It would be a good story if my “come to” music were a light bulb in my head or a whispering divine wind. But my story is like any other…at least at first. My grandfather played music at family gatherings and I sat with my face six inches from the mandolin. I played recital after recital, with my father dutifully in attendance and cheering me on. I collected cassette tapes from daily trips to Sam Goody as if they were the candy other children fed on so heavily. But then I grew up…and hit 12.
In that seminal pre-teen year, two things happened: I got my first, game-changing Casio keyboard, and I heard “Groove is in the Heart,” from Deee-lite’s World Clique album. I could have been like any other kid, palling around on my new keys till something else caught my eye, but instead, Deee-Lite’s album ensured that my little keyboard changed everything. I picked apart every key choice and tonal change. I learned that slide whistles can accompany body rolls and vocal snippets are instruments in their own right. Music became more than just a casual hit on the charts; it grew to encompass an essential part of my DNA. And at the heart of it all for me was Deee-Lite and the rest of the dance and electronic field.
In the 20 years since, that field has continued to grow and change the face of music. Dance and electronic artists set the world on fire with their global vocabulary focused on movement and sound rather than language. They became the first to maximize the nature of the digital world, including different engineering techniques. And they pushed the conception of what it means to be “mainstream,” bringing meat dresses and Swedish pop to everyone between Nevada and North Carolina. Dance and electronic music and artists have exploded because, in these innovative engagements, they have not just been a part of the conversation, they have led it.
And this year, as GRAMMY’s first official electronic and dance blogger, I am proud to participate in that conversation at a time when the field is strong and vibrant. It has the most diverse and successful composition: from Lady Gaga to La Roux, Daft Punk to Donna Summer, Madonna to Cher–men and women are vying to produce music that moves the hips and challenges the mind. This year, they have done just that. And while no one at the Recording Academy is dropping any hints about what might be in store for this year’s awards, I can tell you the white-knuckled experience will begin on November 30 when we all hear the nominees together. I hope you’ll be online to share in that experience and talk about it together and in the months that follow. I know I will, proud and privileged to be the official GRAMMY dance and electronic music blogger. Stay tuned.
