#10 Darude “Sandstorm” (2000)
 True to its title, “Sandstorm” is fast, furious, and leaves you dizzy in its wake. Unfortunately, commercial success has also robbed it of its street cred; it’s become such a ubiquitous dance track, featured in TV shows, video games and pre-teen iPods, that it’s hard to take it seriously anymore. But lest we forget, “Sandstorm” blazed a brave trail by charting on the Billboard Hot 100 as a totally instrumental dance hit. No vocals, just a jarring series of blips, beeps and squeals that left even stodgy, anti-dance Americans speechless. It’s not our favorite song on the list by any means. But based on its cultural impact alone, “Sandstorm” rages its way into the top 10.
#9 Amber “Yes!” (2001)
C onfession: Here at DIVA DIVO, we actually consider Amber’s latest single, “Melt with the Sun,” to be her best song of the 2000s. One of her best of all time, in fact. But based on its sheer force of impact, “Yes!” is the hit that secures her spot in the Top 10. Both songs are soulful, literate, and powerful musical journeys. Both have tender, melodic verses that build to dramatic, feverish choruses. But “Yes!” has years of clubland nostalgia on its side, giving it a slight edge for our current purpose. It’s a poetic, sensual, and famous entry in this diva’s extensive catalogue of hits.
#8 Andain “Beautiful Things” (2003)
To those who complain that dance music lacks depth, we present this gorgeous, symphonic ode to disillusionment. In “Beautiful Things” trance act Andain personifies the many faces of disappointment as real, tangible entities: “No One is calling for me at the door,” go the lyrics. “And Unpredictable won’t bother anymore / And Silently gets harder to ignore / Look straight ahead, there’s Nothing left to see / What’s done is done, this life has got its hold on me / Just let it go, What Now can never be.” Depressing? You bet. Haunting? Absolutely, especially given Mavie Marcos’ ethereal vocals. But no matter how this melancholy track gets remixed, it never loses its power or its tranquil sorrow. You may never dance to a sadder song… but it’s likely that you’ll never find another this good.
#7 Iio “Rapture” (2001)
 Another inescapable crossover hit, this one more progressive than most. With it’s catchy “la la la” refrain and softly throbbing house beat, “Rapture” certainly leaves listeners in state of intoxication. Not the strongest vocal performance we’ve ever heard, but in truth, their dazed, humdrum delivery is part of what makes the song work. It took until 2006 for their debut album, Poetica to be released worldwide. By that point, vocalist Nadia Ali had left to pursue solo work. For the rest of us, though, it was well worth the wait; additional hits like “At the End,” “Kiss You” and “Is it Love” excel as both chilly, smooth electronica and upbeat, remixed dance numbers. But years later, we’re still hypnotized by the “Rapture.”
#6 Ian van Dahl “Castles in the Sky” (2001)
 Between Ian van Dahl and Lasgo, Belgian producers Peter Luts and David Vervoot are responsible for a number of international dance hits. But “Castles in the Sky,” their first American club hit, is still their greatest. We love the trance-pop hook, we love the simple rhyme (“Please tell me why / Do we build castles in the sky?”) and we love that it paved the way for some of their other successful exports. For pure dance bliss, it doesn’t get much better; “Castles” is an impenetrable dance fortress.
#5 Deborah Cox “Absolutely Not” (2001)
To be totally honest, many of us actually prefer Deborah Cox when she leans towards her original R&B sound. And while not her best dance effort (we’d award that distinction to “I Never Knew”) this runaway club smash is what solidified Cox’s newfound (and arguably more successful) fame as a dance diva. In addition, it’s a sassy tell-off anthem of “oh-no-you-di’int!” proportions that gave drag queens performance material for years to come. If we were compiling a list of “20 Songs a Female Impersonator Gets Dressed To Before Heading Out to the Club,” this would doubtlessly take top honors. Still, do you need duct tape and Nair to appreciate its pop hook and saucy delivery? Absolutely not!
#4 Motorcycle “As the Rush Comes” (2004)
 Under the moniker of Motorcycle, DJs Gabriel & Dresden team with vocalist Jes Brieden for a trance single that sweeps us off our feet. Between Brieden’s cooing, wraithlike vocals and the production’s dense, undulating symphonic arrangement, it’s a total head trip. Most marvelously, the club hit sounds equally grand in all its incarnations: numerous uptempo versions and quieter, ethereal chillout remixes. That in itself is a tribute to the many interpretations of its layered melodies and lyrics. “Surround me / embrace me / as the rush comes,” Jes sings. Indeed, succumbing to this trance hit is like diving in the sea, and drowning amidst its music.
#3 Kristine W “Some Lovin’” (2003)
 Choosing just one dance hit from Kristine W is like choosing just one present under the Christmas tree: can’t we just have them all? But if we have to select one track to best represent this diva’s vast catalogue, it’s “Some Lovin.’” There’s plenty of wailing – and a catchy, rapid-fire chorus - from Kristine’s impressive, powerhouse voice. There’s an empowering message about ditching an ungrateful louse, a recurring theme in the club cannon. And there’s a fun video featuring the cast of Queer as Folk, solidifying Kristine’s status as one of the genre’s most diversity conscious artists. So… we’ve got attitude, beats, pluralism and disco stylings. How could this not hit the top three?
#2 Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan “Silence” (2000)
Proof positive that dance music can accomplish far more than give club kids a reason to shake their ass  (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). “Silence” shows the dance genre as it is, and at its best: real, legitimate, complex music. In all its incarnations, this Delerium hit shows a range of artistic emotion, with McLachlan’s wailing, desperate vocals reaching heights of pain and ecstasy: “Passion / Chokes the flower / Until she cries ‘no more’ / Possessing all the beauty / Hungry still for more.” Sometimes, dance songs aim for matters of substance that are far out of reach; others are too content to crank out mindless beats. But “Silence” is a credible, gorgeously produced piece of work. By anyone’s definition, this is music to inspire… and yes, to shake that ass to.
#1 Madonna “Get Together” (2005)
Okay, fire up your “letter to the editor” pens, readers; we’re prepared for the fallout that will accompany this choice. Some will claim that she’s the Queen of Pop, not the queen of dance. Others may assert that the 2000s saw stronger Madonna singles (the iconic “Music” or rocking “Die Another Day,” for  instance). Consider this Grammy-nominated track a symbolic choice, then; it’s an unabashed, balls to the wall dance romp that encompasses all the contributions Madonna has made to the industry. After all, it’s thanks to her first few singles that modern dance music crossed over to the airwaves in the first place. And in 2005, when the genre needed mainstream support the most, she released her Valentine to clubland: Confessions on a Dance Floor, a vibrant album filled with 12 seamless, uninterrupted dance tracks. Radio tried to balk, but the album’s infectiousness nonetheless scored a Top 10 hit, introduced urban crunk to the roller disco, and even had the TRL generation bopping their heads to an ABBA sample. It’s Get Together, though, that melodically and lyrically encapsulates everything Madonna has ever loved and promoted about dancing: The energy, the joy, the sense of community, and the whistful, dreamy-eyed idealism that, under the pulsing lights of the disco ball, we’re all a Diva (or a Divo). “Can we get together, I really wanna be with you,” she sings, inviting us to the dance. “Come on, check it out with me; I hope you feel the same way, too.”
Oh, we do, Madonna. We most certainly do. Email us with your comments!
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