15 Essential Dance Rock Tracks From the 2000s

After the rave explosion of the '90s, things quieted down on the dance music front in the early 2000s. With major crackdowns on both sides of the Atlantic, the scene retreated back to the clubs. People were looking for a new sound and it came from a place that at first would seem unexpected, but if you have an idea of dance music history makes complete sense.

The discourse between rock music and dance has a long history. During the disco era a lot of classic rock bands experimented with the new sound. At the same in the late '70s/early '80s, a lot of punk groups were experimenting with using electronic instruments, which led to the rise of new wave. This interaction between the two scenes would disappear for about a decade and a half but would emerge again in full force at the beginning of the new millenium. Whether you call it dance punk or new rave, you can't deny that this phenomenon was instrumental in getting us to where we are today in dance music. It was a gateway drug that was the entry point for lot of rock fans into the world of dance music. This growing fan base would be key to its getting dance music to its current ubiquity.

The effects on dance music were important as well. The agressive rawness of dance rock from the beginning of the decade was without a doubt a precursor to the electro boom of the late 2000s where groups like Justice stepped in to carry the torch. It was also a really progressive scene with a lot of openly gay acts, especially in the U.S., which certainly helped to make the dance music scene the accepting place it is today.

It's been around a decade since the movement emerged, so it seems time to look back on the most essential tracks from what will no doubt be seen as a distinct moment in time. This isn't a be-all/end-all, but it's a good starting point for those who were either too young or missed the boat on the era where dance music learned to cut loose.

It's hard to believe that this track came out in 1999 as it so perfectly defined the 2000s. A part of the reason we might feel it came out later is because we loved the DFA remix that came out a few years later. This group was loud and proud and whether you were a lesbian or not, proved women can have as much or more charisma and swagger than men.

This was the jam that really solidified the bridge that was being built between rock and dance music in the 2000s. Yeah, say what you want. This isn't necessarily the most critically-acclaimed LCD Soundsystem track and it's definitely not the first, but it was their BIG track, the one that turned them into a thing that many were into. It's the perfect embodiment of the fusion of dance and rock, both lyrically and musically.

"House of Jealous Lovers" was one of our favorite tracks in this area of dance music. While The Rapture has kept plugging away at making music they've never been able to recapture the raw energy of this no frills, relentlessly catchy track. It's also hilarious when you hear your friends swear that they were saying "hot sauce, Chinese lovers" in the chorus before finding out the real title.

Toronto's Death From Above is a gold standard for the fusion of dance and rock, more specifically punk and dance. What can we say that hasn't been said? The two members have gone on to form seminal electronic acts in their own right (see especially MSTRKFT) and they even were the inspiration for a hit song by CSS. These guys just brought the heat and no other track reflects that heat like this one. Crazy to think it's closing in on 10-years-old.

The Klaxons were one of the central bands of what was called new rave in the UK. This track from 2006 and its video show all the elements that characterized the style with neon and classic rave aesthetics and the fusion of rock and electronics. We'll never never forget this track because the Simian Mobile Disco remix was amazing and is a must have for anyone who considers themselves a fan of their early work.

New Young Pony Club are a band from London that never hit the heights of stardom, but will always have a warm corner of our hearts because of this catchy ditty from 2007. We have no idea what they're up to now, though. There's no info on them from after 2013 on these Internets, and we hope they're doing OK.

Late of The Pier are a British band that never really had an enormous amount of success but this track that came out in 2007 was good enough that we played it on the regular. Doing research on it now, we're discovering the album this was from was produced with Erol Alkan. We're definitely not alone in having a soft sport for this track as it had a killer remix from Switch that was all kinds of trippy.

This is the jam that would never die. It came out in 2005 but seemed to stick around for years. It was partly because of the all the great remixes that came out, most notably an early remix from Boys Noize. The main reason, though, is because it's dope as hell. It has such a raw energy that was the real power of much of dance rock. It allowed people to go ape shit on the dancefloor like they were at a rock concert while maintaining a driving rhythm. Unstoppble.

"Heads Will Roll" is popular as hell and has been in a slew of films and commercials–maybe your mom even liked it–but there's a reason why: it's damn good. Every girl you knew at this time loved this track and wanted to be Karen O. It's weird to listen to it again now after it's been so ubiquitous but it stands the test of time.

"Robot Rock is the obvious Daft Punk choice, right? That track is an all-time DP classic and for good reason. Yes, their trademark vocoded robot-esque vocals are in there, but this track is a straight jam with the insane drum rolls, thumping bass kick, and technical guitar-esque synth riffs. No rock fan can reasonably turn their nose up at this one.

“Club Foot” was one of those songs that many had heard but hadn’t known they had heard it—benefitting from placement in more than a dozen video games (notably Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition), in addition to placement in as many television shows and movies, as well as serving as the trailer music for three major films in different world markets and being used as the entrance music for two different English Premier League sides, it’s a track that was known universally for sounding raw and energetic, it’s deeper political message left to fall by the wayside. This tune had a certain aggressive danceable quality to it, and served as an inroad for many an impressionable teen to find other, similar–honestly, better electronic rock and dance rock music.

I first got hip to Goose in a radio + television production class I was taking in high school. Having heard the likes of Daft Punk’s “Robot Rock,” I was desperately craving more rock music that had elements of electronic music, but still stood on its own in a rock world. When the visually mind-bending video for “British Mode” got passed my way from my buddy Jacob, my whole world flipped. Where before I wanted more rock music, Goose made me want more electronic music, and “British Mode” led me down one very deep rabbit hole.–Brice

We'll preface this selection by saying that Justice's second album, Audio Video Disco, is essentially a rock album infused with electronic dance music. With that said, out of the 11 tracks on that release, any one of those cuts could have fit on this list. That album though didn't come out until 2011 so we're going to go with "Waters of Nazereth" from the duo's debut release, ✞. "Waters of Nazereth" has a real grainy, lo-fi sound about it with grinding guitar riffs (like the whole record) and it really brings the duo's rock love.

"Warp 1.9" was a track that changed absolutely everything. Arguably more in the electro world than the rock world, the sound was still immediately and violently familiar to any kid with any shred of a hard rock background in their upbringing. People these days could hate on Steve Aoki until the cows come home, but we’d put good money on many of those same folks looking down their nose at him first heard of his music while they were violently thrashing about at some basement dance party somewhere. This is all not to even mention the fact that The Bloody Beetroots have continued walking the line between the live music and DJ worlds with incredible ease, with one of the most impressive and continually inventive live shows for years running.

Does It Offend You Yeah were sort of flash-in-the-pan in terms of their impact on the musical world, but their tune “We Are Rockstars” stumbled its way into the mainstream with placements in Fast & Furious and FIFA Street 3. Originally constructed from synthesizers when the band was a two piece duo, the track was then recorded with added non-electronic instrumentation when the group expanded to six members. While the formula is simple—pop punk with an electro drop—it’s undeniably catchy and resonant to any angsty kid who just wants to jump out of their skin to some crazy music once in a while. Or, frankly, any naive college kid who partied with people who kept up on music blogs in 2008.