By Jared Murray

This year’s nominations for the February 12th Grammys’  Best Dance/Electronica Album showcase the many equally
wonderful variations found in dance music today: Cut Copy’s 80’s tinged summer-sounding goodness;
the relentless and sometimes aggressive house music of Deadmau5; Robyn’s forward-thinking, sassy
dancepop; the bleeping dubstep of Skrillex; and the Eurodance stylings of David Guetta.

Having recently becoming popular riding the wave of dubstep, electronic dance music with
overwhelming bass and tight percussion samples, Skrillex may be the first to come to mind after hearing
all of the nominees. The nine-song EP consist of well-produced and always energetic dubstep with influences from house music. Despite the music producer’s large teenage fan base, Skrillex’s EP Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites remains an unlikely winner of the coveted gramophone.

French music producer David Guetta is no stranger to the Grammy Awards, having won two
Grammys in the past two years. His two-disc album Nothing But the Beat serves up a heaping portion of
Top 40-friendly hits. Being primarily a music producer, Guetta leaves the singing to more capable people,
with the vocals being contributed by artists such as Nicki Minaj, Sia, Will.i.am and more.

While certainly no media darlings, Australian electronic band Cut Copy has been getting lots of
positive attention for their latest album Zonoscope. The 11-track album showcases the band’s newfound
sound; the guitar work often found in their last album In Ghost Colors has been replaced almost entirely
with handclaps and 80’s style synthesizers, and only shows up to add to the texture of a song.

Deadmau5 fifth studio album 4×4=12 continues his trend of hard hitting house music fused with
electronics and synthesizers. The album is mostly instrumental, leaving Deadmau5’s melodies and beats
to do all of the talking. However exciting that may sound, Deadmau5’s real appeal lies in his energetic
and light-filled live shows.

Swedish pop-sensation Robyn finished off her critically acclaimed series of Body Talk mini-
albums with Body Talk, Pt. 3. The songs found off the 5-song EP exhibit a mildly futuristic tone in
regards to dancepop. Robyn’s expertly controlled and always emotional vocals compliment the
sometimes icy and mechanical sounding Eurodance and help to emphasize the occasional melancholy
lyrics.

My predictions:

Who should win: Body Talk, Pt. 3 by Robyn

Dark horse: Zonoscope by Cut Copy

Who will probably win: Nothing But the Beat by David Guetta