o ignore race when discussing music is to ignore the very origins of the art form itself. We won't lecture about tribal music in Africa, the oral tradition of communal song across Europe and Latin America, or the origin of rhythm and blues in the spirituals of the American South, but it's impossible to overlook the fact that, in 2006, dance music is a force to be reckoned with everywhere around the world except the United States. Hip-hop—bless its formerly repressed, underdog heart—rules the U.S. charts to the point where a dance single cracking the Top 10 is considered a huge accomplishment. What constitutes a "club" song today is vastly different from a decade ago. In 1996, Everything But The Girl and La Bouche were climbing the pop charts; in the 21st century, we've got, at worst, Fat Joe's 2004 hit "Lean Back," a song about not dancing, and, at best, Pussycat Dolls's more-hip-hop-than-dance "Don't Cha." Dance music (that is, dance-pop and house, the two most popular post-disco offshoots) has been ironically ghettoized, pushed back underground and relegated to discotheques and niche radio stations that are increasingly adding urban artists to their playlists. Of course, America's ethnic diversity is a primary factor, so it's no surprise that the crossover-R&B club banger would become the new dance-pop. Hip-hop can be traced directly back to '70s funk and disco and the origins of dance music are firmly rooted in black music—a circle that's impossible to dismiss. Rather than lament the apparent slow death of dance as we know it, we've decided to celebrate one of the most varied, perpetually evolving genres in music today…in anticipation of its next great leap. If you're unfamiliar with any of the songs on our list, we suggest you get yourself to a music shop or online downloading service and stock up your vinyl bag or iPod ASAP.


We spent the better part of 2005 researching, discussing, trading and listening to dance music, starting with a list of close to 500 songs, gradually narrowing it down to half, and then, eventually, the final 100 you see here. The seemingly endless, often bitterly contentious selection and ranking process was more detailed than anything we've done before. There were no explicit caps on the number of songs per artist or the sub-genres eligible for the list, but we consciously made an effort to represent the diversity of dance and the singers, songwriters, DJs and producers who have helped make it the most popular form of music in the world, while, at the same time, presenting a list that we could be proud of and one that made no concessions to the populist view of what a feature like this should look like. This list was in no way intended to be a gauge of general popularity, but one of quality and influence. We've also each put our own stamp on the list by including a few of our personal favorites as well as gems that have gone overlooked in the past.

Discuss this list at the Slant Forum.