Victor Menegaux, host of C89.5′s Database Radio and expert in all things underground dance, gave Trashed the rundown on his Top 10 Alternative Dance songs of 2011. If you’re into indie dance, be sure to catch the show on C89.5 every Tuesday night from 11pm-1am or stream the show live. And don’t forgot to like their page on Facebook & head over to databaseradio.fm for downloads of all show episodes as well as complete playlists!
And now for the list:
DATABASE TOP 10 TRACKS OF 2011!
10) Yelle – Que Veux-Tu (Madeon Remix)
March brought us ‘Safari Disco Club’, the 3rd full length from Yelle. The Title alone makes you wanna click “buy”, so I was almost immediately on board. ‘Que Veux-Tu’ slides in at number 10, because of the remix. Madeon, the 17 year old French Electro savant, is the closest thing to God my ears have. This remix significantly expedited his inevitable spotlight. A further remix for Deadmau5 (Raise Your Weapon) along with a handful of original Electro/Nu Disco treasures, have sealed his fate as 2012′s most watched Indie Dance producer, for me.
9) Chromeo - Hot Mess Remix (ft Elly Jackson of La Roux)
French Electro anyone? Some of the finest Electronic Music in the WORLD comes from France. Must be the bread. SebastiAn is no exception. He’s had a few EP’s, but ‘Total’ is his first full album. ‘Love In Motion’ samples the 1981 tune from Taco – ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’, a favorite of mine growing up, so, bonus points for that. Take a listen and you’ll agree, ‘Love in Motion’ earned a place on this list.
7) Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know (ft Kimbra)
It arrived late on my desk, but quickly proved its worth. That being said, in 6 months, most of us are going to change the channel when this comes on, or press “skip” on our devices. It’s gearing up to be the ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ of 2012. The Belgian-Australian Gotye has been making music for a decade now. His third and current album ‘Making Mirrors’ was officially released in The States this December. Give this a listen, but don’t listen too much.
This band is from Texas, but don’t let that deter the snob in you. It’s said that the 21 year old composer, Alan Palomo, spent last Winter in Finland locked in isolation, and didn’t’ walk out until ‘Era Extraña’ was complete. It’s an incredible album. Start to finish, it will leave you feeling satisfied. ‘Polish Girl’ gives you a good sense of what to expect.
The long awaited Justice album ‘Audio, Video, Disco’ is getting mixed reviews. It’s more experimental than prior work, but has a few serious gems (Helix, On’n'On). Basically, Justice should have titled the album “Civilization”. It’s definitely the flagship track, and was released several months before the album, leaving most Justice fans with blue balls. Download this if you haven’t already, it’s sure to please .
‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’, released in October, was the 6th album from French Electronic Band m83 This song FINALLY put them on the mainstream map. ‘Midnight City’ is still a baby, so it’ll be exciting to watch further growth in 2012. It’s being featured on Victoria’s Secret ad campaigns, and getting nationwide airplay on Alt Stations.
3) Robyn – Call Your Girlfriend
Many think this falls shy of “Alt/Dance”, but that’s debatable. It has many elements which classify it as such. Synth-ee, Emo-ee, oh, did I mention she’s nominated for two Grammy’s? Both ‘Call Your Girlfriend’ and her album ‘Body Talk, PT. 3′ have their name in the hat for Best Dance Recording, and Best Dance/Electronica Album … plus I think she’s hot… so there’s that.
2) The Naked and Famous – Young Blood
Although ‘Passive Me Aggressive You’ arrived in November of last year, it took some time to gain traction. The New Zealand Indie Pop Band gained notoriety at home, then the UK before being in many U.S. iPods. ‘Young Blood’ is a soothing Electro-Pop, Shoegazing track, which was hard to escape in 2011.
1) Foster The People – Pumped up Kicks
Kind of a no-brainer here. When FTP’s album ‘Torches’ dropped last May, it already had many eager fans (myself included,) awaiting their full length masterpiece. Nobody was let down. Since its release, FTP has seen an unprecedented wave of commercial success, cross-formatting between indie heads & soccer moms. Let’s hope they can continue to walk that fine line, without “selling out”.
NOTABLE MENTIONS:
Blondfire – Where The Kids Are
Penguin Prison – Don’t Fuck With My Money
