When we use the term ‘dance music,’ do we really mean music we can dance to? Dance music is used as an umbrella term to house all those tantalizing remixes and sparsely lyriced tracks that lie in the abandoned warehouses and late night radio shows. However, categorizing dance music into genres is difficult. To begin with there is: house, trance, dubstep, techno, electronica… The list could go on for pages. The genre of dance music has turned into such a ridiculous genre that all the sub-sections and different divisions couldn’t possibly be contrasted. An act can pretty much come up with their own genre of music these days. For example, Gold Panda refers to himself as “progressive electronic influenced by African melodies”(!) Popular DJs who are associated with and heavily influence the dance scene include; Annie Mac, Pete Tong and Kissy Sell Out. And the variations in the styles of music they promote are hugely conflicting. Mac is a staunch believer in the power of drum and bass, sometimes venturing dangerously close to the mainstream, whereas Tong and Sell Out play far more trance, house and industrial.
BY PRIYA BIRING Continue reading →