These days Daft Punk has never been cooler in the good ol' U.S. of A or at least not since 1996. If you were old enough and into the midwest scene in those days, you know exactly what I am talking about. If you were there, these days, you are scoffing at the younger generation of party goers supporting DJ's you were losing your shit to when everyone of todays' indie scenesters was losing their baby teeth. Check out this link from Even Further an event hosted in Wisconsin in 1996. Listen for the screams and the rave whistles, you thought that warehouse party a couple weeks ago was cool, but you have no idea the midwest party scene you were a decade late for.In the link you can hear Daft Punk playing at a Even Further, this is when raves were big in the midwest, when people would support in the thousands. A time when European DJ's would look to record labels like the Drop Bass Network in Milwaukee and want to know what's the next acid house record from the midwest. A year later Daft Punk would play on the essential mix on BBC Radio 1. The midwest knows how to party and I feel a lot of people forget or don't know about this history. To see how things have come full circle, from a time of Daft Punk being underground in the United State, to today where you see them playing in only the largest stadiums I shall illustrate with a countdown list.
In the beginning there was acid house music. A prime example would be Higher State of Consciousness by Josh Wink. Do check out the original, but to keep things fresh I am going to offer a pretty bangin' remix by Dirty South and TV Rock. This remix was done in 2007. Wink a producer and DJ from Philadelphia released the original track in 1995. HSoC has undergone many, many remixes since then, and to hear one more in 2007 can really attest to how much of a classic this song really is.
Next We have Daft Punk's, One More Time. A classic that really pushed dance music into the mainstream in the U.S. One More Time released in 2000 has been reworked by Daft Punk themselves for their Alive 2007 release, here is the reworked version. I have also included Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. Originally released in 2001, I have the link for the reworked version on their Alive 2007 album.
This song is the deathblow to dance music as it was and Ushers in a new generation of clubbing in the United States, where hip-hop and dance tracks side by side become the norm.
The song is Usher's - Yeah, featuring Lil Jon and Ludicris. You know the song I am talking about. Released in 2005, the video, packed full of lasers, and the song, with heavy synths, fat basses, and heavy beats, is prime example of the Bling-Bling era and Club oriented hip-hop.
You've heard the original, so I am going to post a cool mash-up I found, featuring the theme from the movie "Beverly Hills Cop".
Finally, we come full circle, where major dance acts and major hip-hop acts are coming together harmoniously to make everyone dance. Hopefully you have already figured out where I am going with this. That's right. It's Kanye West's "Stronger". What I like about this song, besides the Daft Punk samples is how observant Kanye West is. He was in Europe, he watched his video get beat by Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." He recognized dance music's resurgence in the clubs. He created a Club Banger, just when Daft Punk was cooler than shit, promoting them, and himself. The song has huge crossover potential between dance and hip-hop which is exactly why it has seen the success it has in today's hip-hop, dance music, mash-up club scene. Yes it is mainstream, but I don't claim to be above that, nor it to be too cheesy. Why, because, when you are getting trashed with friends, dancing a jig, it doesn't matter what comes out of the speakers if the song bangs and fits the moment. This song bangs and in the hands of any competent DJ will set the dance-floor on fire.
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