When you think 2001 there’s really only one thing that sticks in your head, September the 11th. I distinctly remember coming in from school that day and my Dad (with the telly off) saying to me, “Marc you’ll never believe what’s happened?” At which point I felt like saying washing machine’s broke or you’ve got a new partner (he was going through divorce in 2001 y’see) but the telly came on and a picture of what seemed like loads of people covered in a big pile of fag ash and two towers obliterated by two jumbo jets were to scar and shock folk around the world. It was the beginning of the American led war on terror! Many believe it’s a conspriracy, but “The Fear” was here! But then again “The Fear” was already here from that February as Hear’Say were unleashed as winners of ITV’s “Popstars” which went out to spout more of the same rubbish to this very day (JLS excluded!)
Anyway them aside 2001 was actually another very very good year for music and not just for “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and Kylie parading around in a sheet with a hood cut out. With so many (and so many we couldn’t include) quality dance and urban tracks it was a year of discovery for me in terms of music part thanks to my brother, divorce and MTV-over exposure day and very very late night (ta bro) my 2001 was a rollercoaster – enjoy the ride!
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1. WHEATUS – ‘TEENAGE DIRTBAG’
It was NEVER off “The Box” – just NEVER off it! The first of American pop-rock band Wheatus’ 2001 big sellers ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ was taken from the film “Loser” starring “American Pie’s” Jason Biggs. ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ was so big that it also appeared in a car advert (bit fucked up if you remember it!) It’s lost it’s cred now but ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ really did sum up what life was like for us teenagers back in 2001…. i’ve got two tickets to Iron Maiiiiden baaaaby, come with me Friday don’t say maaaybeee (can we play with madness instead?)
WATCH : http://bit.ly/tQP4k / APPEARS ON : Wheatus (Columbia)
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2. MISSY ELLIOTT – ‘GET UR FREAK ON’
When Timbaland wasn’t a complete sellout and Missy Elliott was still a fat mother bitch, ‘Get UR Freak On’ was Missy’s first UK top ten hit and prodomonently featured the Indian ektara! Complete with a deranged video featuring cameos from Ja Rule, Ludacris(ps), LL Cool J and white black gimps (with kooky eyes), ‘Get UR Freak On’ was one of the essential urban tracks of 2001!
WATCH : http://bit.ly/3A3GzV / APPEARS ON : Miss-E So Addictive (Warner Music)
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3. THE AVALANCHES – ‘SINCE I LEFT YOU’
A pile of records mashed up on two samplers and a bunch of turntables sound mad enough? Doesn’t to us as Australian act The Avalanches make our Super 7 with “Since I Left You.” The duo’s two singles of that year reached the top 20 and with two uber cool and stunning videos to match the soundtrack, for lovers of credible dance music like myself (bit hard to imagine that is it not) it was a bit hard pushed not to include one of their records in this list!
WATCH : http://bit.ly/2fDKXU / APPEARS ON : Since I Left You (Modular)
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4. iiO – RAPTURE
Seeing as Destiny’s Child ‘Survivor’ was our favourite album of 2001, ‘Bootylicious’ got a last minute boot from the list to makeway for this drunken slur (sounds it!) The neo-dance gem ‘Rapture’ was a #2 hit in November 2001 for the New York dance act and unfortunately they were pretty much a one hit wonder, but then again only if you go by the names Eric Prydz or Fedde Le Grand then you tend to get more than one hit through the Ministry Of Sound offset label Data….. (anybody else noticed?)
WATCH : http://bit.ly/3A5P3 / APPEARS ON : NOW Dance Anthems (EMI TV/Ministry Of Sound)
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5. FEEDER – BUCK ROGERS
He’s got a brand new car, looks like a Jaguar, it’s got leather seats, it’s got a CD player-PLAYER-PLAYER-PLAYER-PLAYER-PLAYER-PLAYER-PLAYER-PLAYER-PLAYER-PLAYER… but I don’t wanna talk about it anymore… *nuff said*
WATCH : http://bit.ly/mImif / APPEARS ON : The Singles (Echo)
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6. BASEMENT JAXX – ROMEO
Jaxx go Bhangra-Bhangra-Bhangra! ‘Romeo’ is one of the standout dancetracks from 2001 and features the vocals from the extremely talented Kele Le Roc on the track! Add to that a full blown Bollywood dance affair video and the result was a top 5 smash and huge airplay anthem for the Jaxx in the summer of 2001!
WATCH : http://bit.ly/2ahmTv /APPEARS ON : The Singles (XL Talent)
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7. KYLIE MINOGUE – CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD
It’s minimalist heaven written by Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis, ‘CGYOMH’ is Kylie’s biggest selling UK single to date! But forget the song it was the video that made us drop our jaws at this dance genius as Kylie wore what seemed like a sheet of cloth with a hood attached, to this day we’re not sure about those red men and women though! A mashup was serviced with New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ in 2002 and was featured in her Brit awards performance that year. Random music fact time – Kylie’s metallic dress featured in the video is “apparently” a tribute to Roisin Murphy’s similar outfit in the video for Moloko’s 99′ hit “Sing It Back”… cool eh!
WATCH : http://bit.ly/3u2Pvj / APPEARS ON : Ultimate Kylie (Parlophone)
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BONUS TRACK :
> EVE FEAT. GWEN STEFANI – “LET ME BLOW YA MIND”
Dup-dup-doop-doop-dup-doo-doo-doop… far too good to let slip off our Super 7, it’s the BEST bassline of 00’s written by none other than Dr. Dre (yes Dr. Dre!) ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’ raped the nations urban/pop dancefloors in late 2001 and was the first outing for the unlikely pair.
WATCH : http://bit.ly/1xIS2U / APPEARS ON : Scorpion (Polydor)
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GUILTY PLEASURE :
> SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR – “MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR”
‘Take Me Home’ or ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’… hmmm! Off the back of 2000’s huge selling “Groovejet”, SEB’s solo career started with two pop anthems, the second of which was the Xmas party anthem “Murder On The Dancefloor.” “Murder” was written by none other than the New Radicals lead singer Gregg Alexander, who also responsible for Ronan Keating’s ‘Life Is A Rollercoaster.’ The track featured a video that’d put Strictly to shame (sorry Alesha) and a killer remix package, take it away Sophie!
WATCH : http://bit.ly/1ec54M / APPEARS ON : Read My Lips (Polydor)
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MGS
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