As the Feb. 10 55th annual Grammy Awards edge closer, we”re analyzing a category a day. Today, we look at Best Dance Recording.
Best Dance Recording nominees:
“Levels,” Avicii
“Let”s Go,” Calvin Harris featuring Ne-Yo
“Bangarang,” Skrillex
“Don”t Your Worry Child,” Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin
“I Can”t Live Without You,” Al Walser
WHO”S MISSING: Anything by David Guetta. The dance screening committee may now consider him too pop for inclusion in this category, which is pretty hard core, despite some of the songs having expanded beyond their initial dance home.
THE PLAYERS: You can be forgiven if you saw Al Walser”s name and went, “Huh?” Like last year when an unknown named Linda Chorney was nominated in the Americana category, Walser, an EDM producer from Liechtenstein, simply knew how to game the system by lobbying Grammy voters through Grammy”s in-house social network, Grammy365. Otherwise, this is a very solid slate.
THE ODDS: Swedish House Mafia has been at this longer than Avicii, Calvin Harris and Skrillex, but that may not count for anything in an industry that wants to reward the new innovators. Plus, “Don”t You Worry Child” probably became a pop hit a little too late in the voting process to affect dance dilettantes voting in this category. “Levels” was massive for Avicii from colleges to clubs to radio, but Skrillex seemed omnipresent this year and was the face of dubstep.
THE WINNER: “Bangarang,” Skrillex
Previous predictions:
Record of the Year
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Song of the Year
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Best Rock Song
Best R&B Performance
Best Pop Vocal Album
Best New Artist