Party Favorz

Party Favorz


Top Dance Songs Of 2022 Volume 2

December 22, 2022

Party Favorz is back with Volume 2 of the Top Dance Songs of 2022. I'm going to be honest about this year's entries for Top Dance Songs. 2022 has been less than a stellar year for club music. It's not that there weren't any great songs this year because there were but new releases appear to be dominated by a handful of artists who put their signature on their productions (remixes), which all have a familiar style that's becoming stale. Without naming names, much of it is dark, rather depressing in a seedy kinda way, and frankly... tired.

New releases have been few in between and those BIG hits have been even further apart. By the end of every year, it's not untypical for there to be at minimum three massive breakout hits that carry over well into spring the following year. I'm telling you now, they don't exist. Even the resurgence of NuDisco has gotten tired. You can only get away with the same plodding beats set to different lyrics over and over before people get bored. Disco was so much more than this singular style and what's out there now doesn't come close to representing the genre.

Much of the juice and originality (even if sampling an older song) isn't there. Is 2023 going to be the year that new music by Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Rihanna accompanied by tours resurrects a stale industry? Their tours definitely will but it's hard to say what these leading ladies will be able to accomplish on the dance floor. I've been screaming for Madonna to revisit her early output with a modern twist but from the looks of it — she isn't taking my advice. If she did, she could have that elusive middle-aged global #1 hit that brought Cher back from the grave in 1998 but hey, what do I know? Hopefully, she'll surprise us.

Then there's Rihanna who delivered the theme song for Wakanda Forever, which was her Beyonce Lion King delivery (forgettable). She's performing at the Super Bowl Half Time this year which can only mean new music. Hopefully nothing like "Lift Me Up" on her forthcoming album.

As far as Janet is concerned, most of the buzz is around her tour. She did say that new music is on the way and I'd like to be pleasantly surprised but sadly doubtful.

2023 has been a big year for Latino music. Whether it's from the Caribbean, South, or North America — there's an abundance of artists that are breaking barriers and having major crossover success. This wave is even bigger than 1999 - 2001 when Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Shakira shattered records and airplay with massive hits. The difference is that most of them are doing this while still singing in their native language which is another major milestone. Most of these songs are natural fits for remixes from Big Room to House Music. Party Favorz is looking forward to hearing more from these artists assuming they can keep up with major label demands and stay fresh.

With everything in my life having gone to shit for the past couple of months — maybe it's forcing me to look through a cynical lens as 2022 comes to an end but I've been skittish all year long so I don't think so. Even the year got off to a slow start with our first releases dropping in February because there was a shortage of new quality dance music. Thankfully, I've got the next round of Millennial Dance Classics to fill in the inevitable gap while we wait for new releases.

Sorry if I come across as a Debbie Downer but from my vantage point — the pandemic has really fucked over the entire dance music industry. Maybe it's for the better and newer DJs and artists will find their voice and style while bringing us something new and fresh that doesn't follow the same old trends or rely heavily on old songs to generate a new hit. Only time will tell. All I can say is that the big and independent labels need to stop peddling regurgitated crap because the audience is smarter than you think. If you're one of the handful of fortunate DJs or producers that hit it big in the past cou...