"Dance" music that is actually good

[blinduncledallas]

I'm really getting off on anthing by "The Tuss" which is apparently Aphex Twin.

I hate most dance music but I love the use of effects and old synth sounds that he/they use. It sounds interesting. I'd love a moment of his time to tell me how do that lovely hi-hat and snare thing.

The little treated vocal things are wonderful. Just lots of stereo prancing around with little "hoo's"

Apparently a Tuss is cornish for a male erect penis. *giggle*

Anyone have any have anyone else to recommend me?

[rayj]

Autechre:


'Untitled'. I don't like a whole lot of disco, but this album is good.

Oh, and Pan Sonic is astounding. Every single release. They are getting a lot tougher and noisier these days, though...check out 'Kesto'.

[pepezabala]

fuschimuschi.

[newberry]

I guess it depends on what you mean by "dance music." Do you mean any music that you can dance to? Or music that is in a genre called "dance music?"

If the former, I'd say: James Brown, Parliament, Marvin Gaye, ESG for starters.

[iembalm]

Underworld - Beaucoup Fish

[madmanmunt]

Autechre and Aphex Twin are the best of this kind of stuff by a very long shot.

I'll second Pan Sonic, their albums with Alan Vega are good also.

The most recent electronic music to get me excited has been Stephan Bodzin and his sustaining farty/vacuum cleaner synth bass sounds. Try a tune called Phobos.

[edit] I forgot to add Drexciya to my list the first time around.

From wikipedia: "The majority of Drexciya's releases were in the style of harsh, dancefloor oriented Electro, punctuated with elements of retro, 1980s Detroit Techno, with occasional excursions into the Ambient and Industrial genres. Tracks are mostly centered around the TR-808 drum machine, with bass, melodies, and synth textures ebbing and flowing in time."

More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art and Landcruising by Carl Craig are worth mentioning, as is The Innovator compilation by Derrick May.

[johnnyshape]

I would hesistate to describe any of the electronic artists mentioned so far as dance music. Electronica, maybe. 'IDM' reminds me of John Peel's remark about 'intelligent drum n' bass', it said it made him want to seek out and play 'stupid drum n'bass'. Or perhaps that other Peel quote about art and rock. That's how I feel about most of that stuff generally.

The best electronic dance records have a pretension-free grandeur about their construction and execution that is a single-minded wonder to behold. It's often accused of facelessness - fine by me. I'm not particuarly interested in the creators. I just like the records and that's it.

These are some producers I would recommend - and this is just what I like this year, and the particular sub-genre I enjoy the most:

Crookers
Soulwax
Sta
Feadz
Lifelike
College
Alan Braxe
USE
Herve
Vitalic
Rex The Dog
Kissy Sell Out

[houseboat]

Oizo.

[big_dave]

Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Progidy - The Prodigy Experience
Aphex - Hangible Auto Bulb, Richard D James, Come To Daddy and I Care...
Organized Konfuzion, if you count it
ESG
I used to like Autechre and Boards of Canada but I haven't heard them for bloody years.
My Life In A Bush of Ghosts
The second volume of the Cab's best off with some of the 12 inch singles on it is really great too, although I doubt I could sit through one of the Cab's "dance" records all the way. Cr-cr-crack down!

on the whole IDM is pretty wack, though. I'd rather listen to Parliament and James Brown, as the previous dude has said.

[yaledelay]

I love the new record by Adult, they are getting weirder and more noisey each release... you can dance to it...

[mr.arrison]

Autechre and Aphex Twin are the best of this kind of stuff by a very long shot.

Dancing to Aphex Twin or Autechre doesn't sound very fun. Maybe getting a cavity filled?

Aphex uses glitched out mathy beats that would be very difficult to "dance" to in most instances.

Autechre, same thing. Even less "dancey"

If anything, these artists are deconstructing techno.

Dance music? Pylon. James Brown. Gang of Four. Kraftwerk. etc.

What you guys are talking about is Electronic music, etc.

[caix]

I was just thinking of this dude earlier this morning: Arthur Russell

[enframed]

out hud's first album, street dad, is really good music to which one could dance.

[rayj]

Jesus christ...use a couple of terms casually, and out march the Semantics Police.

[johnnyshape]

Jesus christ...use a couple of terms casually, and out march the Semantics Police.

If you can't stand the socio-musical pedantry, stay out of the PRF.

[rayj]

Jesus christ...use a couple of terms casually, and out march the Semantics Police.

If you can't stand the socio-musical pedantry, stay out of the PRF.

Hey, will do...except I don't even know what PRF means...

Oh, and second on the Adult. Except for one album, I've liked everything they have done. First heard them on the 'Le Car' compilation, which has a lot of other, similar raw disco-nazi crap.

[newberry]

I'm still curious is the OP was referring to any danceable music, or music of the genre called "Dance Music." Actually, if such a thing exists, it's a pretty ambiguous category, no? Is there a "Dance" section at record stores?

[DrAwkward]

I can shake my booty to just about any Death From Above 1979 remix. It is the hott shitt.

[johnnyshape]

Is there a "Dance" section at record stores?

There often is in the UK.

The 'dance' branch of the Record & Tape Exchange (huge, frustrating complex of 2nd hand shops in Notting Hell) used to have dividers for all sorts of genres that I have never seen or heard of anywhere else. 'Ladbroke Groove' was a good one.

[sparky]

'Ladbroke Groove' was a good one.

I preferred the grittier textures of "Byker..."