What exactly defines “dance songs”? It’s a thought-provoking question. In a broad sense, any song that inspires movement could be considered a dance song. From the infectious rhythms of The Beatles to the aggressive beats of Slayer, music’s power to move us is undeniable. Hip-hop and reggae, in their essence, are inherently danceable genres. However, when curating a list of the greatest dance songs, we need to delve deeper into “dance music culture.” This is a more specific and yet incredibly vast realm, spanning nearly half a century and continuously evolving to this day and beyond.
Our exploration of dance music, after acknowledging the foundational influence of James Brown, begins in the mid-1970s with the disco era. It then progresses through the early 1980s club sounds like electro and Latin freestyle. Disco’s reinvention into house music in Chicago and techno in Detroit marks a pivotal moment, followed by the explosive growth of the 1990s rave scene. This era spawned a diverse range of genres, from jungle to trance to gabba to garage, ultimately leading to the EDM and dubstep phenomena of the 2000s. While these genres have experienced periods of mainstream popularity, they never truly disappear. Drum ‘n’ bass, for instance, is currently experiencing a resurgence, and contemporary house tracks continue to emerge.
This curated list doesn’t aim to encompass every nuance within this vast ocean of subgenres. Instead, we focused on tracks that possess a timeless quality and feel universally significant. We paid particular attention to moments where dance music intersected with broader musical landscapes – including synth-pop, hip-hop, funk, Miami bass, R&B, indie-rock, Latin music, and pop. This is why you’ll find artists as diverse as Prince, Robyn, Britney Spears, and Shakira alongside pioneers like Adonis, Frankie Knuckles, Moodymann, Goldie, and SOPHIE.
If you’re curious about the journey that led to a present day where artists like Drake and Beyoncé are releasing house-infused tracks, this exploration provides that narrative – or at least, our interpretation of it.
Donna Summer, ‘Last Dance’ (1979)
Donna Summer Last Dance Image Credit Redferns
Image Credit: Redferns
The film Thank God It’s Friday, while intended as a showcase for Casablanca Records, a prominent disco label, arguably signaled disco’s peak and subsequent decline in mainstream popularity. Yet, “Last Dance” undeniably earned its Oscar for Best Original Song. The track begins at a pace so languid it makes “Three Times a Lady” sound fast, before evolving into a compelling and exhilarating disco anthem. The unsung hero here is Casablanca’s producer Bob Esty, who conceived the song’s brilliant tempo shift. —M.M.
Fatboy Slim, ‘The Rockafeller Skank’ (1998)
Fatboy Slim performs at Pop Music Festival Brazil 2011 Image Credit AP
Image Credit: AP
“It’s funny,” producer-DJ Norman Cook reflected on his massive hit as Fatboy Slim, “The Rockafeller Skank.” “The first time it ever got played was at the Boutique in Brighton. I put it on and everybody just looked up, mouthing, ‘This is you, isn’t it?’” Indeed, Cook’s signature formula of breakbeats and guitar riffs was at its most effective here. “Skank,” with its catchy surf-rock riff and Lord Finesse vocal sample (“Right about now, the funk soul brother/Check it out now, the funk soul brother”), quickly became ubiquitous. “There were lots of jokes about ‘Frat-Boy Slim,’” Cook admitted. “I suppose ‘Rockafeller Skank’ became an anthem for that sort of beer-boyish mentality.” —M.M.
Mescalinum United, ‘We Have Arrived’ (1991)
Techno’s equivalent to heavy metal is “gabber,” a Dutch word meaning “buddy.” The Netherlands is the heartland of this hardcore sound. However, gabber’s leading figure is Marc Acardipane, known by around 90 aliases. His initial impact remains powerful: “We Have Arrived,” credited to Mescalinum United, is built upon thunderous drums and piercing air-raid siren sounds. This track became the foundation upon which gabber was built. At Brooklyn raves, where DJ Lenny Dee, whose label released the track in America, played it, crowds would enthusiastically mosh to its relentless energy. —M.M.
Oliver Heldens, ‘Melody’ (2016)
Oliver Heldens DJ performing Melody Image
By the mid-2010s, even DJs headlining major festivals were tiring of the predictable build-and-drop structures that dominated dance music. “Melody” marked a significant shift. Dutch producer Oliver Heldens was only 18 when he released this track, yet its sweeping string arrangements and uplifting piano melody possessed a refined, classic dance music feel. Simultaneously, the bass maintained a powerful, contemporary impact. —M.M.
Kerri Chandler, ‘Rain’ (1998)
New Jersey house producer Kerri Chandler’s deeply soulful tracks are not the only reason he is revered by younger producers and DJs. “I never considered myself a singer,” he stated in 2014. “I feel I’m more of a vocalist. I write my life’s story and let it out through the music.” Perhaps “monologist” is a more fitting description. Chandler’s heartfelt plea in “Rain,” with each line punctuated by the title, conveys a sense of vulnerability, yet the music itself is more playful than melancholic, particularly the whimsical xylophone solo. —M.M.
Detroit Grand Pubahs, ‘Sandwiches’ (2000)
Detroit Grand Pubahs Paris the Black Fu performs live in London 2002 Image Credit Jim Dyson Getty Images
Image Credit: Jim Dyson/Getty Images
Andy Toth and Mack Goudy — also known as Dr. Toefinger Paris the Black Fu — initially met while working at a restaurant in Royal Oak, Michigan. “We both liked whiskey and working on music,” Toth recalled. One evening, Toth created a vibrant, flexible electro track, and Paris instructed him to turn on the microphone. “I said ‘What you got?’ He said, ‘Don’t worry about it. Just turn the mic on.’” Within moments, Paris spontaneously improvised suggestive lyrics about a dance floor encounter. This became a defining moment of Detroit’s electro resurgence at the turn of the century and an instant global club sensation. —M.M.
Black Box, ‘Everybody Everybody’ (1990)
Sometimes, exceptional records emerge from questionable circumstances. Consider “Everybody Everybody.” Martha Wash of the Weather Girls was hired in 1989 to record demos for an Italian house production team, Groove Groove Melody. She was told the songs were for other singers. Instead, tracks featuring her uncredited vocals were released under the name Black Box. Adding insult to injury, a model was hired to lip-sync Wash’s vocals in music videos. She successfully sued for recognition and compensation, as she also did against C+C Music Factory for similar practices. Daniele Davoli of Black Box later expressed remorse: “We didn’t know any better at the time. I guess we had to learn from our mistakes,” he admitted in 2013. —M.M.
Big Freedia, ‘Azz Everywhere’ (2010)
Big Freedia performs at Essence Festival New Orleans 2019 Image Credit Amy Harris Invision AP
Image Credit: Amy Harris/Invision/AP
“I’ve traveled across the globe now, spreading the goodness of bounce and trying to get people everywhere onto what’s been around for two decades,” Big Freedia explained in 2011, referring to New Orleans’ energetic and unrestrained club sound – the very music for which twerking was created. “Azz Everywhere” became the breakthrough track for this genre, a vibrant mix of snares, samples, and the repeated shouted title phrase. “We hold classes on the road sometimes at performing venues and different colleges to teach about the history of bounce music,” Big Freedia added. “We describe it as an uptempo, heavy bass, holler-response music. And it definitely has a lot to do with azz shaking!” —M.M.
Joy Orbison, ‘Hyph Mngo’ (2009)
In the late 2000s, dubstep producers were pushing boundaries, resulting in a wave of innovative tracks. Joy Orbison’s debut, “Hyph Mngo,” became the defining dubstep track of 2009, capturing the scene at its peak. The bassline and synthetic textures are smooth and flowing, but the echoing snare drum and fragmented vocal samples – a female voice intermittently calling out “Ooh!” and “I do” – impart an unexpectedly emotional quality, rare for dubstep at the time, contributing to its mainstream appeal. —M.M.
ESG, ‘Moody’ (1981)
ESG Moody performance shot Image
The Scroggins sisters from the South Bronx left an enduring legacy on New York dance music when they formed ESG in the late 1970s. While their grooves were rooted in funk and disco, their minimalist sound and focus on percussion resonated with post-punk and no-wave scenes. This was especially true after they collaborated with Joy Division producer Martin Hannett for their debut EP. “Moody,” the EP’s centerpiece, still sounds futuristic: a subtle bassline, bongo rhythms, and Renee Scroggins’ ethereal vocals emerging from the sonic texture. —C.S.
La Roux, ‘In for the Kill (Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey Remix)’ (2009)
La Roux Elly Jackson Image Credit Jim Ross Invision AP
Image Credit: Jim Ross/Invision/AP
Artists sometimes have mixed feelings about remixes of their songs. However, La Roux’s Elly Jackson credited fellow Londoner Skream for not only capturing the essence of her synth-pop single “In for the Kill” in his remix, but also for “regaving birth to the real meaning and atmosphere of the song as we wrote it.” Skream’s remix discards the original’s upbeat tempo (and Kanye West’s guest rap), creating an intensely tense atmosphere with flattened synths, before unleashing a torrent of drum-and-bass breaks. “What he did with the song is what we would have done if we’d been brave enough,” Jackson elaborated. “We wanted to make a pop record and that just isn’t a pop thing, what he did to it.” —M.M.
Double 99, ‘RIP Groove’ (1997)
Double 99 DJ duo image
After collaborating as RIP in the mid-1990s, London producers Tim Deluxe and DJ Omar rebranded as Double 99 to mark “a double-pack vinyl EP,” Omar explained. Due to time constraints in completing the package, “we decided to make up track names and get the artwork done before the tracks had actually been made.” “RIP Groove,” titled as a tribute to their previous name and cleverly constructed from samples of Armand Van Helden’s remix of CJ Bolland’s “Sugar Is Sweeter,” along with Kenny Dope and singer Tina Moore, took just three hours to produce. It became a massive hit in 1997, propelling UK garage (then called “speed garage”) into the pop charts and heralding a new sound. —M.M.
Snap!, ‘The Power’ (1990)
A classic dance music archetype: two German producers sample an American rapper (Chill Rob G of Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit) and an American R&B diva (Jocelyn Brown), creating a club hit. It’s picked up by a major label (Arista) and re-recorded with a new vocalist (Turbo B, an American G.I. stationed in Germany). Then, the originally sampled rapper re-records that version as Power Jam feat. Chill Rob G. Both versions become club hits. Beyond that, “The Power” established a new Europop blueprint, as Snap!’s Michael Muenzing explained in 1994: “Now you have 50 or 60 groups singing this way — rapping, singing the chorus, and going back to the rap.” —M.M.
DJ Frosty feat. Fatman Scoop, DJ Webstar, Young B. & Smooth, ‘Ride That Wave (Remix)’ (2010)
DJ Frosty performing DJ set image
Originating in Newark, New Jersey (initially called Brick City club), Jersey club is characterized by its intricate, syncopated rhythms, clipped vocal samples, and a vibe that is energetic yet never aggressive, reminiscent of classic hip-house in a blender. DJ Frosty’s “Ride That Wave” perfectly exemplifies these qualities – a relentlessly catchy, chant-along track that emerged as the sound began to gain traction with EDM producers globally. This contributed to Jersey club’s eventual influence on mainstream music, reaching as far as Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind. The remix featured artists like Fatman Scoop, whose 1990s hip-hop cut-up 12-inches on AV8 Records were favorites of DJs like Armand Van Helden and Fatboy Slim. —J.D.
Todd Terje, “Inspector Norse” (2012)
Todd Terje DJ set performance Image Credit Future via Getty Images
Image Credit: Future via Getty Images
When Norwegian nu-disco producer Todd Terje created “Inspector Norse” – entirely from sounds generated by a vintage ARP synthesizer, like the rest of his 2012 It’s the Arps EP – he didn’t anticipate its widespread appeal. “I thought it was going to go well with the DJs, as I’d tried it out and it had a danceable beat, but I never thought I’d hear people singing along to the melodies,” Terje said. However, the track’s quirky melody proved irresistible. “It really helped me as a DJ in terms of popularity,” he acknowledged. —M.M.
The Rapture, ‘House of Jealous Lovers’ (2002)
The Rapture band performing live 2002 Image Credit Redferns
Image Credit: Redferns
“Most people now have no memory of how absolutely sacrilegious it was at the time,” DFA founder and “House of Jealous Lovers” co-producer James Murphy told Spin. “We wanted to make a rock track that could compete with dance music. We obsessed over it.” The Rapture’s debut single layered abrasive Gang of Four-esque guitar riffs and a contagiously frenetic shout-along vocal over a compelling beat and deep bass, specifically engineered to be undeniable for dance DJs. It succeeded. The song became the pinnacle of the early 2000s “dance-punk” movement, inspiring countless new New York bands to emulate the sounds of 1979 Manchester or Leeds, and transforming every indie bar in the city into a venue with a DJ booth and turntables. —J.D.
TNGHT, ‘Higher Ground’ (2012)
TNGHT Hudson Mohawke and Lunice duo Image Credit Getty Images
Image Credit: Getty Images
“The first time around was our take on big American rap beats, with a little bit of cheekiness to it,” Hudson Mohawke said of the 2012 EP he created with Lunice as TNGHT. The five-song EP propelled both artists to the forefront of EDM, thanks to its energetic, dance-floor focused take on trap music. “Higher Ground,” a majestic and intricate track, is both cavernous and detailed. Within a year, Kanye West enlisted TNGHT to produce “Blood on the Leaves” from Yeezus. —M.M.
Roni Size and Reprazent, ‘Brown Paper Bag’ (1997)
Roni Size Reprazent band Brown Paper Bag performance image
In the late 1990s, drum and bass was becoming increasingly fragmented and distanced from its origins in dancehall and hip-hop. Bristol, England, collective Roni Size and Reprazent managed to create drum and bass that was both experimental and expansive, while retaining its Black roots by blending rapid beats with warm, organic jazz-funk influences. “It’s funny how ‘Brown Paper Bag’ split people,” Size mentioned in a 2018 interview, referring to the group’s most famous track, the double-bass driven highlight from their 1997 album, New Forms. “They heard the jazz, how it sounded different from everything else, and they saw this other audience that loved it.” —J.D.
Soul II Soul, ‘Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)’ (1989)
Led by the charismatic DJ-producer Jazzie B and, for two albums, co-producer Nellee Hooper, Soul II Soul began as a London sound system specializing in reggae and soul. When they started recording in the late 1980s, their smooth grooves seamlessly merged both genres with effortless grace. Initially, their tracks were intended solely for Soul II Soul’s own events. “It was literally for our sound [system] at the beginning,” Jazzie B explained. “We weren’t really interested in what anybody else was doing.” However, everyone became interested in them. “Back to Life” reached Number One on the Billboard R&B chart and the Top Five on the Hot 100. —M.M.
Felix da Housecat, ‘Silver Screen Shower Scene’ (2001)
Felix Da Housecat DJ performance image
Felix Stallings Jr. is a Chicago house music veteran. In high school, he co-created the acid house classic “Fantasy Girl” as Pierre’s Pfantasy Club with DJ Pierre in 1987. His career went global, and for his 2000 album Kittenz and Thee Glitz, he assembled an international group of collaborators, including Junior Sanchez, Tommie Sunshine, and Parisian vocalists Miss Kittin and Melistar, for a concept album exploring celebrity and artifice. “Silver Screen Shower Scene” became an instant anthem, its lyrics satirizing celebrity culture and its music seemingly defining the electroclash era. Jacques Lu Cont’s “Thin White Duke Remix” gained even greater popularity among DJs. –M.M.
Dntel feat. Ben Gibbard, “(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan (Superpitcher Kompakt Remix)” (2001)
In 2000, Death Cab for Cutie’s frontman Ben Gibbard had “a weird dream … involving [Lemonheads frontman] Evan Dando and Chan Marshall,” also known as Cat Power: “It was completely G-rated, not one of those inappropriate dreams, but it was bizarre – you know, in the same way you dream that you’re in your house but it’s not your house, your friend is there but he’s a merman.” He transformed it into a song, collaborating with Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello) before their Postal Service project. The producer set Gibbard’s vocals to energetic beats and buzzing synths, but the remix by Superpitcher, from the influential German label Kompakt, featured hazy synth layers and echoing chimes that perfectly captured the dreamlike atmosphere hinted at in the lyrics. —M.M.
Patrick Cowley feat. Sylvester, ‘Do Ya Wanna Funk?’ (1982)
Sylvester James disco singer portrait 1980 Image Credit Anthony Barboza Getty Images
Image Credit: Getty Images
Patrick Cowley was a synth prodigy who became a key innovator of Hi-NRG, a gay club staple, through his solo work, collaborations with Sylvester, and his extended 16-minute remix of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.” Cowley fell ill in November 1981, and passed away a year later at age 32, just four months after the term “AIDS” was officially coined. In his final months, Cowley worked from his studio, propped up by pillows, to complete his vibrant, synthetic grooves. “Do Ya Wanna Funk” remains a landmark – with soaring synth riffs and Sylvester’s stratospheric falsetto. It also provided a memorable movie moment, soundtracking the party scene in Trading Places. —M.M.
Funkadelic, ‘One Nation Under a Groove’ (1978)
Funkadelic band performing live Image Credit Redferns
Image Credit: Redferns
Undeniably the greatest funk track featuring a banjo, “One Nation Under a Groove” possesses an instantly captivating rhythm that topped the R&B singles chart for six weeks in 1978. Assigning the song to the guitar-driven Funkadelic (rather than the horn-heavy Parliament) was George Clinton’s way of emphasizing its power: “Parliament is smashing,” he explained. “But Funkadelic is the movement.” —M.M.
Evelyn Thomas, ‘High Energy’ (1984)
Evelyn Thomas at Limelight Disco NYC 1984 Image Credit Ron Galella Ron Galella Collection Getty
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Released in April 1984, this track gave Hi-NRG, the synth-heavy gay club genre, its name. However, it was not the first of its kind, even for its creators. Chicago singer Evelyn Thomas was signed by Manchester producer Ian Levine to Pye Records in the mid-1970s as a teenager. Levine, a DJ on the Northern Soul circuit known for playing rare 1960s American R&B, transitioned towards disco, especially as synthesizers became dominant. Smash Hits noted that Levine “straddle[ed] both gay disco and old Motown — the two main Hi-NRG ingredients.” Bold, cheerful, and irresistibly catchy, “High Energy” reached the UK Top Five and remains a dance floor smash, as DJ-producer Black Madonna (now the Blessed Madonna) demonstrated on her Bunker Podcast. —M.M.
Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers, ‘Get Lucky’ (2013)
When Pharrell Williams first met Daft Punk at a Madonna party, he expressed his desire to collaborate: “If you just want me to play a tambourine, I’ll do it.” When they met in Paris, Williams shared his admiration for Nile Rodgers, and the robots played him a track they had created with Rodgers. Williams recorded his smooth vocals during that visit. “You don’t need MDMA for this music, because it’s so incredibly vivid,” he enthused. –M.M.
Mat Zo and Porter Robinson, ‘Easy’ (2013)
Porter Robinson and Mat Zo Easy collaboration image
“‘Easy’ in my mind is an homage to Daft Punk’s Discovery,” Porter Robinson said in 2013 about his collaboration with Mat Zo. “It takes the disco chords of all of the early French stuff and gives it a louder, more trance-inspired feel.” It’s a masterful update, both dazzling and classic: the central synth line evokes a Theremin as much as a Moog, and the vocal sample (from Colourblind’s NYC garage classic “Nothing Better”) has a raw emotionality that was often missing in stadium EDM of that era. —M.M.
Justice vs. Simian, “We Are Your Friends” (2006)
Image Credit: FilmMagic
In 2003, Parisian musicians Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay entered a remix contest for British rockers Simian’s “Never Be Alone.” “You could download the separate tracks: guitar, drums, and other things,” de Rosnay told The New York Times. “But we were working without music software: just a sampler, a sequencer, and a synthesizer. So we downloaded just the voice on the chorus, because there was not space enough for more than eight seconds of sound on our sampler.” The result was a jarring, energetic track that perfectly bridged electroclash and EDM. Retitled “We Are Your Friends,” it became a hit in 2006, launching Augé and de Rosnay’s career as Justice and inspiring Simian to transform into the dance act Simian Mobile Disco. —M.M.
Martin Garrix, ‘Animals’ (2013)
Martin Garrix performs at Coachella 2014 Image Credit Scott Roth Invision AP
Image Credit: Scott Roth/Invision/AP
Dance music often favors youth, and the early 2010s EDM boom exemplified this. Built around a captivating synth riff so memorable people chanted along even without lyrics, Martin Garrix’s “Animals” was released when the Dutch producer was only 18 and became an instant global phenomenon. This naturally raised suspicions. “At first, people in the industry assumed I didn’t make my own shit,” Garrix later admitted. “So I would do livestreams and production tutorials on the internet to get rid of that stigma.” —M.M.
Debbie Deb, ‘Lookout Weekend’ (1984)
“As far as I know, I coined the phrase. I hadn’t heard anybody call it freestyle music prior to me coming up with the name of the group Freestyle,” Miami production pioneer Pretty Tony stated in 2015. His airy, energetic tracks bridged the gap between KC and the Sunshine Band and 2 Live Crew. “Lookout Weekend,” his second single with Debbie Weshoff Lopez – whom he discovered working at a record store – was freestyle at its peak. Like its predecessor, “When I Hear Music,” “Weekend” went triple platinum. In response, Tony said, “I bought me a Porsche. As a matter of fact, two Porsches.” —M.M.
Tate Kobang, ‘Bank Rolls’ (2015)
Tate Kobang performs at Youtube Music Showcase 2016 Image Credit Thomas M Jackson Redferns
Image Credit: Redferns
Built upon a sample of Tim Trees’ Baltimore club track “Bank Roll,” then-23-year-old rapper Tate Kobang’s remix is a modern tribute to Baltimore, its people, its resilience, and especially its energy. In his final verse, he even acknowledges K-Swift, the legendary DJ who helped popularize Baltimore club music before her untimely passing in 2008. “She was just one of those bodies in our culture that was like, ‘She ain’t never going anywhere,’” Kobang has said. And like K-Swift’s work, “Bank Rolls (Remix)” introduced a new audience to the underground Baltimore sound. —C.S.
Soft Cell, ‘Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go?’ (1981)
Soft Cell band portrait Image Credit Redferns
Image Credit: Redferns
“We both like Northern soul, Sixties music, and the 12-inch record,” Marc Almond explained in 1981 about himself and Soft Cell partner David Ball. They combined these influences into a powerful track. The duo’s synth-pop rendition of Gloria Jones’ R&B song “Tainted Love” was a hit on its own, but for the extended version, they seamlessly blended it with another classic from the same era by the Supremes. “It was originally just going to include a few bars of ‘Where Did Our Love Go?’ but we like the way it turned out and included the whole song,” Almond said. This nine-minute medley – New Wave disco in essence – has captivated dance floors ever since. —M.M.
The Orb, ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ (1990)
The Orb Alex Paterson portrait 1991 Image Credit Martyn Goodacre Getty Images
Image Credit: Getty Images
One day, The Orb’s Alex Paterson received a tape from a friend with a note: “This might be a good idea for a new Orb single.” Side A contained an interview with Rickie Lee Jones describing the Arizona skies of her youth: “The most beautiful skies, as a matter of fact … purple and yellow and red and on fire.” Side B was Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint. Combining them, Paterson created “Little Fluffy Clouds,” the most soothing track of the acid-house era. Reich “was very happy when he heard it,” Paterson recalled. “Suddenly, it was being played to the masses, and they were loving it.” —M.M.
Polygon Window, ‘Quoth’ (1993)
Richard D. James, known as Aphex Twin, is often associated with more introspective dance music. However, in the early 1990s, he produced rave anthems of exceptional quality. “Quoth,” released under the Polygon Window alias, is a prime example – a percussive symphony that was particularly popular in the American Midwest during that period, where it was enthusiastically danced to in actual barns. —M.M.
Skream, ‘Midnight Request Line’ (2005)
Skream DJ set performance at Fabric Nightclub London Image Credit PYMCA Universal Images Group Getty Images
Image Credit: Universal Images Group via Getty
Shortly after London dubstep producer-DJ Skream released his atmospheric 12-inch “Midnight Request Line,” he recalled, “I was on a boys’ holiday with my friends. They had a DJ Magazine or a Mixmag rack up on a shelf … I looked at it, and I had Record of the Month. I was like, ‘Shit, I need to get home.’” The track, with its delicate synth melody, smooth bassline, and rhythmic claps, propelled Skream and dubstep into the mainstream spotlight. –M.M.
Paul Johnson, ‘Feel My M.F. Bass’ (1994)
“Ghetto house” was house music’s equivalent to gangsta rap – a raw, sample-based, street-oriented style developed by a group of 1990s Chicago producers (notably on the Dance Mania label). Paul Johnson, who used a wheelchair, was a leading figure in this style, creating unconventional tracks with a distinct flair. (His DJ mixtapes, often featuring his dreamy voice-overs, were equally distinctive.) Johnson’s pinnacle was “Feel My M.F. Bass,” a forceful track built on a cavernous kick drum, over which Johnson, who sadly passed away from Covid in August 2021, playfully coos, “Feel my motherfuckin’ bass in your face,” as if serenading a lover. When the powerful kick drum returns, his intention is undeniable. —M.M.
Ten City, ‘That’s the Way Love Is’ (1989)
Ten City band portrait London 1990 Image Credit Martyn Goodacre Getty Images
Image Credit: Getty Images
“When Ten City started, I think we were both at a point where we wanted to expand the genre by writing proper songs while at the same time doing more abstract things,” said Marshall Jefferson, who produced the Chicago house vocal trio. “That’s the Way Love Is,” Ten City’s third single, perfectly captured their style – lush Philly-soul strings over romantic songs, topped by Byron Stingily’s soaring falsetto. It reached the UK Top 10 and Number One on the Billboard dance chart. Jefferson added, “people in South Africa have told us stories of how that song represents liberation for them.” —M.M.
Nitzer Ebb, ‘Join in the Chant’ (1987)
Nitzer Ebb band portrait Image Credit Getty Images
Image Credit: Getty Images
Hailing from England’s Midlands, industrial groove band Nitzer Ebb’s danceability was inherent. “The clubs we knew were disco and funk,” frontman Douglas McCarthy told The Guardian. “It’s in the DNA of the area.” Nitzer Ebb’s most compelling anthem, “Join in the Chant,” was a perfect techno crossover – especially in Detroit, where techno artists like Carl Craig and Jeff Mills had previously embraced industrial music. Richie Hawtin included “Chant” in his influential 1999 mix CD Decks, EFX & 909, while Andrew Weatherall famously stated, “The closest I felt to God was listening to ‘Join in the Chant.’”—M.M.
Bronski Beat, ‘Smalltown Boy’ (1984)
Soft Cell band portrait Image Credit Redferns
Bronski Beat’s Jimi Somerville once joked that his vocal training consisted of singing along to Donna Summer and Sylvester records. “I wanted a lot more out of life than working in a paint factory and having to accept that being gay was a nighttime occupation only,” he said. “I just had had enough of the abuse and the heartache.” He channeled this emotion into “Smalltown Boy,” a poignant portrayal of alienation and escape. With its yearning vocal hook (“Run away, run away, run away”) and smooth synth backdrop, it became an instant gay club anthem, reaching Number One on the Billboard club chart and the UK Top Three. —M.M.
LFO, ‘LFO (Leeds Warehouse Mix)’ (1990)
Image Credit: PYMCA/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
LFO were pioneers of Sheffield, England’s “bleep” scene – Warp Records’ original signature sound. As Warp’s Steve Beckett explained, “it had nothing to do with the bleeps for the people making it — for them it was all about the bass.” The track that secured LFO’s record deal was their self-titled song, “LFO.” Icy synth chords and quirky bleeps set the stage for layers of low-end – the bassline compels movement, while the sub-bass can shake buildings. —M.M.
Drake, ‘Sticky’ (2022)
Drake Sticky album art image
As the title suggests, Drake’s foray into dance music – Honestly, Nevermind – feels intentionally understated, incorporating Jersey and Baltimore club music and various deep house influences. The standout track is “Sticky,” produced by Gordo and Ry X. Here, Drake departs from the low-key vocals prevalent on the album and raps about personal topics, such as the release of Young Thug and the passing of Virgil Abloh. It’s a compelling example of a superstar embracing a subculture and emerging with a refreshed sound. —J.D.
Roland Clark, ‘I Get Deep (Shelter Mix)’ (2000)
“The love of house music started when I went to Club Zanzibar in lieu of my prom,” Roland Clark recounted, referring to the Newark, New Jersey, club where Tony Humphries held a transformative DJ residency. This anthem clearly expresses the depth of his passion. Over lively kicks and hats and a swirling keyboard melody, Clark delivers a spoken-word piece capturing a transcendent dance floor moment – “All the sweat just goes down my face/And I pretend that there’s nobody there but me in this place.” Clark also included the a cappella version on the 12-inch, which was later sampled by Fatboy Slim on his album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars. —M.M.
Aly-Us, ‘Follow Me’ (1992)
Aly-Us band portrait Follow Me single art image
Early house music often had a raw, unpolished quality – a key part of its appeal. This is particularly true of this uplifting anthem, a gospel-inspired track (“We must stop fighting/To achieve the peace”) from a New Jersey vocal trio who recorded it in a basement with a four-track recorder. Its lo-fi aesthetic and occasional vocal imperfections only enhance the song’s urgent and emotional impact. —M.M.
George McCrae, ‘Rock Your Baby’ (1974)
Image Credit: Redferns
In the summer of 1974, two songs that originated in clubs reached Number One on the Billboard Hot 100. One was Hues Corporation’s “Rock the Boat,” and the other was this smooth classic. These were among the first disco hits. The polished instrumental track for “Rock Your Baby” was created by keyboardist Henry Wayne Casey, drummer/bassist Richard Finch, and guitarist Jerome Smith. George McCrae was added as he was present at the TK Records offices: “I think they gave me ‘Rock Your Baby’ to get me out of their hair,” he recalled. After the record’s success, Casey, Finch, and Smith formed the core of KC and the Sunshine Band. —M.M.
El General, ‘Perezosa’ (1995)
El General performing live in concert image
Panamanian pioneer El General established the foundation for reggaeton by creating massive international hits using reggae rhythms in the 1980s and 1990s. His experimental approach and broader impact on club music are often overlooked. “Perezosa,” a powerful and empowering dance anthem from his album Club 555, packed with high-energy electronic sounds, perfectly captured the spirit of vibrant parties across Latin America. —J.L.
Tom and Jerry, ‘Maximum Style’ (1994)
Image Credit: Naki/Redferns/Getty Images
4Hero – Marc Mac and Dego MacFarlane – are drum and bass stalwarts, consistently creating hits throughout the genre’s evolution from early 1990s UK hardcore to late 1990s neo-fusion, sometimes under different aliases. Tom and Jerry is one such alias, credited with this gem, released as jungle’s popularity surged in the UK. This effortlessly flowing track, with an enchanting guitar melody and playful cartoon sound effects, maintains a lighthearted feel while delivering a seriously compelling groove. —M.M.
LCD Soundsystem, ‘Losing My Edge’ (2002)
LCD Soundsystem performing live in NYC 2002 Image Credit David Corio Redferns
Image Credit: Redferns
The debut single by James Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem is both a captivating groove and a brilliant comedic monologue. It’s a witty and ironic track that also helped spark the New York dance-punk scene of the early 2000s. Murphy portrays an aging hipster grappling with fading relevance as a new generation of cool emerges, making him feel outdated, even if he “was there, at the first Can show in Cologne,” or was the first “to play Daft Punk to the rock kids.” “Losing My Edge” is both hilarious and danceable, and its feeling of FOMO remains universally relatable, regardless of experience. —J.D.
Shakira, ‘Ojos Asi (Thunder Mix)’ (1999)
Shakira performing live Image Credit ASSOCIATED PRESS
Image Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pablo Flores is considered a key figure in Latin pop’s development. The Puerto Rican DJ spent years working with major artists associated with Emilio Estefan, including Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin. When he met a relatively unknown Colombian singer named Shakira in the 1990s, he and his music partner, Javier Garza, helped her create “Ojos Asi.” This groundbreaking song celebrated her Lebanese heritage while foreshadowing the boundary-pushing, globally influenced Latin music to come. His extended remix amplified these ideas with masterful production that resonated on dance floors worldwide. —J.L.
Squarepusher, ‘My Red Hot Car’ (2001)
Squarepusher performing live in Nottingham UK 2013 Image Credit Ollie Millington Redferns via Getty Images
Image Credit: Redferns via Getty Images
Recording as Squarepusher in the mid-1990s, Tom Jenkinson twisted drum and bass’s frenetic energy into complex sonic puzzles, making it intentionally undanceable and injecting it with intellectual pretension. “Basically, I was beginning to stare up my own ass,” he later confessed. As a result, “I wanted to shake things up and make music in a more spontaneous, almost flippant way.” However, the fragmented vocals and glitch-heavy production of “My Red Hot Car” are not purely abstract. The flickering complexity alternates with clever negative space, creating a compelling groove that adventurous DJs find irresistible. —M.M.
Moloko, ‘Sing It Back (Boris Musical Mix)’ (1997)
Image Credit: Getty Images
Featuring Róisín Murphy’s vocals, which her partner Mark Brydon famously described as “Peggy Lee on mescaline,” Moloko’s 1998 single “Sing It Back” was atmospheric, downtempo, and expansive. It initially failed to chart. Then, Belgian house producer Boris Dlugosch created his remix – a crisp house groove in the style of Chic, with a captivating rhythm guitar and playful bassline. This remix reached the UK Top Five and launched Murphy’s adventurous and often danceable solo career. —M.M.
The Human League, ‘Don’t You Want Me’ (1981)
The Human League band portrait Don't You Want Me single art image
“Phil [Oakey] had this idea lyrically for this song: a story in the song which is very much A Star Is Born [and] My Fair Lady — the impresario who takes an everyday person and transforms her into a superstar that outshines himself,” Human League keyboardist Jo Callis said of “Don’t You Want Me,” which he co-wrote. The group initially underestimated the song, despite its he-said-she-said structure and catchy riff, as well as its huge chorus. The song became the group’s first Number One in both the UK and US, and a Top Three hit on the Billboard Dance Club chart, marking a key moment in the fusion of UK synth-pop, club music, and mainstream Top 40. —M.M.
