Chromeo's Best Dance Songs of the 2000s

Posted on Aug 31st 2010 10:30AM by Steve McLean
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Tim Saccenti

Chromeo, everyone's favourite Montreal-born electro-funk duo, are releasing their third album 'Business Casual' on Sept 14. Keyboardist/talk boxer P. Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) and lead singer/guitarist Dave 1 (Dave Macklovitch) have used the new record to expand on the '80s-influenced electronic dance-pop of their debut, 'She's in Control,' and 2007's breakthrough effort, 'Fancy Footwork'

But while blazing a path around the globe playing music festivals and headlining clubs all summer long, they haven't forgotten about the music that moves them. During a recent visit to Toronto, Dave 1 talked to Spinner about his five favourite dance tracks of the 21st century:

5. Klaxons, 'Gravity's Rainbow' (Soulwax remix) (2007)
"I don't think you can mention modern dance music without mentioning Soulwax. They're the greatest remixers out there. They're the biggest touring festival kings in Europe and they're phenomenal producers. They cultivate the analog synthesizer technology like we do and their stuff sounds amazing. They have a really interesting take on techno and dance music, as heard in this Klaxons remix, but they use all vintage equipment and incorporate live drums in a really unique formula. Between them, James Murphy and Stuart Price, they're the kings of dance music."

4. (TIE) LCD Soundsystem, 'Disco Infiltrator' (2005)

"We have to pick LCD Soundsystem [James Murphy] up because he's one of the most influential and successful purveyors of modern dance music. He does it in his own very idiosyncratic and quirky way, with punk influences and new wave influences. He has an amazing singing voice and he's a funky dude. You can't talk about modern dance music without mentioning him."

The Rapture, 'House of Jealous Lovers' (2002)
"I think the Rapture's 'House of Jealous Lovers' is one of the best records of the past 10 years."

3. Les Rhythmes Digitales, 'Music Makes You Lose Control' (originally released in 1999, reissued in 2005)
"That's by a producer called Stuart Price. That record was a huge influence on us because that guy was the first to come out with an '80s funk-inspired dance music record. I think it was in 1999. He really got that reference before anyone else. So between that album and Daft Punk's 'Discovery' album, the blueprint was laid for us to push things further."

2. Justice, 'Let There Be Light' (2007)
"It's my favourite Justice song. It has a really, really funky bass line and gritty drums. When people look back, it will be the sound of an era: 2007 electro. That's one of the finest examples of how Justice integrated rock and distorted things, but kept it really funky at the same time."

1. Daft Punk, 'One More Time' (2000)
"When that record came out, a lot of Daft Punk purists were shocked because it was like this overtly Euro, really commercial dance track. It proved to be a universal anthem that's impossible not to like. In terms of how that track is produced, there's a very hip-hop aesthetic to it. Daft Punk sampled a lot of records and chopped them up just like hip-hop producers do. There's something really interesting and very hip-hop and very gritty going on in the music underneath the whole commercial thing."