Tag: Dance Music

My Top Songs of 2017, featuring MUNA, Dua Lipa and Tove Lo

Tove Lo, Muna and Dua Lipa are NOT characters from the new Star Wars Movie. They made my favorite songs to listen to in 2017.

As 2017 draws to a close, it’s time to look back at some of the things that made my year awesome – including my favourite music.

Some highlights – Carly Rae Jepsen brightened our summer with Cut To The Feeling, Kesha roared back, and Demi Lovato (with Jax Jones) continued to slay. Oh, and Katy Perry took a great, dark diss track and made ones of the worst videos of all time.

But three songs totally rocked my world this year – and the three artists behind these songs have some things in common – they didn’t get nearly enough airplay or attention in North America, and their names sound like they could be characters in Star Wars.  They all have a neo-disco vibe, too… But that’s just kind of my jam.

So, without further ado, here are the three songs that I’ve had on constant repeat for 2017. Full disclosure: Some of these songs were released before 2017, but hey, this is my list and I can do what I want.

3. Muna – I Know A Place

So, the song was released in 2016, but the video came out in 2017… So it totally counts.

In case you haven’t heard of Muna, they’re a trio from LA… But they have a very European sound to me. Like, I could tell you they’re from Ireland and you’d totally believe me.

At any rate, this song gives me hope for humanity.  Lots of pretty awful stuff happened in 2017 – from Las Vegas to Manchester and beyond.  And if I wanted a moment to dream of a better world, this song helped me get there.  It’s all about recognizing the humanity in each other, and creating peace through understanding.  We’re a long way from this idealism, I know.  But this song has a message of hope and peace.

It also reminds me of a time in my life that I cherish – my mid-twenties – when going out dancing with friends would make the world disappear for a few hours, and unconditional friendship love flowed all around.

“If you want to go out dancing, I know a place…”

One of my friends from that time in my life passed away suddenly this year and, although I doubt she knew of this song, the message of love reminds me of her.  This one is for Moni.

2. Dua Lipa – Blow Your Mind (Mwah)

In the latter half of 2017, Dua Lipa broke out in North America with “New Rules” , and it’s a damn good pop song. But for my money, “Blow Your Mind (Mwah)” is the single that, well, blew my mind.

Dua Lipa is from England by way of Kosovo. And her music is Hotter Than Hell, if you ask me.

It’s the sixth (!) single from her self-titled album, and it has a driving beat that I can’t get enough of. The chorus rocks my socks, and the build-up to it is the stuff that pop perfection is made of.  Bonus points for using the f-word in a way that is organic, yet punctuates the lyric perfectly.

If my life had a soundtrack, this song would be featured heavily. It is the definition of “strut-worthy.”  It’s the kind of attitude and self-confidence we wish we could all possess.

Dua Lipa deserves to be a major worldwide star. Let’s hope that 2018 treats her well.

1. Tove Lo – Disco Tits

Warning: This video is not quite suitable for all audiences.  There’s some language some may find offensive, and some PG-13 scenes.

My favourite song of the year comes to us courtesy of Tove Lo. Ms Lo is from Sweden, home of other artists I love, including ABBA, Robyn, and (to follow the “rule of three”) Roxette.

Many people will know Tove Lo from her hit single “Talking Body”  and that time she did a super sexy duet with Nick Jonas.

But then on September 1, she released “Disco Tits” on Spotify – and then it disappeared. A lot of Twitter users (OK, me) freaked out.

Luckily, it was back online in a week, and I went back to obsessing over the somewhat random lyrics and the amazing production.  It’s not a deep song, but I loved it.

Tove Lo has said the song is “losing yourself with your new found love” – the whole “love is a drug” thing.  But holy crap, the songs just drew me in and I couldn’t get enough of it.

And then the video came out.

Unlike Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish,” the video for “Disco Tits” actually improves on the song.  To channel SNL’s Stefon, this video has everything:

  • A muppet puppet with his own talk show
  • Self-referential mocking of Tove Lo’s unique name (and the fact that Americans don’t get it)
  • A dramatic, non-musical break (Although who orders barbecue sauce with fries?!)
  • Simulated Muppet puppet foreplay, sex and dancing
  • a “blooper” at the end

I mean, LOOK AT THIS.  THIS IS AWESOME.

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The video is ridiculous, and just adds to the awesomeness of the song.  Sure, it’s not Shakespeare.. But it makes me happy.  And isn’t that one of the things music is meant to do?

Thanks, Tove Lo!

 

 

Let Us Now Sing the Praises of Deee-Lite

How do you say, “Deee-Timeless?”

In 1991, when I was a young lad of 15 (and a half), I was still taking the bus to school.  I lived in the country, and it was the only way I could get to school until I received my precious driver’s license the next year.  I did have something that made my bus ride bearable, though – a Discman… Or – more specifically – a Toshiba portable CD player, and a dozen of my favourite CDs.

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You know it’s fancy because it has a base that you could plug it into at home. It didn’t charge the batteries or anything – but hey, it kept the discs from skipping.

And while I had some of 1990’s biggest names (Amy Grant, C+C Music Factory, Black Box), I also had Deee-Lite’s World Clique as part of my selections.

I first heard Deee-Lite (as many kids of the 90s did) at a MuchMusic Video Dance Party – the song, of course, was “Groove Is In The Heart.”  Let’s take a look, shall we?

Now, for a 15 year-old from Brandon, Manitoba, this video was mind-blowing. They looked like they were from the 60s, but also from the future! Those colours!  The cultural diversity! Those shoes (Fluevogs, it turns out)!

After seeing this visual treat, I bought the World Clique CD for $356,651 – or whatever obscene price CDs were in 1990.  (They were expensive, kids.  Ask your parents. We would even RENT them like videotapes.)

Fast-forward to today – the CD is still in my collection, and my iPod has a substantial amount of Deee-Lite on it.  And you know what?  It holds up.  Here’s the thing about Deee-Lite: while they helped define 1990s pop culture, there’s really no other (mainstream) act like quite like them.

I did a quick Google search for the term “Bands Like Deee-Lite” – you know what I got? A bunch of dance-pop acts.  Admittedly, good stuff – a post about the genius of Cathy Dennis is percolating – but I’m sorry, Black Box, C+C Music Factory, and even Ms. Dennis are none of the following:

  • Deee-Liscious
  • Deee-Lovely
  • Deee-Lectible
  • Deee-Vine
  • Deee-Gorgeous
  • Deee-Groovy
  • Deee-Lite.

They were also socially conscious (or, woke, as the kids say) before it was cool.

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Lady Miss Kier’s annotation, not mine.

I’m sure commenters may prove me wrong, but for my money, there has been no other mainstream’ish act quite like Deee-Lite. While they may have influenced performers and musicians like Tove Lo sonically, and influenced fashion trends (I remember being so excited for my bell-bottoms from Le Chateau), I can honestly say that Deee-Lite were (and still are) one-of-a-kind.

They brought a unique mix of disco, funk, psychedelia, trance and just plain fun to pop music – Bootsy Collins, for heaven’s sake – to the world in a time of drum machines (Hey, Technotronic!) and grunge.  And I bet if you play “Groove Is In The Heart” in any crowded room, a substantial portion of the people in that room will groove, sing along, or bust out some dance moves you never knew they had in them.

 

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This is from “Runaway”, the lead single off their amazing album “Infinity Within.”  Recommended.

Although Deee-Lite is no longer together, Lady Miss Kier is performing, DJing, and still being ridiculously fabulous.

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Deee-GORGEOUS!

DJ Towa Tei is still DJing and creating music in his native Japan, with a decidedly Deee-Lite Influence:

…and DJ Dmitri? Ummm… He’s on Facebook.

And although they may not be making new music, their brief time together as a group (1988-1996) created art that influenced many and inspired me (and inspires me to this day).

I highly encourage you to fall down a Deee-Lite Youtube hole. Along with “Groove Is In the Heart,” you’ll find some wonderful quirky, inherently danceable neo-disco grooves.

Thanks, Deee-Lite.

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