Way back in time when electronic dance music had still not made its foray, American poet Ezra Pound rightly pointed out: “Music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance.”
The fact that dance necessitates music is perhaps why folk songs were among the first to create a buzz at almost every social do. Songs such as the Mexican folk number ‘La Bamba’ by Valens Richie got the crowd grooving and later, in the 90s, it was the advent of catchy dance songs ‘Macarena’ that generated a cult following.
And believe it or not, it’s been ten years already since the haunting Spanish number ‘The Ketchup Song’ was made. Whether people got the lyrics right or not, everybody knew the dance steps!
More recently, Portuguese track ‘Danza Kuduro’ was welcomed with much enthusiasm. It was even featured on action film Fast Five ’s soundtrack. Following that, Michel Telo’s infectious ‘Ai Se Eu Tu Pego’ started playing even at gymnasiums!
This makes us wonder what it is about non-English dance tracks that have taken the world by storm.
According to DJ Aneesh Medina, “This trend is popular because people like a change once in a while and music in other languages have this certain catchy style to them. Also, with a lot of people enrolling themselves in various dance classes, like salsa especially, they love showing off their skills on the dance floor as this kind of music is perfect for their style of dance. Conventional music gets monotonous after a while and it’s always nice to spice things up with something different.” He adds: “‘Danza Kuduro’ has been a hot favourite of mine this year. It’s such a happy song, I love playing it. ‘Mas que Nada’ by Richard Grey is another tune that I love playing at clubs.”
Tarun Papali, an avid EDM fan, says: “These songs do well because they are fun, energetic and just like a viral video, once you hear it and begin to enjoy the song, it just gets stuck in your head and you can’t get rid of it — all this in a good way! There also seems to be a slight reduction of such fun English numbers, which means that gap must be filled, and these tracks do a great job.”
Record label EMI Music India has identified this kind of music early on and has recently released a 500- track compilation titled ‘Red Hot Club Romania 2012’.
Throwing light on this trend in India, Sridhar T.V.N., senior strategic marketing manager, EMI, says: “While Latin/Arabic conquered the 80s/90s and early 2000s for other-than-English ‘imported music’, more recently, the success of hit tracks from Edward Maya and Akcent have paved way for a fresh sound from Romania. More artistes like Inna, Alexandra Stan, etc are getting hits.
Unlike Latin and other singers, these Romanian stars have been singing mostly in English and their music is very India friendly. These kinds of songs bridge the gap between hi-fi EDM and general teeny pop. Their videos are slick, the musicians are young and sexy, and the music is like an infectious pill!”
Forecasting the growth of the international EDM fad, Sridhar says: “The trend will evolve on its own. For now, Vh1 is supporting Romanian music airplay, the artists will be performing more over the next few months. With its tight beats, shimmering synths and an interesting mix of arrangements, Romanian music is here to sway!”
