The 2020 Grammy nominations were announced on Wednesday morning (Nov. 20), and in the dance categories a familiar collection of producers have gotten the nod. Repeat nominees Skrillex, Tycho, Bonobo, Flume and the Chemical Brothers lead the charge, with nominees Apparat, Meduza and Rüfüs du Sol all making their Grammy debut. Meanwhile, some big dance-world names were shut out of this year’s nominations.
Beyond the nominations themselves, 2020 feels like a prime moment for the Grammys to shift the electronic category awards to the live telecast. With the Best Dance Recording category launched in 1998 and the Best Dance/Electronic album category kicked off in 2005 — and with dance music’s ongoing absorption into the mainstream — it’s time to let the world see who these artists are.
Skrillex Is Back (Again)
Sonny Moore is a bonafide Grammy veteran, with six wins as Skrillex, two with his Diplo collaboration Jack Ü and this year getting the nod alongside Boys Noize and Ty Dolla $ign for their collaborative track “Midnight Hour.” (This is the first Grammy nomination for both Boys Noize and Ty, who deliver an acid influence and smooth R&B vocals, respectively, on the song.) Skrillex’s 2012 acceptance speech for his first-ever win for his remix of Benny Benassi’s “Cinema” demonstrates how far the artist, and dance music at large, has come during the decade.
IDM Reigns Supreme
Grammy voters have long had a predilection for so-called “Independent Dance Music,” and the category is represented heavily this year. There are nominations for solo producers Tycho, Bonobo and Apparat, whose work, all excellent, lies in the softer, experimental and more meditative end of the dance music spectrum.
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Rüfüs du Sol Demonstrate Live Electronic’s Staying Power
The Australian live electronic trio continue having a massive 2019, with a huge world tour and pair of nominations in the Best Dance Album Category, for their excellent LP Solace, and the Best Dance Recording category, for the album single “Underwater.” As both a critical darling and a fan favorite, the time feels right for the Grammys to awards the guys with their first Grammy(s), and honor the ongoing live electronic music trend in doing so.
The Chemical Brothers (Still) Reign Supreme
Many inside the dance world are calling the Chemical Brothers’ April release No Geography their favorite album of the year, and with nominations for both the LP and its standout single “Got To Keep On” in the Best Dance Album and Best Dance Recording categories, the Grammys seem to agree. The legendary U.K. duo have taken home the Best Dance Album award twice prior, in 2006 and 2008, getting nominated every time they release new music. (The duo also were nominated for Best Music Video this year for “We’ve Got to Try.”)
Meduza Comes Out of Nowhere
Little is known about Italian trio Meduza, beyond the fact that only one member of the act is featured in press photos and that the group’s debut single, “Piece of Your Heart,” has been a phenomenon since its February release. A collaboration with fellow trio Goodboys, the song went No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Clubs Songs chart and was one of the most Shazam’s songs in Ibiza during the 2019 season.
By nominating the track in the Best Dance Recording category, the Grammys give a nod to clubland — the primary home of dance music, after all — in the same manner as the 2018 nomination for Camelphat’s and Elderbrook’s dancefloor-ready “Cola.” Although “Piece of Your Heart” doesn’t possess “Cola’s” inventiveness or singular melody, the song’s inclusion does emphasize that house and “underground” dance music are continuing to have a major moment this year, and that the Grammys are paying attention to what’s getting people moving in the clubs.
Flume Gets the Nod, Even After a Quiet 2019
Flume didn’t release a whole lot of music in 2019, but his big project of the year, the Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape), was enough for Grammy voters. Flume, who picked up a 2017 Best Dance Album Grammy for his LP Skin, gets the nomination in this same category for his 17-song project, which features collaborations with Jpegmafia, Eprom, Sophie and Kucka. On the heels of the nomination also comes the news that Flume will headline Ultra Music Festival in Miami this March, meaning that the artist’s upcoming year is already set to be a lot louder.
No Love for Avicii, Diplo or Dance’s Streaming All-Stars
The moment felt right for a nomination for late producer Avicii, whose posthumous album Tim earned major fan and streaming traction upon its release in June. The project, nearly finished by the producer before his death in April 2018 and completed by a cadre of collaborators earlier this year, didn’t garner a single nomination. Nor did Diplo, despite the prolific amount of work he released this year under his own name, alongside Sia and Labrinth as LSD and with his ongoing Major Lazer project. It’s too bad, as his 2019 house project Higher Ground included some of the best work of his career to date. Meanwhile, The Chainsmokers and Marshmello, who garnered some of the year’s biggest dance world streaming numbers, were also shut out.
Best Dance Recording
“Linked,” Bonobo
“Got to Keep On,” The Chemical Brothers
“Piece of Your Heart,” Meduza Featuring Goodboys
“Underwater,” Rufus Du Sol
“Midnight, Hour,” Skrillex & Boys Noize Featuring Ty Dolla $ign Boys Noize & Skrillex
Best Dance/Electronic Album
LP5, Apparat
No Geography, The Chemical Brothers
Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape), Flume
Solace, Rufus Du Sol
Weather, Tycho
Best Remixed Recording
“I Rise (Tracy Young’s Pride Intro Radio Remix),” Tracy Young, remixer (Madonna)
“Mother’s Daughter (WukiI Remix),” Wuki, remixer (Miley Cyrus)
“The One (High Contrast Remix),” Lincoln Barrett, remixer (Jorja Smith)
“Swim (Ford. Remix),” Luc Bradford, remixer (Mild Minds)
“Work It (Soulwax Remix),” David Gerard C Dewaele & Stephen Antoine C Dewaele, remixers (Marie Davidson)
