SHINE: 20 Brilliant Indie Hits

From what I recall, Select was always very favourable to dance music, or at least electronica, big beat, IDM etc. They also did a four pager about the Spice Girls when they first came out. But as Matt DC says, that magazine, the scene and its fans, we're opposed to the commercial excesses of Ibiza trance and pop-garage for some reason.

*cough* for some reason *cough*

Was the dividing line the moment that him out of Kula Shaker did a track with The Prodigy? Was that the moment people decided they had to pick a side?

― Grebo Jones (Branwell with an N),

Dividing lines are really blurry. There may be more of a split along provincial/cosmopolitan lines than indie/dance. OTOH by 1996 or so John Barry's influence was a key marker of "Britishness" across multiple styles. The Texas and Robbie Williams territory mentioned above, but also the Manic Street Preachers, Massive Attack and Space etc. Everything on the radio had a fucking orchestra, Even Ash did a song called Goldfinger.

Think for a lot of indie kids those big beat hits prominently featuring guitars/Oasis/Crispian Mills might have been the moment they realized they didn't want to pick a side. The dance ppl who might have said 'we told you so' said "big beat sucks" iirc.

At the end of the 90's the fashion was to mix it up though wasn't it?

dont think so, there was lots of mixing it up in the early 90s but it felt very tribal by late 90s, despite many crossovers

probably due in part to the fact Tim Burgess just was t born to sing on a dance tune

like that whole "let's get this Britpop singer on a big beat track" craze felt forced, a bit "if we must" rather than "this is our artistic calling". late 90s attempts to fuse rock and dance often made a hash job of mashing the weakest elements of both into each other

these last posts are both true, but also Life Is Sweet is a tune.

you'd often get distorted power riffs forced over these lolloping groove break loops and they just didn't work together. also:
Ash recruited a full time turntablist to scratch awkwardly over their songs.
The Prodigy earnestly tried to reinvent themselves as edgy punk rockers, but they came off more clownish and infantile than they ever had.
I agree that Soulwax, LCD, DFA etc going back to new wave and disco for inspiration a few years later was when indie-dance started working again. Having trouble trying to think of very much crossover stuff from 97-01 that did it particularly well... Gorillaz I guess? Never really got them though

I don't hate Life Is Sweet or even that Noel Gallagher one he did with CBros but neither project felt necessary beyond 'we need something to please the indie rockers'

A whole bunch of shitty guitar bands trying to ~go Radiohead~ and then Radiohead going fully IDM, haha?

hey ho .. and there was me loving DiV and their need for crappy vocals.

Having trouble trying to think of very much crossover stuff from 97-01 that did it particularly well... Gorillaz I guess?
― Specific Ocean Blue (dog latin)

Certainly 'Guerrilla'

I had completely forgotten DiV ever existed.

I am clearly confused. (Also vibrating!)

*not a murderer tho

there seemed to be a real sense in the late 90s that the whole idea of searching out unexpected influences was pretentious and wanky, and that being 4 lads with lead / rhythm / bass / drums was the authentic way to make music. as ever I blame John Harris for this.

Xxp The Juantrip album on F Communications was another. Capitol K etc

This reminds me of the p4k britpop albums list where they prefaced half the entries with a disclaimer of "this isn't really a britpop album, but..."
And it's no wonder I mean no way we're there 50 good britpop albums. There may not have been 20 good britpop albums. Still, I attribute at least some of the confusion to the first name that ppl associate with the style also being the band that killed it off almost instantaneously.

Xxp The Juantrip album on F Communications was another. Capitol K etc

sorry, but do not get how that's relevant here.
one of the most strange dance infused psych excess albums ever.

Oh right, I forgot he was French. Nevermind. Not that strange a record tho imo.

He sings like John Lennon doesn't he? Can't understand a word of it but as I recall it's all gibberish anyhow 😅