The electrohouse era seems destined to be another footnote in dance music history. Much like electroclash before it, the genre quickly peaked, was adopted and bastardized by the mainstream, and was quickly tossed aside. And if anyone has come to represent the genre best, it's Pedro Winter, better known as Busy P.
As head of French record label Ed Banger, he made Internet superstars out of acts such as Uffie, SebastiAn, Mr. Oizo, Feadz, and Justice. The last, of course, became a bona fide star, nabbing Grammy and MTV VMA nominations. And Winter, under the Busy P moniker, released dance-floor-ready tracks such as "Rainbow Man," "Chop Suey," and "To Protect and Entertain," all electrohouse anthems in their own right.
But 2009 hasn't been kind to the genre or Ed Banger. The label seems to have fallen out of dance music's consciousness, and electrohouse has been usurped and made digestible by Kanye West and Lady Gaga. The cool kids have moved on to nu-disco and dubstep, and even Justice has been quiet this year.
Still, Winter isn't lying low. Hip-hop-influenced acts such as DSL and DJ Mehdi seem to be holding up the Ed Banger banner, while Winter keeps busy spinning across the globe. His October 31 show at Poplife will fuel the afterparty for graffiti artist NeckFace's O.H.W.O.W. exhibition, "Devil's Disciple." Winter's support for the artist isn't surprising; in 2007, he told XLR8R that NeckFace's work "haunted [his] eyes."
One might assume a Busy P set would party like it's 2006, but Winter has updated his sound. Though he'll probably play some electro bangers, expect plenty of hip-hop and disco influences.
Let's hope his Miami date shows the label is ready to move forward. The coming year will see new releases by Justice and Uffie. But if Ed Banger is to survive, it must once again prove it can set the mark in what's next for dance music.
