopilot mode (albeit very quickly). Most of the reason why these don't really appeal to me is because they all sound soooo generic. The reason Disco worked for so long was down to real musicians pushing the envelope, using their own highly individual ideas and coming up with the odd gem. Sure, there were the clones during Disco's heyday and they're the ones we tried to avoid, but even the clones had some individuality in comparison to 99.9% of what's on offer today. Maybe that originality was down to real musicians playing in real time and the basic recording process involving many musicians laying down a groove.

I wanted to like the above tracks, I really did, but they have no heart, no passion and nothing new to offer, IMO.

Not to offend you but you sound quite bitter and also biased towards the modern dance music.
A few of these songs surely involved more musicians than some disco records from back in the day.

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by musiquelover

Not to offend you but you sound quite bitter and also biased towards the modern dance music.

Not bitter, maybe disillusioned would be a better description. At 55 years old I guess I'm naturally going to be biased against modern Dance music, BUT I don't want to be and wouldn't be if it were better. It's rather like Friends TV series. On the outside it was likeable, funny. Once you stopped to analyse it for a few minutes and realised that the laughs were re-written over and over until the test audience laughed enough AND the laughter tracks are canned laughter tracks inserted at exactly the right moment for exactly the right duration to elicit the desired reaction from a TV audience.....well, I don't know about you, but I wish for live comedy/theatre, where the action is real. Capiice?

Once you reach my age YOU might understand that certain things can become rather wearisome.

[needlefingers]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

Once you reach my age YOU might understand that certain things can become rather wearisome.

What's really wearisome is the way you talk down to everybody and show needless disdain for their music choices.

Maybe the message board YOU need to be reading and posting on is the one down at the nursing home.

[discokicks]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

I guess the only thing they lack is good musicianship.

On one level I can sorta get into them, BUT after the third or fourth track with the same basic tenet, I sorta get bored with 'em. I couldn't imagine playing them for X hours without going into autopilot mode (albeit very quickly). Most of the reason why these don't really appeal to me is because they all sound soooo generic. The reason Disco worked for so long was down to real musicians pushing the envelope, using their own highly individual ideas and coming up with the odd gem. Sure, there were the clones during Disco's heyday and they're the ones we tried to avoid, but even the clones had some individuality in comparison to 99.9% of what's on offer today. Maybe that originality was down to real musicians playing in real time and the basic recording process involving many musicians laying down a groove.

I wanted to like the above tracks, I really did, but they have no heart, no passion and nothing new to offer, IMO.

I tend to agree with what you're saying. For those of us with more demanding tastes than the norm, we're going to be more scrutinizing and distrustful with any new product. I guess this is where we may need to let down our guard a bit and realize that one can never go home again.

In regards to creating music with passion, I still sense that passion in many current recordings by independent artists and remixers despite their means of producing music electronically. Someone had to be driven to take their idea and put it all together....despite the naysayers in their life, the financial pitfalls, the doubts, the criticism, the long hours of creating...all of that takes passion and ambition. I would think that for most independent artists who carry on making these records, its their passion that forces them to see it through. There's no one holding a gun at their head (or a paycheque) shouting 'produce produce produce'....mostly just their need to create.

[QUINNY]

Except.........the cost of recording and releasing a record/CD is soooo much less in real terms than it was in the 1970's or 1980's. The one main reason why so much of todays music is less than stunning is because anyone can make music and release it. For better or for worse, lack of talent isn't a barrier, nor is finance.

BTW: I've treated certain records with disdain all my life...it's called being critical.

CRITIC:
1. One who forms and expresses judgments of the merits, faults, value, or truth of a matter.
2. One who specializes especially professionally in the evaluation and appreciation of literary or artistic works: a film critic; a dance critic.
3. One who tends to make harsh or carping judgments; a faultfinder.

either way, at least I can make critical judgements.

[musiquelover]

Anyone who considers today's dance music to be only electronic should definately give a listen to Bah Samba's fantastic "Four"-double-album.
The song "Portuguese Love" I mentioned already features 10 different musicians plus three vocalists.
All of their songs have real musicians participating (even members of the Fatback Band on "Let The Drums Speak", and before somebody thinks the album would only consist of cover versions: only 2 of the 16 songs are not original compositions).

[Simon White]

Originally Posted by discokicks

I thought I’d give this a try and start a thread spotlighting some good recent dance releases to demonstrate a positive rather than bleak picture of today’s club music. I hold much respect for Bernie and this website, its members, their love of disco and also their continuing interest in music that moves the soul. Through these listings, I'm hoping to show that the disco feel can still be found.

Still working in a part-time DJ position, I continually hunt for interesting, quality club releases today just like I did 24 years ago when I landed my first club spot. I feel that my situation gives me a totally unbiased opportunity towards music that’s being offered to the clubs. I have no ties to the music industry and no friends who are DJs plus I am relatively free from the backstabbing and peer pressure that plagues so many big city DJs.

My home city is a tiny, insignificant spot on the world map...population approximately 400,000. I play music on Saturday nights at the city’s one and only gay dance club where the crowd is made up of about 50% gay guys (majority 20 - 30 years of age plus quite a few older), 20% lesbian, 20% straight girls and 10% mixed-up, curious on-lookers who hear that the music is the best in the city.

My information comes from the few music forums that I frequent plus I receive weekly emails from dance music websites and music labels introducing me to their up-to-the-minute releases. I spend a lot of time and attention to what’s being offered....sorting thru a lot of disposable, unappealing crap but, just as it was years ago, it’s always worth it when you find those musical gems.

All that I ask is that you approach these suggestions with an open mind. Today’s music is mostly electronically produced but this is what Giorgio and Patrick Cowley brought to the table. I always look for soulful and/or unique vocals and creative instrumentation. For most of today's club tracks, it’s all about the one doing the remixing and there are certain names that I watch for.

I invite others to post suggestions as well. They don’t need to be totally current songs...say within the last five years. I'm going to keep my recommendations to two or three songs each week plus post a link for listening...a picture’s worth a thousand words.

Here are three that have been moving my dancefloor for the past month now:

RUNAWAY- Jamiroquai
Click on the Grant Nelson mix...simply wonderful!
JAMIROQUAI - Runaway

SAVE A PLACE ON THE DANCEFLOOR - Dawn Tallman
Lots of whistles of appreciation when I play this one...Junior Vasquez mix seems to work the best.
Dawn Tallman - Save A Place On The Dance Floor For Me (Incl. Junior Vasquez Mixes) - Traxsource.com - the best House Music mp3 downloads

RAIN DOWN LOVE - The Freemasons feat. Siedah Garrett
With their recently released double cd of hits called Shakedown, they're ruling the dancefloors and bringing back the soulful house sound. This song seems to be the one everyone's waiting to hear on their Saturday night out.
YouTube - Freemasons - Rain Down Love (Official)

Two nice tracks there Discokicks...couldn't get the Dawn Tallman to play (damn this computer) but loved the other two. There is great disco inspired stuff coming out...it has to be searched for but it does exist and this htread proves it. One i'd like to put up for consideration is from seven years ago now but it sounds great to my ears...Weird Science and a track called 'Feel The Need'. The best mix is Joey Negro's and I feel we could probably feature a lot of his productions and mixes in this thread !

[discopsycho]

I tend to agree with Quinny on the state of most current dance music. I have always loved dance music and try desperately to like what's played now, but I get so bored with what is played at the clubs: Endless remixes of Madonna (tired), Gwen Stefani (please), Beyonce (shrieking away), and others by basically the same remixers. The music all sounds the same and has no soul.

That being said, there are some artists and producers I like: Inaya Day has a great voice that is distinctive and that soars over any formula; Masters at Work frequently use real instruments and incorporate soul and salsa into their productions; and Jamiroquai to me is modern disco.

Unfortunately, these usually don't get played in the gay clubs, and I've traveled all over the US, to Mexico, Australia and Europe. It is very disappointing when you want to get a little of the "local flavor" and it turns out I can hear the same music in Dallas.