Seeking a dance song that sounds like being in a forge
January 30, 2024 11:24 PM Subscribe
So I mean this both somewhat metaphorically and somewhat literally, as in, I want the song both to have the vibes and feeling of a blacksmith's forge and also aspects like multiple layers of percussion are welcome. Bonus points if the percussion sounds like hammers and anvils. Bonus points for instrumental songs or songs with female vocals. Not looking for heavy metal, more for upbeat dance music, though open to some foreboding or angst.
It probably reads as 'heavy metal' so sorry in advance, but the first song that came to mind was Love and Rockets - No Big Deal. I certainly danced to this in my wanton youth!
posted by niicholas at 12:49 AM on January 31 [5 favorites]
posted by niicholas at 12:49 AM on January 31 [5 favorites]
It doesn't really match your literal description, but metaphorically, I have found that the music of Colin Stetson makes me feel like I am in a forge. He has a lot of amazing solo work, but I especially loved this collaboration with Sarah Neufeld
posted by taltalim at 1:05 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
posted by taltalim at 1:05 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
I don't remember which song - if any - is "danceable", but Einsturzende Neubauten used real hammers and anvils as percussion, especially live. To find the right song you will have to tolerate any number of drills and other industrial equipment as you can see in this mercifully brief concert footage!
Maybe a track like Front 242's Headhunter, with the sound of steel cables being hit? It will take you back to mid-1990's industrial dance clubs: Read an old issue of Mondo 2000 and sip some neuro-enhancing cocktail.....
It's not a hammer and anvil, but how about an electric drill as the rhythm track, in Fad Gadget's Ricky's Hand? That one is quite danceable too.
Laibach's Zrcalo Sveta (Das Spiegelglas Der Welt) has a forge/hammer/anvil feel, but it's not exactly a danceable song. Perhaps some of the ones on their Opus Dei album, such as Geburt einer Nation (as long as you realize that they are a conceptual art group that makes fun of pop stars like Queen and Eurovision songs by remixing them into quasi-fascistic anthems, complete with lyrics translated into German. Catchy, but with a hint of the uncomfortable. (Don't be like one of the dumbasses who took them at face value and would give the arm-raised salute at their concerts....)
Lastly, Depeche Mode went through a sampling period in their early years. Albums like Construction Time Again probably feature a hammer and anvil somewhere, even if the result is more New Wave dance than industrial. It even features a hammer on the cover!
posted by Bigbootay. Tay! Tay! Blam! Aargh... at 1:58 AM on January 31 [4 favorites]
Maybe a track like Front 242's Headhunter, with the sound of steel cables being hit? It will take you back to mid-1990's industrial dance clubs: Read an old issue of Mondo 2000 and sip some neuro-enhancing cocktail.....
It's not a hammer and anvil, but how about an electric drill as the rhythm track, in Fad Gadget's Ricky's Hand? That one is quite danceable too.
Laibach's Zrcalo Sveta (Das Spiegelglas Der Welt) has a forge/hammer/anvil feel, but it's not exactly a danceable song. Perhaps some of the ones on their Opus Dei album, such as Geburt einer Nation (as long as you realize that they are a conceptual art group that makes fun of pop stars like Queen and Eurovision songs by remixing them into quasi-fascistic anthems, complete with lyrics translated into German. Catchy, but with a hint of the uncomfortable. (Don't be like one of the dumbasses who took them at face value and would give the arm-raised salute at their concerts....)
Lastly, Depeche Mode went through a sampling period in their early years. Albums like Construction Time Again probably feature a hammer and anvil somewhere, even if the result is more New Wave dance than industrial. It even features a hammer on the cover!
posted by Bigbootay. Tay! Tay! Blam! Aargh... at 1:58 AM on January 31 [4 favorites]
Perhaps not quite what you’re looking for, but I immediately thought of this 1978 disco track:
Midnight Rhythm - Workin' & Slavin'
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 2:03 AM on January 31
Midnight Rhythm - Workin' & Slavin'
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 2:03 AM on January 31
Very metaphoric, but I've thought for a few years that "Arsonist's Lullabye" by Hozier sounds like it could be set in a forge, a blacksmith and fire, with a percussive beat that could be the striking of the metal.
There are covers, or female pitch shifts such as:
https://youtu.be/YtGpfne23ng?si=EdrNSjeqmFN9I8za
posted by Elysum at 2:16 AM on January 31
There are covers, or female pitch shifts such as:
https://youtu.be/YtGpfne23ng?si=EdrNSjeqmFN9I8za
posted by Elysum at 2:16 AM on January 31
Perc - Jmurph
Thoom - Hadiqa
Szare - Cut With Glass
Mun Sing - Revenge
posted by Joeruckus at 2:58 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Thoom - Hadiqa
Szare - Cut With Glass
Mun Sing - Revenge
posted by Joeruckus at 2:58 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
“Close (To the Edit)” by Art of Noise
posted by baseballpajamas at 3:32 AM on January 31 [3 favorites]
posted by baseballpajamas at 3:32 AM on January 31 [3 favorites]
The first band to mind is Sabaton. OTOH, today I learned there is a group named HammerFall.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:51 AM on January 31
posted by SemiSalt at 4:51 AM on January 31
You might enjoy Gamelan music; it's all metal and hammer rhythms
The work of a dance performance group called "Stomp"; they use unconventional items to make percussion.
A group called Corvus Corax, "Todendanz" and "Sverker".
posted by effluvia at 4:56 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
The work of a dance performance group called "Stomp"; they use unconventional items to make percussion.
A group called Corvus Corax, "Todendanz" and "Sverker".
posted by effluvia at 4:56 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Amon Tobin - "Keepin It Steel" - mellow but you could probably waltz to it.
posted by implied_otter at 5:24 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
posted by implied_otter at 5:24 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Fiona Apple’s Relay has some of this vibe, to me.
Also, Anna Klyne’s Steelworks!
posted by sixswitch at 5:36 AM on January 31
Also, Anna Klyne’s Steelworks!
posted by sixswitch at 5:36 AM on January 31
The Anvil Chorus from Verdi's Il Trovetore is a piece of opera music that (as the name suggests) works the sound of a blacksmith's hammer into the music. But it's not very danceable. I did a search for "Anvil chorus dance remix" and found this EDM remix and this "cardio workout" remix.
posted by yankeefog at 6:01 AM on January 31
posted by yankeefog at 6:01 AM on January 31
Ahhh, digging into my goth/industrial dance club days. Some of these are metal-adjacent and it's all men, though, but if you need to feel like your body is in a pinball machine, here you go:
Nitzer Ebb - Join In The Chant and Let Your Body Learn
Front 242 - Headhunter already got a mention, but it's so nice you gotta mention it twice.
Nine Inch Nails - Head Like A Hole
Depeche Mode - People Are People (which did use both sampled and live-recorded percussion featuring hammers, corrugated metal, etc)
Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion
VNV Nation - Chrome
posted by Lyn Never at 6:15 AM on January 31 [4 favorites]
Nitzer Ebb - Join In The Chant and Let Your Body Learn
Front 242 - Headhunter already got a mention, but it's so nice you gotta mention it twice.
Nine Inch Nails - Head Like A Hole
Depeche Mode - People Are People (which did use both sampled and live-recorded percussion featuring hammers, corrugated metal, etc)
Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion
VNV Nation - Chrome
posted by Lyn Never at 6:15 AM on January 31 [4 favorites]
Bucephalus Bouncing Ball by Aphex Twin has a kind of "hammer hitting metal" sound in the mix, to my ear at least. A couple of songs on druqks, specifically kladfvgbung micshk and Prep Gwarlek 3B, may also fit the bill?
Enjoy by Bjork has a bit of this vibe for me.
posted by saladin at 6:20 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Enjoy by Bjork has a bit of this vibe for me.
posted by saladin at 6:20 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
The Simpson's set C+C Music Factory's "Everybody Dance Now" in a steel factory, if that helps.
And to stay with "animated choices that kind of miss the point" the first scene in Disney's Frozen is ice-cutters, not super-metallic but very percussive.
posted by adekllny at 6:27 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
And to stay with "animated choices that kind of miss the point" the first scene in Disney's Frozen is ice-cutters, not super-metallic but very percussive.
posted by adekllny at 6:27 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
This may be too far on the metal side for you (I wouldn't call it heavy metal though) but give Falconer's Lord of the Blacksmith a listen. The final chorus starting at 3:33 has some great anvil sounds.
posted by randomnity at 6:42 AM on January 31
posted by randomnity at 6:42 AM on January 31
effluvia mentioned gamelan, the percussive Indonesian style of music. Here's Tanpa Nama by Mercury Prize nominee Susheela Raman - it prominently features gamelan, has a female vocal and a certain sense of foreboding. Just might tick your boxes!
posted by bassomatic at 8:09 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
posted by bassomatic at 8:09 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Try Dario Rossi, a street performer (not sure if he's still active) who achieves amazing trance-style beats from everyday household objects. Lots of bits of metal.
posted by srednivashtar at 8:25 AM on January 31
posted by srednivashtar at 8:25 AM on January 31
I believe those are meant to be hammer-and-anvil noises in Suzanne Vega's "Blood Makes Noise."
posted by praemunire at 8:28 AM on January 31
posted by praemunire at 8:28 AM on January 31
Machine Gun by Portishead?
posted by transient at 8:44 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
posted by transient at 8:44 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
"Working In The Coal Mine" by Lee Dorsey
"Working On The Chain Gang" by Sam Cooke
While not specifically "dance tunes," each of these songs are easily danceable!
posted by Lynsey at 8:54 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
"Working On The Chain Gang" by Sam Cooke
While not specifically "dance tunes," each of these songs are easily danceable!
posted by Lynsey at 8:54 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Towers of London by XTC! it starts with a hammer on an anvil, and goes from there
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:07 AM on January 31
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:07 AM on January 31
@Bigbootay already mentioned Einstürzende Neubauten, and while it's probably a stretch to call it danceable or upbeat, a couple of that comes closest to that are 1205(te nacht) and Tabula Rasa (from after the intro).
Depeche Mode (e.g. People Are People, mentioned above, perhaps also Everything Counts) was the other example I could think of.
posted by snarfois at 9:23 AM on January 31
Depeche Mode (e.g. People Are People, mentioned above, perhaps also Everything Counts) was the other example I could think of.
posted by snarfois at 9:23 AM on January 31
Just a side mention that MyNoise (an excellent site run by a hardworking genius) has some nice percussive clangy stuff you play with mixing. When I'm writing Dwarven stuff I put on some steel mill clanging and deep boomy drums and bass humming to back up whatever music I feel like playing, if any.
posted by The otter lady at 10:33 AM on January 31 [2 favorites]
posted by The otter lady at 10:33 AM on January 31 [2 favorites]
Pure Energy by Information Society is very danceable and has hammers in the bridge
posted by DiabolicalMeow at 10:34 AM on January 31
posted by DiabolicalMeow at 10:34 AM on January 31
'Bitter Heart' by Seona Dancing
(And you'll never guess the career trajectory this band eventually took!)
posted by splitpeasoup at 10:35 AM on January 31
(And you'll never guess the career trajectory this band eventually took!)
posted by splitpeasoup at 10:35 AM on January 31
Most of Tom Waits' "Raindogs" album has unique percussion, and plenty of foreboding.
Depeche Mode's "Work Hard" is more danceable.
posted by credulous at 10:42 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Depeche Mode's "Work Hard" is more danceable.
posted by credulous at 10:42 AM on January 31 [1 favorite]
2nding Bjork. Many of the songs from the soundtrack to Dancer in in the Dark have this feel to me (with industrial/environmental background noise/soundwall).
posted by pjenks at 10:50 AM on January 31
posted by pjenks at 10:50 AM on January 31
The Anvil Chorus from Verdi's Il Trovetore is a piece of opera music
Glenn Miller recorded his version in 1941, and a lot of people were dancing to it back then, even without any hammers or anvils in his band.
posted by Rash at 10:59 AM on January 31
Glenn Miller recorded his version in 1941, and a lot of people were dancing to it back then, even without any hammers or anvils in his band.
posted by Rash at 10:59 AM on January 31
Thinking about it more, the Homogenic by Bjork is probably a better fit. Though none of them are really "dance tunes".
posted by pjenks at 11:04 AM on January 31
posted by pjenks at 11:04 AM on January 31
De Staat - Sweatshop. No actual anvils, but quite thumpy and percussive, with both male and female singers.
Fad Gadget - Collapsing New People. There's an anvil right in the video!
posted by maudlin at 11:06 AM on January 31
Fad Gadget - Collapsing New People. There's an anvil right in the video!
posted by maudlin at 11:06 AM on January 31
An Australian band Big Pig was percussion based so a lot of forgey sounds iron lung
and they wore leather aprons at their gigs!
posted by insomniax at 12:11 PM on January 31
and they wore leather aprons at their gigs!
posted by insomniax at 12:11 PM on January 31
People are people by Depeche Mode as already mentioned is super forgey
posted by newpotato at 12:47 PM on January 31
posted by newpotato at 12:47 PM on January 31
I have the perfect song for you - Rina Sawayama - Imagining
posted by yueliang at 2:13 PM on January 31 [1 favorite]
posted by yueliang at 2:13 PM on January 31 [1 favorite]
Also can't forget this song either, I think the synth sound in the chorus sounds a lot like the sparks after the anvil is struck Utada - Devil Inside. This one also has a ton of remixes too
posted by yueliang at 2:24 PM on January 31
posted by yueliang at 2:24 PM on January 31
I'm pretty sure that Underworld's Cowgirl has some kind of hammer on anvil percussion thing going on at one point. No female vocals but it is upbeat.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:29 PM on January 31
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:29 PM on January 31
Make it Work from Jingle Jangle was the first song that came to mind.
posted by panther of the pyrenees at 10:42 PM on January 31
posted by panther of the pyrenees at 10:42 PM on January 31
Test Dept used to like hitting old steel machinery with big hammers. Not so are about the danceability, though.
posted by Paul Slade at 10:18 AM on February 1
posted by Paul Slade at 10:18 AM on February 1
Wow, as both a DJ and a blacksmith, I feel like I _have_ to come up with some answers for this question! :-D
"Join in the Chant" by Nitzer Ebb, which has already been mentioned, is what immediately jumped out to me. It has aggressive male vocals, though, which aren't quite what you described.
"Fate Awaits" by Die Sexual is a more recent option. It's somewhat slow, with a dark indie dance vibe, and is also very much in line with old goth/industrial tunes. This one _does_ have female vocals. I particularly like the remix by Silk Wolf (which is the one I linked).
"Lovesick" by Mura Masa is in a very different vein, with a laid back trip-hop / reggae sound. It's got lot's of metal-on-metal clangy percussion, which are surprisingly similar to the actual sounds of a smithy, though it may not be the mood you're looking for.
"Physicaly (Extended Mix) by Jaded is tech house with a bit of latin rhythm. It doesn't have the big hammer-on-anvil ringing blows, but it's got a lot of little tippy-tap metallic sounds that sound very blacksmithy. Male vocals, but very chopped and processed, so they're more like an instrumental track than lyrics.
posted by djspinmonkey at 12:21 PM on February 1 [1 favorite]
"Join in the Chant" by Nitzer Ebb, which has already been mentioned, is what immediately jumped out to me. It has aggressive male vocals, though, which aren't quite what you described.
"Fate Awaits" by Die Sexual is a more recent option. It's somewhat slow, with a dark indie dance vibe, and is also very much in line with old goth/industrial tunes. This one _does_ have female vocals. I particularly like the remix by Silk Wolf (which is the one I linked).
"Lovesick" by Mura Masa is in a very different vein, with a laid back trip-hop / reggae sound. It's got lot's of metal-on-metal clangy percussion, which are surprisingly similar to the actual sounds of a smithy, though it may not be the mood you're looking for.
"Physicaly (Extended Mix) by Jaded is tech house with a bit of latin rhythm. It doesn't have the big hammer-on-anvil ringing blows, but it's got a lot of little tippy-tap metallic sounds that sound very blacksmithy. Male vocals, but very chopped and processed, so they're more like an instrumental track than lyrics.
posted by djspinmonkey at 12:21 PM on February 1 [1 favorite]
Course of Empire - Infested.
Depending on your mood, there's a Nine Inch Nails-like industrial rock version, or the remix version that for some reason adds like 1940s big band sound to it, not quite instrumental, but not with the full lyrics.
Also, the rough mix of Game Theory's The Waist and the Knees. There is a programmed drummy underlying beat that's not prominent in the actual song, but shines in the rough mix. This one has vocals.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:24 PM on February 1
Depending on your mood, there's a Nine Inch Nails-like industrial rock version, or the remix version that for some reason adds like 1940s big band sound to it, not quite instrumental, but not with the full lyrics.
Also, the rough mix of Game Theory's The Waist and the Knees. There is a programmed drummy underlying beat that's not prominent in the actual song, but shines in the rough mix. This one has vocals.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:24 PM on February 1
Best answer: When the forge is jumping: Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson
Late night comedown forge: Sing it Back (DJ Herbert remix) - Moloko
posted by rollick at 2:17 PM on February 2
Late night comedown forge: Sing it Back (DJ Herbert remix) - Moloko
posted by rollick at 2:17 PM on February 2
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posted by dusty potato at 11:47 PM on January 30 [5 favorites]