Dance/Techno Music

Posted by James W. Coates

Last week Nine Inch Nails released a band new single, “Discipline” for free on their website. The band hinted at more to come with an enigmatic message to check back on May 5.

This morning at midnight, to the delight of fans, those who downloaded the single received a special e-mail urging them to visit the website once again for the free full length album The Slip.

“Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me”, Reznor told fans in a message posted on the website.

Since parting ways with their traditional record label, Nine inch Nails have been very busy releasing free music via their website. In March, the band released a 36-song instrumental package Ghosts I-IV.

Nine Inch Nails are also gearing up for a North American summer tour starting in Vancouver on July 28. Presale tickets are available on the band’s website.

Posted by James W. Coates

Summer officially started this week, as far as heavy hitting new music releases goes. Tuesday came super-sized with new dance albums from Swedish dance pop phenomenon Robyn, and somber electro beats from Portishead. But the biggest release was of course Hard Candy from the one and only Madonna.

Nine Inch Nails continued to pour music onto the internet for free with last week’s single release of “Discipline” only to be followed this week by Coldplay who released their new single “Violet Hill” for free on the band’s website.

While technically not dance music at all, they have been in the studio working with Brian Eno who produced some of the best ambient electronic music of the 70’s and 80’s. Expect to hear some pretty interesting music from this team when the album is released in June.

UK new comer Estelle also released an album of danceable hip- hop featuring the single “American Boy” currently dominating the airwaves in the UK. And thought his single has yet to be released in the United States, Sam Sparro has released one of the strangest dance pop singles to come along in a long time.

“Black & Gold” may not be stuck in your head yet but give it a few months and everyone should be humming along to this impressive new release.

Posted by James W. Coates

Less than two months after releasing the brilliant 36-song collection of dark electronic instrumentals, Ghosts I-IV, Nine Inch Nails release another free track.



Available now for download directly from their special website, “Discipline”, is a non-album track and the first song to contain vocals since their last full length album, Year Zero.



The band urges fans to download the album or “The three of us will destroy you,” or so says the caption over a photo of tough-looking action figures resembling Trent Reznor.



Elsewhere on the special Nine Inch Nails website created for the “Discipline” download, the band teases, saying “We have some tour info coming…SOON”.



So far there’s no mention if “Discipline” comes from an upcoming album or if NIN just felt like releasing a free single.



Ghosts I-IV is available for downloading and in Record Stores since April 8.

Posted by James W. Coates

Summer doesn’t arrive until June, but DJ Tiësto plans to make it happen one month early.

World renowned DJ kicks off his “In Search of Sunrise Tour” on May 23 in San Francisco, California, and spins throughout the US in early summer before winding down in Toronto, Ontario on June 30.



DJ Tiësto is trekking his “In Search of Sunrise Tour” in support of new compilation, In Search of Sunrise 7 – Asia to be released on June 10, before setting up summer residency at Ibiza.



His new tour comes fresh off the massive success of his last world tour and album Elements Of Life for which he was nominated for a 2007 Grammy for Best Electronic/Dance Album.



Unlike his massive tour last time around, his new tour focuses on clubs and more intimate settings where clubbers can witness the DJ in action.



Tiësto is also partnering with Armani Exchange in support of the “In Search of Sunrise Tour”. Under the new deal, Tiësto and Armani Exchange will deliver a limited clothing line, appearances by the DJ in major stores as well as on-line exclusives. Armani Exchange store will also offer a special limited edition 3-CD collection.



To get a copy of the CD collection online visit Armani Exchange. Visit DJ Tiësto’s website for tickets.

Posted by James W. Coates

Not sure what to do this weekend? Why not head down to the local record store to pick up a copy of the latest dance music CD. Saturday is after all Record Store Day across North America.

The brainchild of U.S. independent music retailers, Record Store Day aims to draw crowds into these dying institutions.

Since downloading and shopping online have come along, coupled with the surge of big name shops taking large bites out of the market, independent record shops have been dropping like flies.

Since 2003 over 3000 record stores in the United States have closed up shop according to Almighty Institute of Music Retail, a market research firm.

Many stores have special events planned to encourage people to visit. Metallica will greet fans at the Rasputin Music in Mountain View, California while others are selling exclusive vinyl singles for one day only.

Canadian retailers are holding a vote on the Best Record Store in Canada. The list is down to five including Backstreet Records in Saint John, N.B., Back Alley Music in Charlottetown, Taz Records in Halifax and Meow Records in Prince George, B.C.

While there check out some great Dance Music including Paul Oakenfold’s Greatest Hits & Remixes or Moby’s Last Night.

For more information check out Record Day Store online.

Posted by James W. Coates

France’s choice of an electronic song for the Eurovision contest has caused a stir in that country. So much buzz surrounds Sebastien Tellier’s “Divine” that even French MP Jacques Myard has had his say on the matter.

But it’s not that the song’s an electronic dance track, where usually more pop-orientated tracks are used, or even the song’s sexually charged atmosphere that has the country in such an uproar, it’s more the lyrics, or rather the choice of language those lyrics are sung in, that’s causing debate.

Culled from Tellier’s Sexuality album, he chose to have the lyrics sung in English to appeal to a more international audience. But some, such as Myard, feel the song represents more the country than just a song and feel belittled.

Myard may ignore that most European acts that have had any success following the Eurovision contest (Abba, Celine Dion) mostly gained that attention from singing in English.

On another note, most of France’s more internationally renowned electronic acts including Daft Punk, Air and Justice tend to sing English lyrics.

Each year European countries choose an act to represent it in a song contest pitting artists against other European countries. This year Belgrade, Serbia hosts the contest with the final to be held on May 24.

Posted by James W. Coates

Since this is my first blog as feature writer in the Dance/ Techno music section, I want to begin by stating how excited I am to have this opportunity to share my passion for the genre with others who love dance music.

I bought my first music album way back in 1983 – it was Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Still one of the best dance albums ever, I remember seeing Michael’s video for “Beat it” and have been a huge fan of music, especially dance music, ever since.

The 80’s came and went and for a while it looked like the 90’s grunge era would stifle all the great dance bands. Instead dance music splintered into Electro, House and Techno with each genre having its time in the limelight.

Sure dance music doesn’t get the respect or radio airplay it deserves, but that doesn’t mean that artists aren’t making great noise right now.

My goal with this assignment is to fish for up-and-coming groups as well as re-introduce established artists to share with other dance music enthusiasts.

While I’m always on the look out for new music and do a pretty good job of finding it, I’d love to hear from you and what you’re listening to. Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Until then keep dancing.

Posted by Sara Churchville

As Suite101’s Pop Music feature writer and blogger extraordinaire, Heather, has already mentioned, Rihanna’s “Umbrella” is the "Hottest Song on the Planet."

I saw Ms. Rihanna, as surely we all did, on the MTV Movie Awards, and was suitably mesmerized. I gather Jay-Z was performing with her, but honestly, whether Jay-Z sang or played or rode a pogo stick, I couldn’t say. Didn’t much notice him, you know?

I’ve been scouring mp3dom since then for remixes of this song (these are, of course, legion), and for my money, the two listed here are the most interesting to date.

Divide & Kreate: This is an “electro-rock” remix of the song from Stockholm-based mashup and remix artist, Divide & Kreate. Yes, in the great tradition of singular DJs with plural names, he's one guy. See his MySpace page for more of his tunes.

Rihanna – Umbrella (Divide & Kreate remix)

Jody den Broeder: This DJ has worked with Giorgio Moroder (of Donna Summer-producing fame), among others, and he has about six different remix versions of “Umbrella.” Hold out for the long version of his progressive house “Destructive" (or "Destruction," depending on where you see it) club mix, however. You should have no problem discovering it for download. Seek and ye shall find, if you see what I mean.

I can’t swear to it, but it sounds like he may have sampled a bit of Sander Kleinenberg's remix of BT’s “Somnambulist” – if not, it has a little of that feel to it. You can also watch the Rihanna video tricked out to match his remix on his MySpace page.

Rihanna -- Umbrella (Jody den Broeder Destructive club mix)

Posted by Sara Churchville

So, in case you missed it, “The Hoff”—he whose musical career represents the squirming underbelly of globalization, the nagging reminder that there remain dark pockets of humanity whose tastes and preferences will never dovetail with those of the enlightened world—has been legally suspended from visiting his teenage daughters.

The offending forensic exhibit: a videotape of the former Baywatch star trying and largely failing to eat a fast-food hamburger. The shirtless singer mumbles and grunts as the sanctimonious and SAT-prepping seed of his loins grills him about his eating and, primarily, his drinking habits.

His singing and acting habits she touches upon only insofar as they are threatened by the aforementioned drinking habits.

The “performance,” as I choose to characterize it, is funny and shocking and pitiable in equal measures, and there’s also something seedily familiar about it. Ham tapes Noah as the Arkmeister fumbles with a hamburger, anyone?

Just another one to add to the growing list of “aging stud loses shizz in front of kid” moments, you might think, and I might be apt to agree with you were it not for another videotaped gem I found recently.

What you’re about to witness is something infinitely more inexplicable and far more frightening than a mere drunken fast-food sit-in on the floor of a rich man’s condo (fast food that, as a sad codicil to a sorry will, is not from Fatburger or In-N-Out Burger or even Jack in the Box…respectable places all, where a hard-partying L.A. celebrity need feel no shame at being photographed exiting the drive-through—but a Wendy’s in Las Vegas, where, we are somehow not surprised to learn, the Hoff now lives, apparently at considerable inconvenience to his children).

Click, if you dare, and open yourself to the possibilities of a counterfactual yet uncomfortably plausible universe where Sanjaya has won, Gliese 581c is the new Prague, and Alec Baldwin’s watch costs more than your car, aka KITT.

Messieurs/dames, je vous présente: David Hasselhoff’s rendition of “Blue Bayou” vs. Boards of Canada’s “An Eagle in Your Mind.”

Posted by Sara Churchville

So, as you surely know if you care anything about the Brothers Chemical, Tom and Ed are nearly ready to release "We Are the Night" on Astralwerks, with mid-June as the anticipated drop date. Astralwerks is describing the album as "twelve tracks of psychedelic warehouse party acid music,"

The songs have all been floor-tested, apparently, and the track listing is already out:

1. No Path To Follow
2. We Are The Night
3. All Rights Reserved Ft. The Klaxons
4. Saturate
5. Do It Again Ft. Ali Love
6. Das Spiegel
7. The Salmon Dance Ft. Fatlip
8. Burst Generator
9. A Modern Midnight Conversation
10. Battle Scars. Ft Willy Mason
11. Harpoons
12. The Pills Won’t Help You Now Ft. Midlake

Meanwhile, as the boys gear up for their European tour to include Summercase and Glastonbury (U.S. tour sometime in the fall), they've been leaving electronic trails on the Internet.

Here's Ed chatting at an Ali Love show, and Tom on Pete Tong's BBC Radio 1 show.



And lastly, because why should you be the last to hear it? -- here's the first single from the album:

Do it Again feat. Ali Love(Extended Mix)