Dust off your bikinis and flip flops, the summer months are upon us! The only place hotter than the beaches will be the dance floors at our nation’s top gay clubs. Here’s a selection of the best new dance albums coming to stores this summer.
Beat Box 2010 – Dance Tracks
Dust off your bikinis and flip flops, the summer months are upon us! The only place hotter than the beaches will be the dance floors at our nation’s top gay clubs. Here’s a selection of the best new dance albums coming to stores this summer.
Dust off your bikinis and flip flops, the summer months are upon us! The only place hotter than the beaches will be the dance floors at our nation’s top gay clubs. Here’s a selection of the best new dance albums coming to stores this summer.
Global Groove: Dance 3
Mixed by DJ Escape
(Centaur)
With summer just around the corner, Escape wastes no time igniting the heat with a blazing new Global Groove dance mix, stacked full of chart hits from the likes of Beyonce and Lady Gaga, two artists the young DJ credits with ushering in a new brand of high energy, happy music to the dance floor. “This album is what a night out experience is supposed to be, condensed into 75 minutes,” says Escape. Highlights include Escape’s exclusive remixes of “F The Industry” by Solange, the beautiful “Rain” by Anjulie and the Ralphi Rosario mix of “You Are” featuring “American Idol” diva Frenchie Davis. There is also an exclusive Tony Moran mix of Ralph Falcon’s “Whateva.” Other standouts are Amanda Wilson’s stunning vocals in “Underneath My Skin” and the surprisingly fun “Let Me See Your Underwear.”
by Todd Alsup
(Major Who)
Some records are completed in a few weeks; not Alsup’s. He made a conscious choice to take things slowly, allowing nine months for his self-titled album to take shape organically. The result is a collection of lovingly-crafted hook-driven songs that seamlessly blend pop, soul, Motown and rock. Lead single “Let’s Have a Party” promises to be the song of the summer. It’s a celebratory shout-out, a deliciously funky track with an old-school Stevie Wonder vibe. The song features a soaring lead vocal, reggae-infused piano, Wonder-esque synths, doo-wop harmonies and horn-lines for days. Another stand out, “You Are,” a song Alsup wrote for his partner of seven years, is a classic piano love ballad in the style of Elton John’s “Your Song” and features an intimate and heartfelt lyric, intricate piano lines and soaring strings. On the surface, “You Are” is not politically charged, “But I wrote it for my partner and our relationship isn’t recognized legally. That’s pretty political,” says the artist.
by Killian Wells
(Inferno)
Pop singer Killian Wells will shake up airwaves this summer with his catchy new single and music video that shines the spotlight on today’s celebrity obsessed culture. “V.I.P.” is an infectious pop anthem that is bound to be an instant nightlife hit with its partying theme and catchy hook. It’s fun electro-pop with some urban edge that many are likening to Lady Gaga – and with good reason. Not only does Killian wear crazy getups like Gaga, he even shares her vocal coach. He’s a pop sensation in the making with tons of New York City attitude who will appeal to both young and old. Music bloggers have already dubbed Killian Wells as an artist to watch, and we couldn’t agree more.
If This Is Love
by Leah Driscoll
(iTunes)
Leah Driscoll’s “If This Is Love” will be the indie dance track of the summer for several reasons. First: It’s an edgy and modern kissing-off love song, thematically similar to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Second: Remixes by gay faves Groove Police (Josh Harris and Mike Rizzo) and Soul Seekerz are included on the maxi single. And lastly: the girl can sing. In this day and age when most pop artist voices are computer generated, it’s refreshing to hear a white girl with good ol’ fashioned pipes.
