Whether you loved it or hated it, the dance music from the mid-90s is forever engraved in our brains. The pounding beats, the belting female vocals, the inevitable rap break, and the synchronized dancing made the dance music of the ‘90s a permanent staple in our young adult lives. Now that the ‘90s have made their return, we find ourselves digging through the closets at our parent’s houses, looking for those mixtapes from our friends featuring C&C Music Factory, La Bouche, and every other 90s dance music artist that makes you go “Holy shit! I remember that!” To help jog your memory (and surprise your friends at the next pregame with a throwback ‘90s dance jam), here is our list of the best dance music songs and dance music videos of the early to mid 1990s.
Best 90s Dance Music Video: Quad City DJs – “C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)”
Back before this song was overplayed at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs, it was a staple on MTV… probably hitting that “retiree” mark on the top 10 countdown. We’re not sure what sparked the infatuation with spaceships at this time (Space Jam, perhaps?) but it made it into this video, as well as many others in the ‘90s, and looks like one “out of this world” party. Okay, so our jokes are bad, but the video is good… so good that it’s made our list of the best music videos of the ‘90s. Check it out below!
Best 90s Dance Music Video: Real McCoy – “Another Night”
The Real McCoy is known for their monopolizing nightclub dance floors throughout the ‘90s, and with tracks like “Run Away” and “Another Night” in their repertoire, it’s plain to see why. Although the music video is nothing to write home about, it does have a lot of those typical music video trends from the ‘90s, including the black & white color scheme, the big ceiling mic reminiscent of a recording studio, and the grungey/back-alley/brick-wall backdrop. This song was a hit in the ‘90s, constantly in rotation on VH1’s weekly top 10 countdown, so you’ll probably remember the video below.
Best 90s Dance Music Video: C&C Music Factory – “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”
Flat tops, hoop earrings for dudes, sleeveless turtlenecks… boy were the 90s cruel. At least we have hits like this one to remind us of the better part of the ‘90s: the infectious, catchy dance music and the horrendous music videos that we can look back on and laugh at. C&C Music Factory was known for cranking out dance tracks during the ‘90s and “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” was probably their most notorious. Bob Sinclair sampled the song and revamped it for “Rock This Party” back in 2006, updating it for the modern-day club kids. We love the song (don’t deny it, you do too) and we love all those 90s music video staples—flowing fabric and the synchronized running man among others—which bring us back to the 90s music video prime.
Best 90s Dance Music Video: SNAP! – “Rhythm is a Dancer”
You are probably familiar with this song just by the name, but if you aren’t familiar with the music video (one of the more ridiculous but also one of our favorites from the 90s), then you should probably check it out below. It’s got the diva vocals, the rap break, the futuristic feel and that hard-hitting dance beat – all super-popular aspects of our favorite ‘90s dance music songs. If you have a weak spot for 90s techno music, then this one should help fill the void.
Best 90s Dance Music Video: Culture Beat – “Take Me Away”
With tracks like Mr. Vain and this one, “Take Me Away,” Culture Beat could not be left off of our list. This song follows the 90s techno formula perfectly, and you can spot some great 90s club trends in the video while you enjoy this throwback dance track. Put this song on in the middle of a party and we guarantee your friends will enjoy the walk down memory lane.
Best 90s Dance Music Video: La Bouche – “Sweet Dreams”
Besides the sexy female vocals, the pulsing beat, the rap break and all the other aspects necessary to making a ‘90s club hit, “Sweet Dreams” by La Bouche reminds us of one other detail—the completely irrelevant lyrics. Listen for yourself while watching the video below, and also take note of the “oh la oh la eh” and think how funny it is that pretty much all of the dance tracks from the ‘90s feature some part of the chorus that is just sounds instead of words. And also… what’s with all the sunglasses at night? Did every ’90s artist take fashion advice from Corey Hart?
Best 90s Dance Music Video: Amber – “This is Your Night”
Not only does is this music video one of the best from the 90s, it’s also one of the most bizarre, by our standards. But what can we say, the ‘90s were an odd era… and also apparently a rainy decade, seeing as though there’s a lot of dancing in torrential downpour going on in this video. We also LOVE the 90s trends in this video—women dressed in masculine clothing, men wearing women’s chokers, polyester belly shirts and heavy lip liner. If you were trying to forget all those trends, check out the video below to remember just why.
Best 90s Dance Music Video: Deee-Lite – “Groove is in the Heart”
It’s a little more disco than the 90s music scene was accustomed to, but it’s still got the female vocals on lock and it is unnecessarily tacky… which is why this music video is one of our favorites from the 90s. Q-Tip makes a special appearance on this track (that man is EVERYWHERE) and it is the perfect complement to this wild and crazy 90s song. If you can watch this music video without busting a move then we seriously applaud you. In fact, we dare you to try…