Party_Jams.html

LONG TRACKS SHOULDN'T MEANDER
(Feb. 2024)Most Dance releases need a shorter radio edit.
A track of 4 to 7 minutes in length usually requires a
reduction to 3 1/2 minutes (ideal) for radio. It is frus-
trating to find a good release ruined because it tries to
be too much by including non-matching segments that
meander and drift off in various directions. Consistency
is a good thing in any production. Artists should only
be making an apple pie, not an apple, peach and blueberry
disaster. Too much crammed into a single track is not
appealing but rather confusing. Keep it simple and keep
it focused. A track doesn't need to be all encompasing
in order to be effective and become a hit. Listeners want
to be entertained not confused by needless clutter jammed
into a single production.////////////////////////////////1980 WAS SINK OR SWIM FOR DISCO
(Jan. 2024) Many assumed Disco was dead after the back-
lash of 1979. Some radio stations that had adopted the
new format suddenly said goodbye. Some independent record
labels operating on a shoestring budget also folded. The
artists themselves were the ones who saved the day for
Disco and proved that it was indeed here to stay. Artists
like Diana Ross ("I'm Coming Out" + "Upside Down") and
the S.O.S. Band "Take Your Time (Do It Right" could not
be stopped from climbing the charts. Then came "Celebra-
tion" by Kool & The Gang and "Behind The Groove" by
Teena Marie and they both kept the dancefloors packed.
Young & Company's "I Like (What You're Doing To Me" was
another hit that kept the genre alive in both the clubs
and on radio. LONG LIVE DISCO!///////////////////////////

WHY BILLBOARD'S 1976-1981 DISCO CHART FELL SHORT
(Nov. 2023) At best, Billboard did a B+ job with their
Disco & Dance chart and methodology. They seemed to be
good at tracking Crossover tracks (maybe too good). Often
R&B, Pop, Rock and New Wave songs that were not Dance
made it into the chart. They could have and should have
done a better job weeding those out. The result was often
a top 10 that had at least 2 complete duds in it. Their
reporting DJ panel was either too large or needed to be
tweaked. Other times the entire 5 or 6 debuts for any
given week were all pure garbage. Their resident DJ of
the time (Tom Moulton)often put the spotlight on weak re-
leases (just as the chart did) while overlooking many
stronger and more popular tracks. That may have been in-
tentional though. Billboard did their best but often that
effort came up short.////////////////////////////////////
INSTRUMENTALS MORE POPULAR THAN YOU MAY THINK
The dashboard at USA Dance Mix shows how many are turned
in at any given time and one thing I've noticed is that
listeners enjoy a good instrumental track. Sure, vocals
still rule but instrumentals can also be just as enjoy-
able and listeners stick around when one is played. Some-
times lyrics in a jam have trouble matching the rhythms.
It's as if the artist just THREW it over the music. Most
Dance artists create the music first and then the lyrics.
Some are better than others when it comes to putting
words on paper. It's disappointing to hear great rhythms
that fall flat because of weak lyrics. Maybe releasing an
instrumental only would be a better idea in such a situa-
tion. Back in the early days of Disco many vinyl releases
presented an instrumental version on the B-side./////////

LOOK FOR REPRINTS AND UPDATES OF PREVIOUS BLOGS HERE UNTIL SEPTEMBER

WHAT'S THE BEST PART ABOUT DANCE MUSIC?
The best part about Dance music could very well be that
it offers us a chance to ESCAPE. If you've had a bad day
at work, if you've just broken up with your BFF, if you
flunked your biology exam... Dance provides an enjoyable
outlet and opportunity to escape and become whole again.
You can even become someone else (such as John Travolta)
for a minute or even hours at a time. Listening to a
Dance song while driving can lift your spirits up and
help you to forget about your troubles or whatever else
may be bothering you. Friday nights at the clubs are pop-
ular for a reason! Dance gives us a chance to recharge
our batteries (life) and forget the hectic world we just
experienced. One night may not be enough. You may have to
repeat it again on Saturday night as well. Doctos orders
are to relax and enjoy yourself while dancing or listen-
ing to your favorite Dance music.////////////////////////

THE INTERNET UNITES DANCELAND
Although we tend to take the internet for granted, it's
almost like air or water in today's Dance music commun-
ity. It unites artists, labels and Dance music lovers
around the world. And, at a speed 70's and 80's DJs
could only dream about. It has become a vast intercon-
nected network that has transformed itself into the
heart of Danceland. From YouTube to Amazon, Traxsource,
Beatport and others, it's able to put the music at our
fingertips and downloads only seconds away. It's hard to
imagine where we'd be today without it. Don't forget
streaming. There would be no internet radio without it.
The internet has become the ultimate delivery network
and the Dance music community is much better off because
of it.///////////////////////////////////////////////////A.I. WILL HIT DANCE MUSIC SOON
Much of today's Dance tracks have been using electronics
and computers in their production for 45 years or more.
That's enabled artists to build and construct their music
with layers for each different element. A.I. should be
able to do much of the same. But, will it make the pro-
cess any easier? Will A.I. require a lot of copying from
sampled tracks, maybe more than we're used to? Those an-
swers are still out. We've been sampling in the Dance
community FOREVER (much more than other genres). That
should work in our favor, for whatever the future brings.
Dance music should be near the front of the pack in A.I.
created music. Will danceheads like the end result and be
able to accept it with open arms? Stay tuned.////////////

/////////////////////

/////////////////////////////////////////////////

/////////////////////////////////////////////////

TOP 4O

U.S.A.
DISCO & DANCE
1988-2OO8 HIT IMPRESSIONS

	USA DANCE HOME
	USA DANCE MIX
	TOP 40 DANCE HITS
	CROSSOVER RADIO
	#1 RETRO ARCHIVES
	CLASSIC IMPRINTS
	USA DANCE LINKS