Hot Butter - Popcorn sounds very advanced for 1972 :o . Unfortunately there was no real trend following it and dancey electronic music didn't chart again until 1977 as far as I am aware.

 

 

Let's not forget 'Popcorn' was also covered by Crazy Frog in 2005, and peaked at #12.

 

Although most of you probably wish I hadn't reminded you of that.

Here's one of the best electronic instrumentals of the 1980s, 'Crockett's Theme' by Jan Hammer which made #2. (1987)

 

 

you could say it's not very dancey but it's got a similar BPM to many of today's tropical house records.

Here's one of the early dance songs, which is deemed to be one of the most groundbreaking in dance, and a precursor to the acid house sound, it charted in Feb 1984 (#14)

 

Dance music as we know it today for me 'begins' with Farley Jackmaster Funk - Love Can't Turn Around, #10 in late 1986.

 

Not sure if the below version is original, as that buildup at the start sounds insane for the time and might be a later remix, but it's the first version I heard about thirteen years ago!

 

 

Then it's 'Jack Your Body' a few months later, 'Pump Up The Volume' and by late 1987 we're truly into the house age.

I always think things went like this -

 

Disco - Electro-pop - synth-pop - High Energy - Acid House

 

Didn't know much about High NRG until totps 1984 started going on about it as an underground thing which got a fast beat over a disco soundtrack which flew into the pop mainstream in this year. Sounded like the acid house sound was getting closer!

Dance music as we know it today for me 'begins' with Farley Jackmaster Funk - Love Can't Turn Around, #10 in late 1986.

 

Then it's 'Jack Your Body' a few months later, 'Pump Up The Volume' and by late 1987 we're truly into the house age.

 

This was in the charts the same time as that according to the chart archive too, and I would certainly consider this dance too.

 

 

But yes the Farley track being a house track sounds closer to what we know dance as today, especially with the use of piano in it.

Edited July 15, 20178 yr by Hissmeister

Also thought Heaven 17 Temptation sounded way more modern than 1983 - sounds like a 1989 dance song imo!

Didn't know much about High NRG until totps 1984 started going on about it as an underground thing which got a fast beat over a disco soundtrack which flew into the pop mainstream in this year. Sounded like the acid house sound was getting closer!

 

Yes it does seem as if there was a transition, Paul Hardcastle - 19 and Shannon - Let The Music Play (which I posted earlier in this thread) seem to have a similar bassline to acid house.

 

According to wikipedia, both the early house producers and Paul Hardcastle (not sure about Shannon though) all seem to have been influenced by an earlier track, Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa which used this type of bassline, so that must be the connection!

 

Anyway I would say while dance already existed, the arrival of acid house must have given it a less commercial sound to distinguish it from Hi-NRG and other existing electronic dance, which while it started off not too commercial or poppy sounding, had by the mid 80s (apart from a few exceptions like Paul Hardcastle and the Trans X track I posted earlier in the thread), became too cheesy and poppy, especially as it was being used by pop producers like Stock Aitken Waterman in their productions.

Edited July 15, 20178 yr by Hissmeister

This one is often cited as the first "EDM" record. It was certainly a game changer anyway.

 

 

Interestingly it was a remix of this that became the first ever dance remix if I am not mistaken to make the UK charts. Made #21 in January 1983, credited by the official charts as I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley remix) - Donna Summer.

 

 

Must be one of the first progressive dance tracks! Particularly amazing for the time are the trance style synths for a while after 6:19!

Dance music as we know it today for me 'begins' with Farley Jackmaster Funk - Love Can't Turn Around, #10 in late 1986.

 

Not sure if the below version is original, as that buildup at the start sounds insane for the time and might be a later remix, but it's the first version I heard about thirteen years ago!

 

 

Then it's 'Jack Your Body' a few months later, 'Pump Up The Volume' and by late 1987 we're truly into the house age.

 

This one sounds much more funky than most of the early house records in the late 80s, its definitely my favourite of these early house hits.

Another tune I found from 1985 (reaching #17 in the UK chart), this really reminds me of some of Disciples' stuff, particularly Daylight.

 

Edited July 19, 20177 yr by Hissmeister

Yeh soundslike really modern house as you say like Disciples. If released 5 years earlier when Numan was in his chart peak it could have been no1!

Yeh soundslike really modern house as you say like Disciples. If released 5 years earlier when Numan was in his chart peak it could have been no1!

 

Well the beat is a little different to house but certainly the bassline and structure of the song is very similar to a modern minimal house track. Bill Sharpe on the track was in a jazz funk group called Shakatak, so that's probably why it was the danciest track Gary Numan had been on so far.

 

Between that, two dancey Bronski Beat songs (Hit That Perfect Beat and the I Feel Love cover/medley with Marc Almond), Trans X - Living On Video and Paul Hardcastles 19 and especially Just For Money there seems to have been quite a few electronic dance songs making the chart in 1985!

Edited July 20, 20177 yr by Hissmeister

Another song I found, made number 31 in the UK charts in January 1980. Sounds amazing for the time! The drop is quite trance reminscent I think (albeit with a slower beat), especially the last one after a bit of a buildup!

 

Edited August 11, 20177 yr by Hiß

I like this one from early 1983 (making #13). The production is very good in it, and it even has a kind of house-reminiscent rhythm/bassline in the verses.

 

 

Their song Master and Servant (#9 Aug 1984) is also quite dancey.

 

 

Both songs are quite dancey compared to most of the synthpop songs making the charts at their time.