This week in the wide world of dance we saw the launch of a new collaborative label from famed Ibiza teche fête CircoLoco and Rockstar Games, we caught up with Alison Wonderland about her recent social media break, we chatted with Spotify’s Ronny Ho about in honor of AAPI Heritage Month, we found out what Prince William thought of Kate Middleton’s DJ beat (tl;dr: he didn’t love it) and we celebrated the 30-year anniversary of Crystal Waters’ house classic “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” hitting No. 1 on Dance Club Songs.

In other moves and grooves, Ultra Music Festival got the green light to move back to downtown Miami in 2022, Martin Garrix hit the Dance Electronic Songs chart with his U2 collab, Skream told us about his days as a adolescent club kid and we tracked down the dozen best Memorial Day Weekend events happening online and across the U.S.

And, of course, we’ve got the best new dance tracks of the week. Let’s dig in.

Sofi Tukker x Amadou & Mariam, “Mon Cheri”

Dance scene busy bees Sofi Tukker link with legendary Malian husband and wife duo Amadou & Mariam for a hot track that’s a true sonic melting pot. Produced between Paris, Mali and Sofi Tukker’s base in Florida, the song is sung in Portugese, French and Bambara, the national language of Mali. The track sounds like all of these places too, fusing African percussion, Brazilian rhythms and good old Florida synth into a sophisticated, joyfully energized vibe. Even better is that “Mon Cheri” is a good time for a good cause — the track comes from the forthcoming Red Hot + Free compilation, which benefits The Ally Coalition, Trevor Project and SAGE, groups working for LGBTQ equality, suicide prevention in LGBTQ youth, and the elderly LGBTQ community affected by HIV/AIDS.

“This song is a dream come true,” Sofi Tukker gushes in a statement“About a year ago, when Red Hot approached us about doing a collaboration, they asked us who our dream collaborators would be. We said Amadou & Mariam. Soph grew up listening to Amadou & Mariam all the time and in college, studied West African dance and music. We couldn’t believe it when they came back to us saying they’d be interested….his is one of our favorite songs we’ve ever made and couldn’t be more grateful to Amadou & Mariam for sharing it with us!” – KATIE BAIN

Solomun, “Never Sleep Again”

House hero Solomun has long been a proponent of the idea that music is better when shared. His Solomun +1 event series sees him paired on stage with a like minded artist, and he’s hosted some of the best names in the house, tech-house and techno scenes. How fitting that his sophomore album, more than 10 years in the making, comes after a year-and-a-half of social isolation. 

“The album title Nobody Is Not Loved speaks to the idea that music loves everyone” Solomun is quoted in a press release, “no matter who you are, what you look like or what you believe.” The 12-track offering is lively and inviting, a celebratory collection of cinematic grooves and pounding rhythms with vocal features from Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx, Planningtorock, Zoot Woman and more. We’re particularly fond of “Never Sleep Again,” which is mostly a Kraftwerkian instrumental save for an equally-Kraftwerkian robot voice that brings the album concept to its thematic peak. Who among us doesn’t have a story to tell of their first wild night on a dancefloor; how they finally understood the appeal of electronic music and in that moment dedicated their life to the pursuit of disco-laced bliss? “Never Sleep Again” is pretty much that in three minutes and 18 seconds. — KAT BEIN

Drama, “Don’t Hold Back”

Drama’s new song “Don’t Hold Back” feels like being stuck between two places. The electronic-R&B hybrid, the Chicago duo’s first solo release since their 2020 debut album Dance Without Me, has production that radiates summer chill with its warm groove, sax riffs and soft vocal hums; while member Via Rosa’s icy yet impassioned vocals (which recently featured on Gorgon City’s “You’ve Done Enough”) evoke wintry sadness and longing. The singer and her subject are similarly frozen in transition, past the honeymoon phase of their relationship but afraid of going further for fear of what could happen when you allow yourself to be raw and vulnerable, for better or worse.
“The song is a reminder to keep moving, speak your truth, and be fearless,” Drama write in a statement. “We wish for and work towards certain people or successes in life, and when they arrive, we often look at ourselves with doubt. ‘Don’t Hold Back’ tells us to, quite frankly, not to hold back – to let go and trust ourselves as we grow.” — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ

Bakermat Feat. LaShun Pace, “Ain’t Nobody” 

House music is church for most of us, and Bakermat’s latest single “Ain’t Nobody” takes that notion seriously. A bright, bubbly, horn-laced jam full of thumping drums and a powerful gospel choir, “Ain’t Nobody” is the soulful sing-along that aims to cure your quarantine blues. It’s also the lead single to the Dutch DJ’s forthcoming fourth LP, The Spirit.

“Since ‘Teach Me’ back in 2015, I really wanted to make a gospel inspired tune again,” Bakermat is quoted in a press release. “I absolutely love mixing genres, and when I stumbled upon the original acapella by LaShun Pace, I immediately began writing chords. I’m glad she approved me to release the end result.” He says the track is “best enjoyed in sunny environments with positive people,” and we’re sure he’s right on the money about a song that sounds like summer on a stick and arrives in a moment when we’re all ready to get outside and let the sunshine on our skin. — K. Bein

Eagles & Butterflies Feat. Shey Beba, “Rebel”

In 2019, British producer Eagles & Butterflies had a surprise summer hit with his ‘80s-influenced song “Can’t Stop,” which in addition to charting airplay in Ibiza received backing from Solomun, Dixon and Pete Tong. Two years later, he’s back with its spiritual sequel, “Rebel” featuring Shey Beba, which sounds like what would happen if Tame Impala made music for playing in grungy, hole-in-the-wall nightclubs. Beba’s vocals take flight over the psychedelic, rock-tinged beat while synths with neon auras cascade into infinity. Though “Rebel” has more traditional song structure than firm club bones, its third act could easily set a dance floor ablaze, rushing in with tangles of searing electro synths dripping in acid and angst.  — K.R.

박혜진 Park Hye Jin Feat. Clams Casino & Take a Daytrip, “Y Don’t U”

Today Korean sensation 박혜진 Park Hye Jin leans into the stonier side of her output with “Y Don’t U” a collab with mainstay producer Clams Casino (known for his work with A$AP Rocky, Mac Miller and FKA Twigs, along with his own productions) and Take a Daytrip (Travis Scott & Kid Cudi, Lil Nas X.) The song extends the coolly hypnotic vibes of her lauded 2020 How can I EP, with Hye Jin rapping rhetorical questions about the nature of commitment in Korean and English. “I first recorded it when I lived in London,” the producer says in a statement. “I remember when I was a little more innocent and pure. Hye Jin is more innocent when she falls into such a love; not anymore though I guess.” Turn this one up if you can relate. – K. Bain

Police officers were investigating a wild car chase and shooting near Casino Miami Jai-Alai that left at least three people injured on Thursday evening. Surveillance obtained by the Miami Herald … Click to Continue »

Doja Cat paid homage to sci-fi classics including Signs, Poltergeist and the X-Files during her extraterrestrial (and extra delightful)  performance at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Performing a medley including “Streets” from her 2019 LP Hot Pink and “Kiss Me More” from the forthcoming Planet Her, the singer launched the performance by sitting directly in front of an old school television like that little girl from Poltergeist, until the camera panned back revealing that she was in a cornfield that was subsequently invaded by a fleet of little green men (and what looked like a few women) that also just happened to be really excellent dancers.

Doja, dressed in a kind of skimpy wedding gown, got down with her extraterrestrial cadre, twerking in the middle of a crop circle while delivering the hits. What at first seemed to be a spotlight lit up the stage, with Doja rising off the stage and slowly levitating towards what was then revealed to be the alien mothership, which had presumably arrived to take her back to her home planet.

Altogether, the performance struck the balance between weird and wonderful that’s become Doja’s calling card.

The 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards were presented on Thursday (May 27) at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. Here are some of the artists who made history at the show.

The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” took song of the year and also the socially-voted award for TikTok bop of the year. The Weeknd also took male artist of the year for the first time. He’s the third Canadian artist to win in the latter category, following Justin Bieber (2016-17) and Drake (2019).

Dua Lipa took female artist of the year for the first time. She beat Megan Thee Stallion and three past winners in the category – Taylor Swift (2015-16 and 2018), Ariana Grande (2019) and Billie Eilish (2020).

Dan + Shay were surprise winners for duo/group of the year, beating out the red-hot BTS and three past winners in the category – Jonas Brothers, Maroon 5 and Twenty One Pilots. Dan + Shay are the first country group to win in this all-genre category in the eight-year history of the iHeartRadio Music Awards.

BTS won in two socially-voted categories – best fan army for the fourth year in a row and best music video for “Dynamite.”

Luke Combs won country artist of the year for the third year in a row. Marshmello won dance artist of the year for the third year in a row. H.E.R. won R&B artist of the year for the second year in a row. twenty one pilots won alternative rock artist of the year for the third time in six years.

Roddy Ricch won both hip-hop artist of the year and new hip-hop artist of the year. He’s the only new artist to win as the top artist of the year in genre category. Ricch also won hip-hop song of the year for “The Box.”

The Pretty Reckless won rock artist of the year. J Balvin won Latin pop/reggaeton artist of the year. Both were first-time winners in those categories.

“Savage” (Remix) by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé won best collaboration. It’s the second all-female collab to take that award, following “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj, which won six years ago.

Taylor Swift’s Folklore won pop album of the year. At the Grammys on March 14, Folklore lost the award for best pop vocal album to Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, but later turned around and won the top award, album of the year.

Olivia Rodrigo won the social star award. It is likely to be the first of many awards that the talented 18 year old wins in the next year or so.

Elton John, who would have dominated the iHeartRadio Music Awards if they had existed in his mid-‘70s heyday, received the icon award from Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Lil Nas X. Though the connection wasn’t explicitly made, John paved the way for the success of other British pop and rock musicians, such as Martin, and for the emergence of other openly gay artists, such as Lil Nas X. In accepting the award, John spoke warmly of Lil Nas X. “He is a wonderful artist and has balls of steel.”