The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music and/or electronic music genres. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The award for Best Dance Recording was first presented to Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder in 1998 for the song "Carry On". In 2003, the Academy moved the category from the "Pop" field into a new "Dance" field, alongside the category Best Dance/Electronic Album. According to the Academy, the award is designated for solo, duo, group or collaborative performances (vocal or instrumental), and is limited to singles or tracks only.
The award goes to the artist, producer and mixer. The engineer and songwriter can apply for a Winners Certificate.
Skrillex has won the award a record four times, with Justin Timberlake, Diplo, The Chemical Brothers and Tame Impala winning twice. Skrillex, Bonobo, The Chemical Brothers and Madonna share the record for the most nominations, with five. Bonobo also holds the record for the most nominations without a win.
History Though she was not the first to suggest that the genre be recognized officially, Ellyn Harris and her Committee for the Advancement of Dance Music lobbied for more than two years to encourage the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to acknowledge dance music. Some Academy members debated whether dance music, with its heavy use of layering, remixing, "lack of melody or verse", and numerous varieties, was truly considered music. Others were concerned that dance music was not a long-lasting genre, fearing the category would face retirement much like the award for Best Disco Recording, which was presented for one year only at the 22nd Grammy Awards in 1980.
In 1998, Harris' efforts paid off when the Academy first presented the award to Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder at the 40th Grammy Awards for the song "Carry On". While the Academy had once been quoted as saying that "they considered dance music as something pop artists had created in their most frivolous moments", Ivan Bernstein, executive director of the organization's Florida branch, insisted that an award for excellence in dance music would not exist "if there were concerns about excellence".
Starting from the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in 2022, the category was renamed from Best Dance Recording to Best Dance/Electronic Recording. Starting from the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024, a sister category Best Dance Pop Recording, was established in order to prevent well-established pop artists who incorporate dance music into their work from dominating the category over dedicated dance acts.
Criticism Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys has criticised the award, saying "there's always been a sense that people just think you've pressed a few buttons rather than do real music, the Grammys [...] kind of diss two huge massive genres at the same time by putting them together".
Writing for Mixmag, Annabel Ross noted a lack of gender and racial diversity associated with the award, claiming that one "might assume, judging by the winners and nominees [in the category] that the best dance music is made by white people (mostly men), and that commercial success is a marker of quality".
Recipients
1990s Year Artist(s) Work 1998 Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder "Carry On" Daft Punk "Da Funk" Gina G "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" Pet Shop Boys "To Step Aside" Quad City DJ's "Space Jam" 1999 Madonna "Ray of Light" Boy George "When Will You Learn" Daft Punk "Around the World" Gloria Estefan "Heaven's What I Feel" Cyndi Lauper "Disco Inferno"
2000s Year Artist(s) Work Production team 2000 Cher "Believe" Gloria Estefan "Don't Let This Moment End" Fatboy Slim "Praise You" Jennifer Lopez "Waiting for Tonight" Donna Summer "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" 2001 Baha Men "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Eiffel 65 "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" Enrique Iglesias "Be with You" Jennifer Lopez "Let's Get Loud" Moby "Natural Blues" 2002 Janet Jackson "All for You" Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, producers; Steve Hodge, mixer Daft Punk and Romanthony "One More Time" Daft Punk, producers Depeche Mode "I Feel Loved" Mark Bell, producer; Steve Fitzmaurice, mixer Gloria Estefan "Out of Nowhere" Randy Barlow and Emilio Estefan Jr., producers; Gustavo Celis, mixer Lionel Richie "Angel" Brian Rawling and Mark Taylor, producers; Mark Taylor, mixer 2003 Dirty Vegas "Days Go By" Ben Harris, Paul Harris and Steve Smith, producers Daniel Bedingfield "Gotta Get Thru This" Daniel Bedingfield, Andy Colver, Arthur Smith and Dean Wilson, producers; Andy Colver, Arthur Smith and Dean Wilson, mixers Groove Armada "Superstylin'" Groove Armada, producers; Dave Pemberton, mixer Kylie Minogue "Love at First Sight" Julian Gallagher and Richard Stannard, producers; Ash Howes, mixer No Doubt "Hella Good" Nellee Hooper and No Doubt, producers; Mark Stent, mixer 2004 Kylie Minogue "Come into My World" Rob Davis and Cathy Dennis, producers; Rob Davis, Cathy Dennis, Bruce Elliott-Smith and Phil Larsen, mixers Cher "Love One Another" Chris Cox, Rick Nowels and Wayne Rodrigues, producers; Manny Marroquin, mixer Groove Armada "Easy" Groove Armada, producers/mixers Madonna "Die Another Day" Mirwais Ahmadzai and Madonna, producers; Mark Stent, mixer Télépopmusik "Breathe" Fabrice Dumont, Stephan Haeri and Christophe Hetier, producers; Stephan Haeri, mixer 2005 Britney Spears "Toxic" Bloodshy & Avant, producers; Niklas Flyckt, mixer Basement Jaxx and Lisa Kekaula "Good Luck" Basement Jaxx, producers/mixers The Chemical Brothers "Get Yourself High" The Chemical Brothers, producers/mixers Kylie Minogue "Slow" Dan Carey and Emiliana Torrini, producers; Mr. Dan, mixer Scissor Sisters "Comfortably Numb" Scissor Sisters, producers/mixers 2006 The Chemical Brothers and Q-Tip "Galvanize" The Chemical Brothers, producer; Steve Dub and The Chemical Brothers, mixers Deep Dish "Say Hello" Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi, producers; Deep Dish and Matt Nordstrom, mixers Fatboy Slim and Lateef "Wonderful Night" Fatboy Slim, producer; Simon Thornton, mixer LCD Soundsystem "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" The DFA, producers; James Murphy and Andy Wallace, mixers Kylie Minogue "I Believe in You" Babydaddy and Jake Shears, producers; Jeremy Wheatley, mixer New Order "Guilt Is a Useless Emotion" Jacques Lu Cont and New Order, producers/mixers 2007 Justin Timberlake featuring Timbaland "SexyBack" Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass, mixer Depeche Mode "Suffer Well" Ben Hillier, producer; Steve Fitzmaurice and Ben Hillier, mixers Goldfrapp "Ooh La La" Goldfrapp, producers; Mark Stent, mixer Madonna "Get Together" Jacques Lu Cont and Madonna, producers; Mark Stent, mixer Pet Shop Boys "I'm with Stupid" Trevor Horn, producer; Robert Orton, mixer 2008 Justin Timberlake "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" Nate (Danja) Hills, Tim Mosley and Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass and Tim Mosley, mixers The Chemical Brothers "Do It Again" Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, producers/mixers Justice "D.A.N.C.E." Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, producers/mixers Mika "Love Today" Jodi Marr, John Merchant, Mika and Greg Wells, producers; Greg Wells, mixer Rihanna "Don't Stop the Music" Stargate, producers; Philip Tan, mixer 2009 Daft Punk "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Alive 2007)" Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, producers/mixers Hot Chip "Ready for the Floor" Hot Chip, producers; Dan Carey, mixer Lady Gaga and Colby O'Donis "Just Dance" RedOne, producer; Robert Orton, mixer Madonna "Give It 2 Me" Madonna and The Neptunes, producers; Andrew Coleman and Spike Stent, mixers Rihanna "Disturbia" Brian Kennedy, producer; Philip Tan, mixer Sam Sparro "Black and Gold" Jesse Rogg and Sam Sparro, producers; Jeremy Wheatley, mixer
2010s