Dance Music CDs

2006 - the year that DJ/ dance music went 'pop'?

Just listen to the new CDs that DJs put out this year and you'll get what I mean - I hope. Lots of vocal tracks; lots of so-called uplifting tunes that are more annoying than uplifting; an attempt to sound retro, or soulful or disco-like (no offense to Hed Kandi and naked Music, but everybody is copying them!) etc. This is a question for dance music fans. I'm not asking for a thesis on why/ how people do business in the industry. I'm just wondering if dance music fans have noticed this trend. I'd also like to find out if you know of any DJs who still make serious music and refuse to 'go pop'. I can only think of two: The American DJ, Christopher Lawrence and The French DJ, Miss Kittin. Notes: I'm not talking of ordinary party DJs. I'm talking about well-known, international names who release their own CDs. Also, I am aware of what 'pop music' is, thank you. Thanks.

Public Comments

1. Hmm, yeah I know what you mean. IMO, pretty much any mix cd that you see advertised in the subway is going to suck. And I like Naked Music, but it really starts sounding formulaic if you listen to more than a couple tracks in a row, but at least they're good at it. As for recommendations, my favorite dance comps are Gilles Peterson's stuff but it's not all dance music, there's also some slower stuff and Latin stuff in there so it's prob not what you're looking for. I also like Jazzanova's compilations. In general I prefer British and German stuff I guess, they are the best at broken beat, which I consider dance music. And American *truly* soulful deep house. An American label I LOVE is Spiritual Life out of NYC. I'm not sure how hard they are to find outside of big cities, but I'm sure you could check them out online. I guess I didn't really answer your question that well, but as a (semi-retired!) DJ myself, I had to write something...