Grammy Nominations Best Dance Recording

Nods for Daft Punk, Hot Chip,Lady Gaga, Madonna,Rihanna & Sam Sparro

Jan 22, 2009

Grammy honors for dance veterans Daft Punk and Madonna as well as newcomers Hot Chip, Lady Gaga, Rihanna & Sam Sparro with nominations for 2009 Best Dance Recording

Grammy season has arrived once again, and though much can (and has been) written about this 50 year-old institution and how out of touch the nominations can be, this year’s nods to dance and electronic music seem fitting of the year that was 2008.

The Grammy Awards have two categories designated for dance music and electronica – Best Dance Recording, a singles category, and Best Electronic/ Dance Album for full length players. While the Grammys have arguably bombard most categories with dinosaurs, both dance categories this year surprisingly have an ear towards the dance floor.

Best Dance Recording

In the category dedicated to solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, be it vocal or instrumental, both official singles and album tracks released in the Grammy period,October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008,are eligible for nomination.

As for the so-called dinosaurs, Daft Punk, who haven’t released a proper studio album since 2005, get a nod for their live rendition of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” from their Alive 2007 album – better known to American audiences as the sample Kanye West used to built his “Stronger” single around.

While not a bad track, electronic music often sounds corny when performed live. At a show, the studio wizardry that Daft Punk create can be overcome via stage theatrics, however, as an audio recording, the original sounds much better. Anyone seeking to discover this French electronic duo should check out their proper albums first and decided for themselves whether a live version has a place on their iPod.

With the exception of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”, Grammy got it right, Hot Chip received a nomination for their homoerotic workout “Ready For The Floor” and Madonna gets credit for her romp around clubland “Give It To Me”, one of the best tracks from her underwhelming Hard Candy album. From there it’s all about the newcomers.

Lady GaGa, Sam Sparro and Rihanna

Lady GaGa scored a number one hit in Canada before the US even knew her name. Now firmly planted at the top of the heap in both the US and the UK, her international chart topper “Just Dance”, a song she performs alongside Colby O’Donis, gives the New York native her first nomination.

Australian breakout Sam Sparro also gets his first nomination for “Black & Gold”, a chart topper in the UK. Well deserved nominations, both “Black & Gold” and “Just Dance” easily make top ten lists of the best dance songs of 2008 and could well lead the way for a rejuvenated electro movement in 2009.

Barbados beauty Rihanna, who has been charting off the same album now for 2 years, cut her hair and got a little crazy for her brilliant “Disturbia”, one of the most bizarre mainstream dance tracks of the year.

Best Dance Recording Nominations

Predictions are difficult to make when it comes to Grammy Award winners. If based on past Grammy upsets, Daft Punk will win with “Harder Better Faster Stronger”, considering the track is 2 years old and live.

The Grammy Awards will be handed out during a live ceremony on February 8, 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The CBS Television Network will broadcast the event beginning at 8 p.m.

The copyright of the article Grammy Nominations Best Dance Recording in Dance/Techno Music is owned by James W. Coates. Permission to republish Grammy Nominations Best Dance Recording in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.