What sort of dance music do I like?

I can't keep up with subgenres of subgenres and like many relative noobs I come from a non-dance music background. By which I mean over the years I've regularly bought music by some higher profile artists who've caught my attention (randomly: Theo Parrish, Kassem Mosse, Todd Terje, James Holden, Aphex of course, etc) but really want to dig deeper. I *think* what I like most is deep house, but I'm not sure. I also tend to dig the minimal side of things, but not so minimal that there's no melody (ie I like Stott, Raime, etc more in theory than in practice). Also, it may be dreadfully rockist of me, but I prefer float-y, piano / jazz chord based stuff in the 120bpm range, and less of the 'four on the floor' stuff (which, I will confess, will always superficially put me in mind of certain bourgeois cafes--sorry). My entry into dance music is probably pretty rockist-typical: Cluster and Harmonia and Popol Vuh and things like that, so I tend to like vibe-y, psychedelic, melodic, vaguely new age-y sounding stuff, but a certain soul jazz influence (like Parrish) is also particularly appealing.

This is my favorite shit lately:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPoVNjYarw8

I also really love the Pender Street Steppers stuff, especially this one:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYfb7vernAI

^^^not as float-y (terrible word, sorry) as the other stuff I like, but I like the mix of live instrumentation with what I presume are samples.

Some other things I've been really enjoying, just from lurking the Bobbins threads, are Traumprinz, Dorisburg, Chymeria's "The Divided Self", and Entro Senestre's "Rosegold".

Not necessarily looking for more artist recommendations (the bobbins threads alone have been keeping me busy for weeks), but looking for some clarification on what I should be looking for, exactly. Any labels or comps that come to mind? Artist recommendation are OK too, of course, if there's some I need to hear that I might not have already heard. I'm just thinking there is probably a sub-sub-subgenre I'm basically describing and I don't even know it. As it stands, I don't know microhouse from deep house from ambient, as it relates to contemporary dance music. I'm an old man. Help me out.

Floating Points springs to mind. I take it you're familiar though.

I don't know the names of the leaves on the tree, the cabins on the hillside or the driver of the 592 bus, yet the vibes radiate all around, forget about the sub-genres, names and boxes, they are elements of oppression like having to be on time and other attacks on serenity. Check discogs, or scope in stalybridge if there's still anything left in there

or what saer said.

it seems like you like a pretty wide range of stuff, but loosely house and techno. i wouldn't worry about the genre names though. how did you find that stuff? can't you just repeat that process and widen your circle?

like not to criticise but dance music is not some smaller landmass - if you asked "what type of rock music do i like" and named a bunch of bands it would be difficult to answer also.

if your question is "how do i find new music i like" - i'd suggest:

1. follow all the labels and artists you know you like on soundcloud - listen to the mixes they post or repost, see if the other things it tells you to follow sound good.
2. pick a dance music record store, eg juno, phonica, and listen to new releases, check dj charts or charts of bestsellers if you like, the sites are quite easy to navigate. similarly, start with labels you like or djs you like, there'll always be "people who bought this also bought" and that kind of function. if you aren't intending to buy records you can still probably discover some good stuff and find what's going on by using these sites.
3. read about music on the internet.

i was kind of hoping this thread would read like this: http://www.clickhole.com/blogpost/im-feminist-i-dont-support-planned-parenthood-im-b-4141

xp Good point. I don't enjoy the idea of compartmentalizing genres, either, but techno / dance music has a way of marketing things (but maybe no more so than other genres) to specific demographics and I feel left out!

re: Floating Points: Intimidated by a far-too-deep discography, but yes, I've liked what I've heard! Need to revisit...

Good advice here all around, btw. The Soundcloud mixes are deep rabbit holes, which can be both good and bad - sometimes things tend to blur together. Will report back. Thanks, ILX0rs!

but I prefer float-y, piano / jazz chord based stuff in the 120bpm range, and less of the 'four on the floor' stuff (which, I will confess, will always superficially put me in mind of certain bourgeois cafes--sorry)

This makes no sense, unless, as I suspect, you mean "banging techno/house" by "four to the floor" as opposed to something with a steady 4/4 beat, which is most of what you're talking about. And even then, much of the heavy stuff is piano/jazzy.

Otherwise, I dunno, just read resident advisor or whatever. Mixes are probably the best starting point to sift through unknown things.

Listen to Fabric 13 by Michael Mayer, to Vocalcity by Luomo, to West Coast by Studio
Listen to some UK Bass (for example Blawan, Jacques Greene, Rinse series)
And to some nu-disco (for example Mark E., NY Transit Authority, The Juan MacLean)
Listen to old house music like Frankie Knuckles, Craig Davis, Burrell, Richard Davis
Listen to DJ Sprinkles
Go on YT and type Luv Dancing, Let the music use you, The world is love, Music sounds better with you, Hold on, Show me Love, Just being fooled, Time is over, All Night Long, Can You feel it, Someday...

This makes no sense, unless, as I suspect, you mean "banging techno/house"

that's what I meant, yes.

Listen to Fabric 13 by Michael Mayer, to Vocalcity by Luomo, to West Coast by Studio
Listen to some UK Bass (for example Blawan, Jacques Greene, Rinse series)
And to some nu-disco (for example Mark E., NY Transit Authority, The Juan MacLean)
Listen to old house music like Frankie Knuckles, Craig Davis, Burrell, Richard Davis
Listen to DJ Sprinkles
Go on YT and type Luv Dancing, Let the music use you, The world is love, Music sounds better with you, Hold on, Show me Love, Just being fooled, Time is over, All Night Long, Can You feel it, Someday...

Thanks! There goes my afternoon...

I was going to say DJ Sprinkles. You might also want to try Larry Heard/Mr Fingers, Omar S, Steven Julien, Joey Anderson, Virgo/Virgo Four (their album is the best house album ever)

toca's miracle by fragma is a tune

basic channel / main street records / rhythm & sound / maurizio

find the records you like on discogs, look up what else the sellers have and sample.

try to remember that dance records have a context. pick up some of the context and it can "help" you develop your taste.

I am also an old man. I got back into house music at the end of last year, with DJ Sprinkles as my prime gateway. Initially, I found it difficult work out what I liked best and where to find it, but having listened widely for the past seven/eight months, I feel a lot more sure-footed. It came as quite a surprise to find there was so much good deep house being made; I had no idea that this was such a currently fertile area. Recently, I've begun to veer slightly more tech/minimal, but the aesthetic that Wimmels outlines kind of chimes with my own tastes.#

I spend a lot of time on Juno. Juno is amazing. I also follow Piccadilly's recommended 12-inchers - piccadillyrecords.com/counter/feature.php?feature=642 - a very mixed bag (with far too many disco edits), but a lot of their tips have been very on-point. (And then I buy them from Juno.)

It gets easier, that's all I'm really saying.

they stopped posting them regularly, but the wax treatment mixes (mostly by dj pete) seemed to be a pretty good selection of new stuff that was coming in at hardwax, the iconic berlin record shop
http://waxtreatment.de/podcast/

actually, never mind, most of this stuff is at a 90 degree angle to what you're looking for

NB I've never found Resident Advisor's reviews very useful. In fact, RA threw me such a false trail, that I didn't realise that there was such a wealth of other stuff out there that I would like. Turns out that I like stuff with a bit of a shimmy and a wiggle, and these don't appear to be prized properties in RA-land. Almost none of the stuff I go for is ever reviewed there.

To find more stuff you like, I'd check out the other releases on the labels that put out the stuff you like. Also look for mixes that contain the stuff you like. This is basically how I roll.

Turns out that I like stuff with a bit of a shimmy and a wiggle, and these don't appear to be prized properties in RA-land.

I get the impression RA is overly chin-strokey. Just an impression, I rarely use it

(xp using discogs)

also I'd search "house" on hardwax and listen to the samples

hope this isn't too hipstery an answer (jk idgaf)

yet you were arsed enough to type that

This thread has been very useful. Thanks everyone for all the help...

i've liked juno, hardwax, clone, and gramaphone for finding new stuff. they all have slightly different orbits. agreed re: ra being not that great.

also I'd search "house" on hardwax and listen to the samples

^this is a good idea

was about to mention gramaphone, good catch

A lot of the stuff being mentioned in this thread is quite far off the brief in the first post (Blawan, really?)

Judging by the links in the first post, the stuff you like is the sort of thing that I personally find the less rewarding but I think you're right in that your tastes veer towards deep house.

I find that sort of stuff can work well whole horizontal on a sunny day but I find those warm, jazzy pads have a soporific effect on me on a dancefloor.

Having said that the DJ Sprinkles recommendations are on the nose for you, both her album and her mix CD from a couple of years ago. Also ye olde Cassy Panorama Bar mix album, the new Kyle Hall album, lots of Theo Parrish and Moodymann should keep you going. Mark E and The Revenge should do it for you as well.

Ah I just saw Theo in the first post.

You might also go for Gavin Russom in a big way (both with Delia and without) given all the cosmic krauty stuff you mention.

Radio is always a good way to discover new music and NTS have some great shows. The morning show hosted by Charlie Bones (Do You) is always good value - strong balearic vibes generally. He's had Theo on a few times.

http://www.nts.live/shows/the-do-you-breakfast-show

i find the djs on nts insufferable.

tho i haven't listened to that show - if i have to hear another 3/4 minutes of "*deep breath* shouts to the bussey building, man like another white person and me gonna be tearing it up this weekend... *music back up for a minute* - come along if you're not up to anything, midnight till 6am..." etc...

What are the other options? 6 Music?

soundcloud and the ilx mixes thread both contains mixes with no speaking or destructions of reverie, finding new records can be done without the soul being chipped away at by monsters using outdoor voices in the vibe cabin

dunno, i never listen to the radio - p much always soundcloud or other mixes.

saer otm.

I don't agree. Whilst Soundcloud etc are great resources, it's nice to hear a DJ that you like interact with their audience.
I grew up listening to the likes of Peel and Andy Kershaw so maybe I'm old school.

yeah i'm not totally against it, i just have found nts generally kind of annoying, and i don't find myself seeking out djs since the dance/electronic ones are all massively devoid of personality or charisma.

Speaking is one of the many methods used to induce anxiety and destroy reverie, the dream state is under constant attack from these barbs, a nod and a smile goes a long way in the information age

*deep breath* shouts to the bussey building, man like another white person and me gonna be tearing it up this weekend... *music back up for a minute* - come along if you're not up to anything, midnight till 6am..." etc...

― Bein' Sean Bean (LocalGarda), Friday, 29 July 2016 10:47 Bookmark

haha accurate

at the back of my mind for i guess the last few years there has been a generic modern pootling strawman of this sort that i feel i've never been able to successfully bring to life. this thread has def touched on certain aspects

one of my backburner ideas i might never dot will do someday was to record an entire radio show parodying the awful london house music djs.

just in general, for many years, it's kind of bothered me how entirely rare it is for anyone presenting any alternative music tv or radio show to have any capability to make a joke or do any of the basic things you expect a presenter to do, like talk about music or make the listener feel comfortable, they sound like someone calling you up to sexually harass you.

incomprehensible strikethrough but you get the idea

Based on the first post, I'd recommend checking out Gemini. Back in the 1990s he released some awesome, fairly minimal but lush deep house records you might dig. Sadly he's since then pretty much disappeared (there was some ILX thread where it was discussed he was having some serious personal and legal problems or something), but the 90s records are still timeless classics, IMO.

A more recent, minimal-but-deep house recommendation is Moomin.

xpost Surprised by the NTS backlash. In the main, it's just a bunch of DJ's (some more charismatic than others admittedly) playing music that they like. My experience completely at odds with LG's.
Also check other regulars Weatherall, Shanti Celeste and Jon Rust.

it's probably a case of my own cynicism ruining something for me - but i guess i don't feel i need them to discover new music. i listen to red light radio on soundcloud a lot, there doesn't seem to be much dj speak on there and i like the music they play a bit more.

*deep breath* shout out to Rolling techno* albums thread for people who are clearly doing it wrong

i don't really understand the UK radio landscape but have heard lots of great mixes on soundcloud that originated on NTS (and have had some on there myself).

btw you might like this record coming out on 100% Silk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atihj_yw2Mw

and this, for a perfect Rhodes loop and dirty drums.

http://www.youtube.com/v/n0e6ZsTLpzI

I used to just listen to Beats In Space every week but I've tailed off a bit as the roster has diversified a bit and there's less Sweeney.

Optimo's monthly show on NTS features very little talk, none of it annoying

hold tight the optimo mandem i see ya

i got ye bruv, i see ya.

A lot of tracks I like turn out to have been Boiler Room or Stamp The Wax Debuts on Soundcloud. I should really sort out some decent follows on there. I'm so lax.

it kind of naturally became a way I hear new music - I recently started buying vinyl again and I knew loads of the records from the peeps I follow on soundcloud and their mixes

about the 'djs talking' thing, it's usually a drag for me too, i could never really deal with tim sweeney for example. one person who i think does it very well is dj bone, plus his choices are great and mixing skills classic A++.

i honestly wouldn't recommend dj sprinkles to the op because not heteronormative enough, look i can be an annoying snob too. ;)

i think my other answer besides "basic channel" is just dig into more detroit house. theo parrish, kenny dixon jr., andres, rick wilhite, kyle hall, kelli hand. some of it is harder to come by but it describes what you're looking for and is better than a cornball like traumprinz.

oh man now I'm wishing I had a recording of this moritz von oswald dj set I saw, basic channel and excellent techno that built superbly

My favourite DJ mixes in this general vein (that haven't already been mentioned):

Andrew Weatherall's Blood Sugar mixes (esp. the first, which is his Radio 1 Essential Mix from 1996 - less dubby than its successors, it's more a perfect celebration of deep house) and his mix for Live @ The Social Volume 3

Daniel Bell's 'The Button Down Mind of Daniel Bell' and 'The Button Down Mind Strikes Back'

Tobi Neumann's 'Pass Your Bedtime'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_laeWTEP70