DJ Mr. Lucky will Moombahton you. The dashing deej (who gracefully took a face full of pinot noir on the cover of our Beer and Wine Issue) held down the weekly Monday night Skylarkin’ reggae smokeout in 2011, and added a roster of other regular nights to his retinue: Showdown’s monthly Urban Tropic tropical bass-electro cumbia sweat session and Fresh Greens, the Sixth Street bar’s hip-hop-dancehall night. He took the time to write out his favorite dancefloor fillers of the year that was, so we figured we’d best pass them along to you and yours.
10. Laza Morgan ft. Movado – “One By One”. This track was the sure fire selection on any dancefloor. So much crossover appeal and a fun track to dance and hold yuh gal to.
9. Juvenile ft. Rick Ross – “Power”. Did anyone else pay attention to this track? It’s been years since Juvenile broke out nationally and this track shows he’s still got it, even with a little help from the Teflon Don (who had a number of tracks that killed this year too).
8. Boogat – “Esa Mujer”. Reggaeton meets the sample from Dawn Penn’s “No No No”? Yes yes yes please. This was a secret weapon for me this year.
7. Keys + Krates – “Ring the Alarm”. A track off an excellent release from this live-remixing group outta Toronto. Flips Tenor Saw’s track by the same name and takes it to outer space.
6. Kelly Rowland feat. Lil Wayne – “Motivation” (Diplo Remix). The original version of this song is hot, easily one of the sultriest tracks heard in popular media all year. But when Diplo touched on it this track took on a whole new feel, a throbbing dubby beast that was sure to shake loins!
Kelly Rowland Ft Lil Wayne – Motivation ( Official Video ) from GrillzHipHopTv on Vimeo.
5. Vybz Kartel – “Summertime/Go Go Wine”. It’s kind of a cheat on my part, since I’m naming two Kartel songs but lets face it: The World Boss put out so many tunes this year it’d be hard to pick just one. “Summertime” really caught the essence of a summer beach party and got play well into winter. “Go Go Wine” was the perfect pairing of classic Vybz lyricism and Dre Skull’s more traditional dancehall sound.
4. DJ Shadow feat. Little Dragon – “Scale It Back”. I always have my eyes and ears on Shadow, he’ll always be a hero to me. “Scale it Back” shows the continued growth of the MPC master and paired with Yakumi Nagano’s tender vocals make this tune feel both melancholic and hopeful. Cool video too!
3. Kanye West and Jay-Z – “N*ggaz in Paris”. The highly anticipated Watch the Throne album may have been a bit of a let down, but it definitely yielded some solid tunes. For as much as “Otis” may have been the go-to single, this track was the sleeper track that really blew the shit apart on the dancefloor.
2. Goapele – “Play”. She’s always had an enchanting voice that has spoken to the soul, but with “Play” this East Bay songstress took it to another place. The song drips sex, and her singing and lyrics seal the deal. The baby-making anthem for 2011.
1. (Drumroll please) Riot Earp – “Should I Care”. Without a doubt, this song got the most play from me in 2011. Moombah has been a drug of choice for me since I first laid ears on it, and seeing its progression has been exciting. With the release of Moombahsoul V.3 I was introduced to this beauty of a song that samples Isley Bros. “Footsteps in the Dark” and flips it into a cumbia infused dancefloor bomb.