Top Dance Songs of 2009

A cover of the theme from Grease may sound cheesy and trite but in the hands of Diego Abaribi and Sushy, it comes across as electro and fun. Of course, we will support any record that throws in a 2 step garage break out of nowhere. You might remember Sushy from her big hit with BenDJ last year "Me and Myself."

I first heard of Empire of the Sun early in the year when a local bloghouse DJ started playing the heck out of their music - leading to many requests. The Australian duo contains members of indie/buzz-bands Pnau and Sleepy Jackson and could easily fit with other Australian bands signed to Modular (Presets/Cut Copy) yet they also have a sound similar to MGMT. In fewer words, dreamy and ethereal electronic pop rock. "Walking On A Dream," the first single did quite well around the world with remixes by Van She and Kaskade. Followup single "We Are the People" featured strong remixes by Lee Dagger and Sam La More.

As one of the defining records of WMC 2009 and hitting #1 on the Beatport charts, "Leave the World Behind" is a massive club smash that will have legs well into the summer. This gives Canadian chanteuse Deborah Cox two massive club records at the same (with the other one being "Beautiful U R" which is flying up the Billboard Club Charts as well.) We are hoping to hear a full vocal version as this track uses just a single verse from the song cowritten by one of our favorite singer/songwriters Dee Robert. One thing to note, we can't help but notice a striking similarity between this track and Julien Jabre's "Swimming Places" which Ingrosso did a remix of as well. Then again a lot of the best dance tracks have been inspired by others.

Enough of this featuring crap, the "starring" title seems much more appropriate for club siren Luciana. As featured vocalist for Bodyrox, "Yeah Yeah" and "Planet" topped club charts and led to her cheekily titled debut cd Featuring Luciana. Further tracks with Mark Knight, Super Mal and Martijn ten Velden, have cemented Luciana's spot as an electro vixen who can deliver hot vocals with a great track. Turning her attention stateside, she has teamed up with Richard Vission & Static Revenger for "I Like That." The track seemlessly blends electro, glitch, rock and hiphop elements with an 80s feel that is both nostalgic and futuristic. Yes, Luciana, we will beat your drum as we bang your track in the club.

This edgy dancepop jam with electro and rock influences was just about the catchiest confection this year. If Kaci looks familiar, it is because you might remember her trio of UK popdance hits ("Paradise," "Tu Amor" and "I Think I Love You") back in 2001 when she was just 14 years old. Well Kaci has grown up and cowrote this song. On first listen, you might hear a similarity between "Crazy Possessive" and "Womanizer" but upon researching its genesis, Kaci cowrote this song before "Womanizer" was released. "Crazy Possessive" hit number one on the Billboard Club Chart and did well on dance radio. Watch for it do well in the UK when its released there in 2010.

Who knew that Estonia was such a hot breeding ground for eurodance pop? Coming from the country that spawned N-Euro and Kerli, pop tart Hannah, best known in the US for her single "Blinded," previews her seventh album with this delicious confection "Keeping Score." Similar to the recent Gathania gem "Blame It On You," it sounds like it could have come from the legendary Stock Aitken Waterman Hit Factory - and that's a good thing. A catchy pop song with subtle hooks in the original version, "Keeping Score" is pumped for the clubs with solid remixes by Bimbo Jones, The Sharp Boys, Digital Dog and Riffs & Rays. It's definitaly a sign of a good source material that all four remixes are quite good.

Vermont isn't exactly a breeding ground for electronic muscians, but WRUV's favorite son Morgan Page has definitely done them proud. A Grammy Nomination and two IDMA nominations made were his well deserved rewards in 2008 for album Elevate. For those aching for new music from Morgan, check out "Fight For You" which continues the path of "The Longest Road." With a progressive sound bordering both on somber and anthemic, the uncredited vocalist even sounds like Lissie who sang on "The Longest Road." Remixes by DJ Dan, Bass Kleph, Sultan & Ned Shephard, and Beltek take the track in a multitude of directions. Set for release in February 2010, Believe will feature vocals from Dave Dresden, Samantha James and Angela McCluskey (Telepopmusik.)

Leonid Rudenko follows up his dancepop smash "Summerfish" with this Middle-Eastern flavored electro track. You get the sense there is something much more going on here. Enlisting Bond girl Charleene Rena for vocal duties is definitely one step in upping the profile of the record. Fronting the bevy of busty beauties in the bondage fantasy video, Charleene is no stranger to risque MOS music videos - she is one of the strip poker girls in the United Nations "Out of Touch" clip. With remixes by Morjac and the next big superstar DJ Don Diablo, "Everybody" was a massive club smash.

Portuguese gangster rap? Yes, this track is quite controversial, having been banned in Brazil for its lyrics glorifying weapons and fighting against the police (as well as rival drug factions.) With a latin/house beat similar to the Nicola Fasano vs Pat-Rich "75, Brazil Street" that Pitbull used for "Calle Ocho," its easy to see why this track continues to pop up around the world. We first heard of this track last year from Brazilian DJs who said it was massive. "Rap Das Armas" hit number one in the Netherlands and is making waves in Australia as well. While we might not endorse the message of the lyrics, the beat is undeniable and has quickly become a floorfiller for me in my club sets.

Tiesto definitely is stepping out of the trance/progressive world and embracing a harder electro edged sound. Teaming up with the Aussie electroclashers Sneaky Sound System, Tiesto has managed to put his signature emotional chords and choruses on what in someone else's hands might be a standard harsh tech track. Taking the underground and making it accessible to big rooms (as well as hopefully commercial radio) seems to be Tiesto's goal. With remixes by Benny Benassi, Wolfgang Gartner and Laidback Luke, there is something for everyone here.