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Party Favorz has a surprise mid-week drop for all you Tech House and alternative dance music fans. Keep Control is a continuous mix of all the hottest tracks currently spinning at the coolest clubs around the globe.

It's namesake derives from the Sono classic originally released in 2000. That song went straight to #1 across the globe and delivered a bevy of remixes that propped it up at the time. Here, Artbat takes the original and gives it a Techno makeover with a progressive bent that hearkens back to the early millennium complete with an elongated drop. As soon as I came across the release in my DJ service — I knew it was a smash. In fact, it's been sitting atop Beatport's top 10 for weeks now.

Even though the Underground series is probably the least popular of what I put out — I enjoy creating these sets because the songs allow me to stretch my skills by mashing up and slicing and dicing my way through the mix keeping it tight while giving the songs an entirely new feel. Better yet, it allows me to show off even if you have no idea what I did.

When I started the Deep Edition in 2007, it was to pick up on a bunch of tracks that weren't considered "commercial" at the time that I thought was great. It really didn't find its grounding until around the Spring of 2008 but solidified its direction by the summer of that year. I realize these sets are not for everyone but a select few of you who are hard core about their music and this is as much for you as they are for me. So indulge me until...

I've also got the next Disco House (formerly Funky House) in the can and will be dropping that on Saturday to keep everyone happy. I can assure you that you won't be disappointed. After that, I'm working on updating some past Dance Classics series by putting everything into one ultimate collection much like the Trash Disco and 80's Dance I just completed. If you're a fan of 90's Eurodance — this will be your wet dream come true.

Until the next time...ENJOY!

Album: Keep Control

Genre: Tech House, Techno, Bass House, Electro House, Progressive House

Year: 2020

Total Time: 01:36:13

1. Griz - Could U (Original Mix)

2. Mirco Martini & Alessio Mosti - Studio 54 (Original Mix)

3. Nari & Crazibiza - Push Up (Original Mix)

4. House Of Pain vs. Toby Green - Jump Around vs. In To Deep (Sedliv Mashup)

5. Funkagenda & Mark Knight - Good Times (Petkis 2020 Bootleg)

6. Vintage Culture & Fancy Inc - In The Dark (Wh0 Extended Remix)

7. Leftwing Kody & Camden Cox - Without You (Extended Mix)

8. Josh Wink & Lil' Louis - How's Your Evening So Far (Chris Lake Remix)

9. Blue Boy - Remember Me (Franky Rizardo Remix)

10. Torren Foot - More Life (Original Mix)

11. Eminem feat. Nate Dogg - Shake That (YZY Remix)

12. Ellie Sax - Move Your Feet (Extended Mix)

13. Andruss & Dmitri Saidi - Everybody Dance Now (Original Mix)

14. Yolanda Be Cool & Dillon Nathaniel - Tell Me Why (Extended Mix)

15. Danny Howard - Beat Control (Original Mix)

16. Moreno Pezzolato feat. Octahvia - Take Me Up (Original Mix)

17. Avaxx - Ambush (Original Club Mix)

18. Sono - Keep Control (Artbat Remix)

19. Diplo & SIDEPIECE vs. Dombresky - On My Mind vs.

Party Favorz is FINALLY dropping our first non-Stop top Dance Club mix of 2020. I generally find that releasing anything too early is generally regurgitated versions of top dance music that was already building momentum going into the new year with a few new entries. By waiting a bit longer, the overall releases begin to slowly drip out giving Future Nostalgia something new and fresh overall.

I was surprised at the dark tone of many of these songs heading into 2020. It's not bad per say — but I'd prefer a brighter and happier tone. Perhaps it's the mood of the country in these dark times in this divisive election year. All I know is that folks could really benefit from some uplifting house music.  Hopefully, they'll start rolling out before the Winter Music Conference in Miami. Then again, their award nominations are absolute bullshit where they pay homage to many unknown talent or has beens over and over each year. It's nauseating.

THIS IS WHERE IT'S AT

Overall, Future Nostalgia features a diverse offering of great music but there are two tracks that I've been all over since their release (okay three).

The first is "Good Time Girl" by Sofi Tukker featuring Charlie Baker. One of my go-to shows at the moment is HBO's "The New Pope." They've always intertwined current tracks into this satirical take on the papacy and this year's opener is the latest groove by the college besties. The opening credits feature a bunch of nuns dressed in see-through nightgowns grinding and undulating before a glowing cross. Each opening scene is different but features the same pulsating and hypnotic song. I literally never get tired of it. While their low-budget video has garnered over 4 million views on YouTube, Ultra Music has not serviced this track to DJs nor released any accompanying remixes, which I find odd. This is a hit through and through and should be force-fed to radio and clubs globally. Yeah, it's that good.

The other two tracks are Madonna's "I Don't Search I Find," which currently tops Billboard's Dance Club charts. There's a plethora of remixes that were commissioned for this song but it's the late entry from Kue that's got me wound up. He takes the track and underscores it with a sleazy disco grind that gives the song more urgency. In fact, I think this should have been the original conception for the song. The closest comparison would be Giorgio Moroder's production of Donna Summer's "Love To Love You Baby" without the 1,000 orgasms.  Purple Disco Machine takes a similar approach with his rework of the Mark Ronson and Yebba collaboration "Don't Leave Me Lonely,"  which hits all the right notes.

DUA LIPA

Dua Lipa is one of my favorite artists at the moment. She can actually sing, works with the best writers and frankly is virtually being ignored at radio in North America. Her work exemplifies a woman who takes chances and has her pulse on what's the "next big thing." As the label is testing the waters for her follow up singles in different markets with "Future Nostalgia" and "Physical" (no not the Olivia Newton-John monster that topped the charts back in the early 80's), I've included versions of both but keep your ears open because there are stellar remixes out there other than the one's included here.

Overall, I'm happy that I waited to release this set but you can definitely expect the massive Spring Break set to drop by the end of March with all new material.

Next on tap (which is already in the can) is the next

SURPRISE! Party Favorz is back with the annual Winter Edition 2020 and boy oh boy is this one a monster! This non-stop circuit tribal house mix is jam packed with all the latest tribal house beats by the likes of Dua Lipa, Gloria Gaynor, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Cher, Demi Lovato, Pet Shop Boys and the return of the Pussycat Dolls. Folks, it just doesn't get any better than this.

Clocking in at just over 3 hours, you have enough energy to fuel your workouts for a month. Of course by then, the Spring Edition 2020 will be out with all new fresh circuit tribal house.

It seems lately, I fret that there's not enough circuit tracks to fill a set and I end up dropping some coin at Beatport to flesh it out. Like the Holiday Edition 2019, which served some outstanding tracks most of you had never heard before. This time, most of them were just okay and I only used maybe two and discarded the rest because there was so much already out — it felt unnecessary to include them.

I will be hard at work on the first Dance Club set of the year as I've been itching to drop the latest from Sofi Tukker . The follow-up single is on here but the first release is blazing hot! Expect that set to drop by the end of this next week.

I can't begin to describe how good it feels to finally be getting my groove back. I'll be back sooner than you can finish listening to this new set. Until then...ENJOY!

Album: Winter Edition 2020

Genre: Circuit, Tribal, House

Year: 2020

Total Time: 03:22:38

1. Alan x Walkers - Unity (Yan Bruno Anthem Mix)

2. The Pussycat Dolls - React (Rob Moore Remix Part 1)

3. Britney Spears - Work Bitch (Division 4 Chemical Daze Remix)

4. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia (DJ FUri DRUMS House Extended Club Remix)

5. Gloria Gaynor - Day And Night (Enrico Meloni Remix)

6. Dirty Disco vs. Dusty Springfield - I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten (Dirty Disco Mainroom Remix)

7. Eda Green - Hate Me Too Final (Hector Fonseca & Zambianco Club Remix)

8. Connor Bvrns & Bonn - Anthem (Mike Cruz Club Remix)

9. Avery Raquel - Pieces (Dirty Disco Mainroom Remix)

10. Brett Oosterhaus & Debby Holiday - Living For The Music (Danny Morris Remix)

11. Billie Eilish - Everything I Wanted (Dirty Disco Mainroom Remix)

12. DJ Paulo feat. Loleatta Holloway & Alan T - Where's The Beef (Impossible Burger Mix)

13. Glidesonic - Energy (Dirty Disco Mainroom Remix)

14. The Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up '20 (Rip City Boys I Wanna Have Boobies Remix)

15. Jipsta - Stomp (Wayne G & Andy Allder Remix)

16. Jennifer Lopez - Baila Conmigo (Dirty Disco Mainroom Remix)

17. Cascada - Evacuate the Dancefloor (Brett Oosterhaus & Adrian Lagunas Remix)

18. Joey Suarez - Alive (Hector Fonseca & Zambianco Club Mix)

19. Billie Eilish - Bad Guy (Dirty Disco Eagle Houston Remix)

20. Gryffin & Carly Rae Jepsen - OMG (Guy Scheiman Club Remix)

21. Madonna - God Control (Dirty Disco Eagle Houston Remix)

22.

Party Favorz is back with volume 2 of the Junior Vasquez Legacy edition and this one is an eye-watering, earth-shattering, ground-moving MONSTER!

There's so much in his catalog that it's hard to choose what to include. Remember, this is only meant to represent his work from the late 80s to the present day. The bulk of his success ran from the 90s to the early millennium, which these two volumes are heavily focused on.

I did run into a couple of long-forgotten remixes he created for one of my all-time favorite singers from Canada. Actually, "vocalist" may be a more apropos term to use because she's a chanteuse and a crazy talented artist. I dropped one of the tracks into volume 1 and then purposely left out the other. I have also compiled our next induction into the Diva Hall of Fame for later this week featuring this woman — assuming I can make it work.

In the interim, I'm delivering the final bomb retrospective for (some) of Junior's work. I hope that I've done the man and his legacy justice. ENJOY!

Album : Junior Vasquez Legacy vol. 2

Genre : Circuit, Tribal, House Music

Year : 2020

Total Time : 2:39:11

1. Barbara Tucker - Love's On Time (Junior Vasquez Remix)

2. Lisa Stansfield - All Around The World (Junior Vasquez Earth Anthem)

3. Janet Jackson - Runaway (Junior's Factory Mix)

4. Rosabel feat. Jennifer Holliday - And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (Junior Vasquez Earth Mix)

5. Mary J. Blige - Your Child (Junior Vasquez Remix)

6. Funky Green Dogs - Rise Up (Junior Vasquez Earth Anthem)

7. Angel Moraes - The Cure (Junior Vasquez Mix)

8. Amber - This Is Your Night (Junior's Sunday Night Bump Mix)

9. Billie Ray Martin - Your Loving Arms (Junior Vasquez Peak Hour Twirler Mix)

10. Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All (Junior Vasquez Club Mix)

11. Gloria Estefan - Higher (Juniors 12'' Club Mix)

12. Justin Timberlake - Rock Your Body (Junior Vasquez Club Anthem)

13. Barbra Streisand - Night Of My Life (Junior Vasquez Roxy Anthem Mix)

14. Beyoncé - Krazy In Luv (Junior Vasquez Mix)

15. Kristine W - Feel What You Want (Junior's NY Xtended Vocal)

16. Everything But The Girl - Missing (Junior Vasquez Marathon Mix)

17. Livin' Joy - Don't Stop Movin' (Junior's Arena Anthem Mix)

18. Ace Of Base - Beautiful Life (Junior Vasquez' Circuit Bump Mix)

19. Junior Vasquez - If Madonna Calls (JR's House Mix)

20. 2 In A Room - Take Me Away (Junior Vasquez Remix)

21. Shades Of Love - Body To Body [Keep In Touch] (Junior Vasquez Club Mix)

22. Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Junior's Happy Handbag Mix)

23. Elton John - Your Song (Junior Vasquez Remix)

24. Shannon - Let The Music Play (Junior Vasquez X-Beat Mix)

25. Juliet Roberts - I Want You (Junior's 98 DMC Mix)

26. Nelly Furtado - I'm Like A Bird (Junior Vasquez Club Remix)

27. Cyndi Lauper - True Colors (Junior Vasquez Gay Pride Mix)

Junior Vasquez who was born Donald Gregory Mattern (really?) is an American DJ, record producer, and remixer.  With ambitions of becoming a fashion designer, he moved to New York City in 1971. His enthusiasm for DJ Larry Levan at the infamous Paradise Garage led him to Shep Pettibone (another DJ/producer begging for a Legacy induction) where they edited mixes for multiple artists like Madonna, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Pet Shop Boys, and more.

Several of his earliest underground House hits like "Work That Pussy" and "Drag Queen" were under the moniker Ellis D with the latter featured here. In 1989, he co-founded the Sound Factory and simultaneously became an in-demand remixer for several big-label artists. After the Sound Factory closed in 1995, he held multiple residencies including at the Tunnel, and subsequently returned to the former Sound Factory now called Arena.

IF MADONNA CALLS

Junior introduced Madonna to vogue at the Sound Factory, which served as an inspiration for a massively successful song in 1990 by the same name. At the time, she was making a name for herself on the dancefloor by embracing the emerging House Music sounds and flipping them to a more commercial audience. She has long been associated with dance music trends by associating herself with underground names like Shep Pettibone and William Orbit before latching onto Junior Vasquez to remix several tracks from her "Bedtime Stories" album. It was around this time she had allegedly agreed to perform at one of Junior's Sound Factory shows and bowed out at the last moment.

Queens being queens, Junior took one of the messages she left on his answering machine and looped it into the deep house groove "If Madonna Calls" without her permission using the phrase "this is Madonna" "are you there" "call me in Miami." The bitch track went all the way to #2 on the Billboard Dance Club charts and spawned multiple remixes — including anniversary remixes. Afterward, any chance of reconciliation and working together again went out the door. This turned out to be a lucky move on her part as she went on to introduce the world to Victor Calderone and Peter Rauhofer (who was already riding high with Club 69).

Nevertheless, neither of them is getting any younger and Madge is going through some things at the moment. It's time to come together and bury the hatchet. Life's too short for former besties to hold onto grudges.

This set does not reflect any official Junior remixes of Madonna other than "Secret" and the fabulous Marvin Gaye rendering of "I Want You" where Junior was commissioned to remix the track but it never received an official release.

DIVA DIVA DIVA

Scroll through the list of divas in the Party Favorz "Diva Hall of Fame" and you will be hard-pressed to find anyone Junior hasn't remixed. From Annie Lennox to Whitney Houston and every diva in between, there's hardly anyone in there that he doesn't know or h...

We have finally reached the end of the Essential 80's Dance Mix series with volume 6. These are all the tracks that should have been included in the first 5 but were overlooked for whatever reason.

Whether it's the Trash Disco, the 90s House Classics, or the Millennial House Classics series — these sets take a lot of time and preparation to put together. Often I find that I either overlook a track and try to insert it later or just miss tracks altogether and then ask myself "what was I thinking." To truly make these work, I'd need at least a month of prep before tackling these massive offerings to ensure everything flows as it should. Given the hectic release schedule for Party Favorz, that's just not possible.

Ultimately, I hope I've done justice to this series as it was the most difficult I've encountered of all the various genre compilations from various decades I've created yet.

I will admit that I'm burnt out in the 80s and have no immediate plans to release anymore at this time. I had New Order, Depeche Mode, and Stock, Aitken, and Waterman (SAW) Legacy editions on tap but right now, I'm just not feeling it. Perhaps at a later date.

At the moment, I'm working on the long-anticipated Junior Vasquez Legacy Edition and just finished curating the tracks yesterday. This is going to take some time to put together because these songs clock in at 9 minutes+ and will require heavy editing to illuminate the brilliance of Junior's sometimes unbalanced work. I fully expect the outcome to be EPIC!

On another note, due to some unexpected personal issues that are coming up — I've pushed the price increase out to April 1st. When I have more information, I'll be sure to let everyone know what's going on.

In the meantime, I hope it's sunny and warmer than it is here. It's kind of dreary and cold with rain in the forecast. Not my kind of weather but what can I do? Until the next time...ENJOY!

Album: The Essential 80’s Dance Mix vol. 6

Genre: 80’s Dance

Year: 2019

Total Time: 02:29:33

1. ABC - Look Of Love (Ultimix)

2. Jody Watley - Some Kind Of Lover (Ultimix)

3. Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (Culture Shock Remix)

4. Real Life - Send Me An Angel (Edge Remix)

5. Human League - Don't You Want Me (Edge Remix)

6. Human League - (Keep Feeling) Fascination (Edge Remix)

7. Talk Talk - It's My Life (Hot Tracks Mix)

8. Deodato feat. Camille - S.O.S. (Fire In The Sky) (12'' Disarmamix)

9. Bananarama - Venus (Culture Shock Remix)

10. Peter Brown - They Only Come Out At Night (Hot Tracks Mix)

11. George Michael - I Want Your Sex (Hot Tracks Mix)

12. Vanity 6 - Nasty Girl (Ultimix)

13. Irene Cara - Flashdance... What A Feeling (Hot Tracks Remix)

14. Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen (No More Love On the Run) (Hot Classics Remix)

15. Blow Monkeys - Digging Your Scene (Ultimix)

16. Teena Marie - I Need Your Lovin' (Select Mix Remix)

17. Mary Jane Girls - In My House (Hot Classics Remix)

18. Tone Loc - Wild Thing (Ultimix)

19. The Power Station - Some Like It Hot (Edge Remix)

20. Bananarama - Cruel Summer (Select Mix)

21. Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Hot Tracks Mix)

22.

Party Favorz is finally releasing volume 5 of The Essential 80's Dance Mix that I've been teasing for forever and a year. This particular set focuses on the sub-genre Hi-Energy (NRG), which was the precursor to Hard Dance in the 90s and early millennium. As usual, I take license and mix in a few tracks that don't fit this category only because they work. So, don't let something like Rick James' "Super Freak" throw you off.

I have to admit that if I had the time — I'd redo this entire series. For the most part, I'm pleased with volumes 2 - 5 but volume 1 sounds a bit thin to me and I thought some of the transitions or tracks didn't fit in with the songs surrounding them.

After listening to what Barry Harris did with the really old disco tracks that were featured in Thank God It's Disco — it's hard not to compare the sound quality and how he modernized them for today's compressed technology (i.e. mp3). I was always afraid to do that with such frail recordings but gave it a shot on this set and I'm really quite pleased. Granted, I don't have Pro Tools or whatever high-end plugins he uses and so I work with what I've got but it worked out well. I'd like to go back and remaster this whole series but I just don't have the time.

I have a slew of odds and ends that didn't make any of the sets posted so far and will scour them to see if I can muster up a final volume. If I do, it will be posted in a few days. If not, it won't. These sets take a massive amount of time with editing and mastering to get them whittled down to their essence. If I can pull off one more volume great. If not - so be it.

Just keep in mind that this is not the "ultimate" 80's dance series nor was it intended to be as there is way more for hardcore enthusiasts to dive into. The 80s was the first decade where music became very fragmented into sub-genres and that practice continued to the point where it was out of control.

Putting all that aside — I think all of you 80s kids are really going to enjoy this set. Some of the songs were massive club hits but never transitioned to radio. You may not be familiar with some of them but since I was the kid hitting the clubs when I was underage — I am intimately familiar with them.

I'll be back next week with something. Maybe the final volume in this series or the next Legacy edition. Either way — I'll let it be a surprise. Until then...ENJOY!

Album: The Essential 80’s Dance Mix vol. 5

Genre: 80’s Dance

Year: 2019

Total Time: 02:34:32

1. The Communards - Never Can Say Goodbye (Select Mix)

2. Lisa - Rocket To Your Heart (Almighty 12'' Definitive Mix)

3. Pamela Stanley - Coming Out Of Hiding (Matt Pop Club Mix)

4. Evelyn Thomas - High Energy (Almighty 12'' Definitive Mix)

5. Stacy Q - Two Of Hearts (Ultimix)

6. Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy (Edge Remix)

7. Hazell Dean - Searchin' (I Gotta Find A Man) (Almighty Definitive Mix)

8. The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way (Ultimix)

9. Q Feel - Dancing in Heaven (Edge Remix)

10. Eddie Murphy - Party All The Time (Ultimix Extended)

11. Madonna - Burning Up (Hot Tracks Remix)

12. Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money (Hot Tracks Mix)

13. Sheena Easton - Sugar Walls (Ultimix)

14. Sheila E - The Glamorous Life (Hot Classics Remix)

15. Gino Vannelli - Black Cars (Hot Tracks Mix)

16. Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf (Select Mix Part 2)

17. Rick James - Super Freak (Ultimix)

Party Favorz is finally getting its groove back with a mid-week disco dump. Thank God It's Disco (T.G.I.D.) is a new moniker that DJ Barry Harris has been whipping out lately with precise edits of rare and often overlooked tracks from the 70s and 80s. He's actually created modern reworks of classic hits in the past but usually for Pride events. Now, he's really digging into the crates and pulling out some gems in Soul, Funk, and Disco making them DJ-friendly as well as remastering them for today's dance floors.

While it wasn't my intention to expand the existing Ultimate Trash Disco series — many of Barry's reworks are so endearing to this boy's musical brain that I decided it was worth the effort to put these together for our hardcore fans. He's been whipping these edits out at a frenetic pace but appears to be on tour in Australia at the moment giving me time to put this massive set together before he picks up again. That's not to say he will because I don't know his game plan until he drops stuff.

I have to admit that "Body Work" by Hot Streak stumped me. This is clearly an early 80s track that I've never heard before but am really digging. Everything else serves my memory well as a little kid obsessing over AM radio and listening to the latest hits while tracking their movement on the charts. Yes, I was a musical nerd. I was so obsessed that by 6th grade, I was mowing lawns to feed my habit by buying all the latest 45s. Basically, I did and still live for this stuff and I know I'm not the only one with this weird obsession.

Since I did pull from some of Barry's past remixes — expect some overlap with the more recognizable tunes. Nevertheless, this is some seriously dope shit.

I've already started working on the Essential 80's Dance series. Hopefully, you can expect volume 5 sometime this weekend.

Until then...ENJOY!

Album: Thank God It's Disco vol. 1

Artists: Various

Genre: Disco

Length: 03:46:59

1. Bill Withers - Lovely Day (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

2. Toto - Africa (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

3. Taana Gardner - Heartbeat (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

4. Shirley & Co. - Shame, Shame, Shame (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

5. The Brothers Johnson - I'll Be Good To You (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

6. Earth, Wind & Fire - Shining Star (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

7. The Brothers Johnson vs. Parliament - Tear The Roof Outta Ma Face (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

8. Zapp - It Doesn't Really Matter (Soulboss Disco Bootleg)

9. Eruption - I Can't Stand The Rain (Barry Harris Club Mix)

10. Earth, Wind & Fire - Sing A Song (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

11. The Emotions - Best Of My Love (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

12. Hot Streak - Body Work (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

13. The Trammps - Where The Happy People Go (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

14. Rufus feat. Chaka Khan - Once U Get Started (T.G.I.D. & Barry Harris Club Mix)

15. Sister Sledge - We Are Family (Barry Harris 2018 House Mix)

16. Don Ray - Got To Have Loving (Barry Harris 2018 Mix)

17. Cerrone - Supernature (Barry Harris 2018 Monster Mix)

18. Dan Hartman & Loleatta Holloway - Relight My Fire (Barry Harris 2018 Remix)

19. Roxy Music - Love Is The Drug (Barry Harris 2018 Club Enhanced Mix)

20. Chic - Le Freak (Barry Harris 2018 Remix)

21. Company B - Fascinated (Barry Harris 2k15 Club Mix)

22.

We have finally reached the end of the Top Dance Songs of 2019 series with Volume 3 featuring a non-stop mix of the Top Dance Club Songs of 2019.

THE EMO-FICATION OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC

With few exceptions and the trend to a happier Disco sound as discussed in Volume 1 of this year's recap — the overall feel in electronic and club music is generally fairly dark. A lot of the music has been emofied even when its original format is aimed at the dance floor. The biggest artist of the year Post Malone has made an entire career out of it. With one of Malone's biggest hits "Circles" capping off the end of this set — it pretty much sums up the entire genre.

There's nothing wrong with that and the moodiness of much of the music squares well with the current generation that's growing up in a tumultuous time. That's not to say any of these songs are political — because they aren't. The very issues that affect the mood and mindset of the current generation like gun control, global warming, student debt, ongoing wars, racism, and on and on are sadly missing in today's music. From the Boomer rebellion of the 60s to the GenX political activism of Punk Rock, New Wave, and Alternative Rock from the 80s and 90s — the very issues that stress the current generation of Millennials and GenZ are sorely missing. Instead, everything is about feelings and relationships.

This isn't meant to be interpreted as criticism but merely an observation. We know you guys give a shit about these things - so bare your soul in the music and frankly open it up to true Rock 'N' Roll again. More than anything, it's the big corporate labels that need to get with the program because I'm banking there's a massive underground market somewhere waiting to be exploited.

Granted, there's always room for all types of genres and styles from silly love songs, and personal testimonies to fun carefree disco and political discourse in our music. They just haven't figured out how to make it work because the music industry as a whole, is run by a bunch of mindless clone machines. I digress.

IT'S ALL ABOUT DANCE MUSIC

If you haven't figured it out yet, Party Favorz (more specifically me writing in the 3rd person), is a walking encyclopedia of popular music. I've devoured it ever since I was a kid.  As you well know — Party Favorz is about escapism and having a good time. It's about perking you up during those long commutes to and from work, it fuels your workouts, it's the soundtrack to your pool parties and gatherings with friends and it's likely the thing that gets you pumped while getting ready to go out for a night on the town. If you've found other creative ways to make use of these mixes — I'd love to hear them.

For better or worse, the songs included in this year-end retrospective of the dance club music scene represents the best and worst (but still hugely popular) dance songs of the year. Unlike the rigidity of the charts — Party Favorz attempts to pull all dance club music of relevance that is released throughout the year. Always remember to store these mini-time capsules in a safe place in the cloud. 10 or 20 years from now you'll be glad you did.

I'll be back on Saturday with the annual Blow Your Own Horn series, which will help everyone bring in the New Year in one giant roof-raising party mix. Until then...Merry Christmas, Happy Hannakua, Happy Kwanza, and Happy Holidays. ENJOY!

Album: Year in Dance 2019 Volume 3

Genre: EDM, House, Dance, Club

Year: 2019

Total Time: 02:27:58

1.

Party Favorz is back with Volume 2 of our annual non-stop mix Top Dance Songs of the Year featuring the top Dance Club hits of 2019!

Even with the shifting genre tides in dance music, there's always room for some darker songs that break through and become monster hits in their own right. FISHER's surprise hit "Losing It" was released in July 2018 and then had a steady rise to the top of Beatport's dance charts where it ruled for over a month. Shortly after — it made a steady climb up Billboard's Dance Club charts finally nesting the number one spot last year. Spurring a mass amount of mashups and bootlegs, the song was so popular — it ranked again as one of the top tracks for 2019.  It was an unlikely candidate for such a monster hit but the infectious deep beats and repetitive refrain just stuck to our brains like super glue.

FISHER followed that up with the equally dark "You Little Beauty" which samples (once again) the fabulous Loleatta Holloway making it his second #1 dance club hit. You could say he's had a very good year and a half.

One of the most mesmerizing and infectious dark tracks of the year is "Piece Of Your Heart" by Meduza featuring Goodboys. This song is an earworm that burrows into your brain and takes up residence while on repeat. Meduza followed up this monster hit with the same song but this time featuring the added vocals of Becky Hill in a reworked version called "Lose Control." That version also topped the charts later in the year. I'm not certain, but this may be the first time two different versions of the same song topped any chart — but, I could be wrong.

HOT DANCE ELECTRONIC SONGS

The artwork for volume two of the Year In Dance features the top Hot Dance Electronic Songs Artists. This is a chart that I only muse with passing interest as it usually has some overlap with the Dance Club charts but is geared more towards streaming, and YouTube streams than anything else to compile its listings. Billboard has multiple sub-category charts under this, which frankly is redundant. This particular chart is important in that it features top songs that fare poorly on the Dance Club chart but often have more uptempo House versions that accompany them.

Marshmello appears to hit all the charts (including Top 40), while The Chainsmokers frat boy electronic dance music generally rules this chart, sometimes Top 40 but not Dance Club. The chart itself is often stale and lists songs that are over a year old — generally because of their ongoing streaming numbers.

Since a few of the Top 10 artists in this category never crossed over to Dance Club or were riding high from last year's releases — I threw out three of them and picked up three more from the Top 15. From left to right there's Kygo, Ellie Goulding, Avicii, Martin Garrix, Calvin Harris, Marshmello, Swae, The Chainsmokers, Bastille, and Bebe Rexha.

RIP AVICII

One of the greatest DJ/producers of the modern era passed away. Avicii was a genius whose music moved millions of people on dance floors and at festivals worldwide. Never content to rest on one style of music, he continued to experiment and even brought in folk music to create giant songs like "Wake Me Up." The song "Levels," which samples the vocals of the fabulous Etta James is a masterpiece in electronic dance music that will live on through the a...