At our last fabulous dance party, right at the end of the night, a DJ started to play “Blurred Lines”. Some folks got triggered and upset, and we didn’t get the music changed fast enough. As one response, we got together and made a new music strategy for future events. Let us know what you think of it!
As another response, we are starting to collect examples of positive, queer, anti-oppressive, solidarity-celebrating, and other radical dance music. We think this can be a fun resource for our future DJs, and maybe for other groups or events. Maybe for dancing in your kitchen too.
So, got a rad political dance party track to suggest? Please leave a comment. Links to youtube, soundcloud, bandcamp, etc are very welcome. Thanks!
homospun collective events 
This is an oldie but I still get a kick out of the “woop woop” and the lines that go “change your attitude / change your plan / ’cause there could never really be justice on stolen land”. KRS-1, Sound of da Police ❤ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VRZq3J0uz4
Another one I love dancing to is “Aqui Para Voces” by Buraka Som Sistema. I don’t speak Portuguese, but my understanding is the lyrics are mostly jokes about the difference between Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese language, kinda fun post-colonial stuff with a woman MC by a Portuguese/Angolan band. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCjAKhDh1FE
How ’bout Green Garden by Laura Mvula? http://youtu.be/VteL-B33Hs0
This one is in my playlist 🙂
Also this remix of Bob Marley’s “Sun is Shining/ I’m a Rainbow too” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1CB2k3n_kQ but start at 2 minutes in because I think it’s really boring until then.
Been feeling this band. Love the female vocals, plus really good sound production, Ellihant “Down on Life” sounds a bit like MIA.
Dance Apocalyptic! Janelle Monae is amazing.
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I love this too. I actually played this one at the last dance 🙂
Kinda loving this one right now…
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5GBT37_yyzY
Also, almost anything by Pink, Beyonce or Amanda Palmer 🙂
Maybe not dance/trance-y enough, but I love the lyrics!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5GBT37_yyzY
Most recently, there is this one I like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
Pharrell Williams, Happy
Tribe Called Red! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4M1EPB5FUI
The Coup!
“The Guillotine”
“We got hella people / they got helicopters / they got the bombs / but we got the guillotine”
“5 million ways to kill a CEO”.
“We Are The Ones”
“We’re the have-nots, but we’re also the don’t-gets…”
Angel Haze! It would be rad if we played more queer artists 🙂
its an old one but they played it at Jack Layton’s funeral and fits the “Celebrate, Agitate….” theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcC-SbcihKI&feature=kp