2019 Grammy Watch: Best Dance Recording

CMN’s team of music writers is previewing the 2019 Grammy Awards. The 61st annual ceremony will take place Sunday, February 10 in Los Angeles. You can see all of our Grammy coverage here.

Above & Beyond Feat. Richard Bedford: Northern Soul – This passionate single emerged as a tribute to the city of Detroit, home to legends like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder. Above and Beyond are a British group who play a variety of electronic genres such as trance and house, and include members Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Paavo Siljamäki. First formed in 2000, they were nominated for a Grammy in 2016 for the track,  “We’re All We Need.” This track sees Above and Beyond reuniting with Richard Bedford, previously featured on tracks, “Thing Called Love” and “Sun and Moon.” Above & Beyond wrote about Bedford on this single as “fabulous and real and human. Above all, he makes it believable.”

Disclosure Feat. Fatoumata Diawara: Ultimatum – This track was the first release by the brotherly British duo, Guy and Howard Lawrence, since their 2016 EP Moog for Love. The song is based upon a sample from Malian musician Fatoumata Diawara, the group found while “digging through her discography.” First debuting in 2010, this group was nominated for their albums Settle (2014), Caracal (2016), and their track, “F For You” featuring Mary J. Blige (2015).

Fisher: Losing It – This highly anticipated track from Australian DJ Fisher first premiered at Coachella in 2017. After being bootlegged several times, he finally officially released the track in July 2018. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation described the track as having a, “throbbing bass-aided beat”. DJ Fisher’s real name is Paul Fisher, who was a professional surfer before his career in music . He debuted in 2017 with the track, “Ya Kidding”. He was previously a part of the DJ duo Cut Snake, with this being his first nomination.

Silk City and Dua Lipa: Electricity – This collaboration between the DJ duo was included on their debut studio album this past year. Silk City is a house supergroup comprised of Mark Ronson and Thomas Wesley Pentz, who first debuted in 2018. Their previous song releases include “Only Can Get Better”, “Feel About You”, and “Loud”. “Electricity” also includes a songwriting credit from the xx’s Romey Madley Croft. This is the group’s first Grammy nomination.

Virtual Self: Ghost Voices – This track by Porter Robinson, under the name Virtual Self, is the second release from his self-titled EP Virtual Self. The song was described by Robinson on Twitter, as “neotrance”. This is a stark change from his previous album Worlds, as well as the track “Shelter”, a collaboration with Madeon.  Robinson is an American DJ from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who first debuted in 2005 at the age of 12. This is his first Grammy nomination.

Who Will Win:

Silk City and Dua Lipa. The fact that they are even nominated suggests that, considering they have not been together that long. The momentum of Dua Lipa’s debut adds to their chances for a win in this category. The name recognition of Mark Ronson and Diplo together, along with the xx’s Romey Madley Croft, is going to be a tough obstacle to overcome for the other nominees. Also, “Electricity” is far and away the best release from Silk City thus far.

Who Should Win:

Fisher, because his track “Losing It” gained an impressive following after its debut at Coachella in 2017. DJ’s everywhere, such as Hardwell, were playing it before the actual single was released. In the age of the faster-than-light Internet, such a word of mouth created buzz is refreshing. Daft Punk, after their Coachella set, had this same buzz.