''The Dance'' is the sixth studio album by
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
act
Faithless
Faithless are an English band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, '' Reverence'', was released in 1996 and their most recent, ''All Blessed'', in 2020. They have sold millions ...
on their own record label, Nates Tunes, and first for PIAS Recordings.
Dido
Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC.
In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...
is featured on the songs "North Star" and "Feelin' Good". Actress and singer
Mía Maestro
Mía Maestro (born 19 June 1978) is an Argentine actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Nora Martinez in '' The Strain'', Nadia Santos in the television drama '' Alias'', as Christina Kahlo in ''Frida'', as Carmen in '' The Twilight ...
performs the vocals on "Love Is My Condition".
The album was commercially successful and has sold over 600,000 units worldwide. In 2010 it was awarded a gold certification from the
Independent Music Companies Association
The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), originally the Independent Music Publishers and Labels Association, is a non-profit trade association established in 2000 to help European independent record labels represent their agenda a ...
, which indicated sales of at least 100,000 copies throughout Europe.
Background
The band's common theme for the album was a 'back to their roots' approach, with vocalist
Maxi Jazz
Maxwell Fraser (14 June 1957 – 23 December 2022), better known by his stage name Maxi Jazz, was a British musician, rapper, singer, songwriter and DJ. He was the lead vocalist of British electronic band Faithless from 1995 to 2011 and 2015 ...
elaborating that the album was a return to the old, with an eye on the future; "This is probably the danciest album we’ve ever created; it's like a return to what we did before but more so."
Sister Bliss
Ayalah Deborah Bentovim (born 30 December 1970), better known by her stage name Sister Bliss, is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter. In the studio, she is best known for her work with Rollo Armstrong as one half of the pr ...
added that the club culture was something the band members, especially her, were stuck with; "Late-night DJing will be the death of me but I'm good at it, goddammit. I've always found house music deeply absorbing; it forces you to be in the moment and it's locked into my DNA. I get riled when dance music gets undervalued as mindless nonsense because there's a galvanising force in people getting together to do something positive. There's nothing more joyous than people dancing and losing themselves to music."
"What's exciting is putting ''The Dance'' into context as our sixth album," adds Bliss. "After getting together to do one single, we never thought we’d reach this point. It's mad, innit? But it's also very rare that you find a unique voice and when Rollo and me first encountered Maxi, we didn't want the conversation to end. Our first record,
Salva Mea
"Salva Mea" (faux Latin for "save me") is a song by British electronic band Faithless, written by members Rollo, Sister Bliss, and Maxi Jazz. The female vocals on all versions are performed by Rollo's sister Dido. "Salva Mea" was released in ...
, was very odd for 1990s dance music. The original is like a symphony that goes into hip hop then banging house – it's all over the bloody shop."
Critical reception
Critical reception has been mixed. Mike Diver of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
was generally critical of the release, but tended to question the band's commercial success rather than the music; "(Faithless have) released records to ever-quieter choruses of appreciation since their debut, 1996's ''
''. If they put out another collection of house-hued electro-pop but nobody's around to hear it, have they released anything at all?"
However, Diver did note that "Crazy Bal'Heads dubs itself into a delightful spin, and Flyin Hi's gentle washes of sound are chill-out perfection.
's turn on Feelin Good is also a highlight, the vocalist sounding better than ever," but lamented a generally mediocre album; "too many token gestures ensure any lasting impression is extremely brief. Should they plan another long-player, Faithless would do well to return to their own source in search of the spark that first fired their career into life."
Chris Flynn from The Vine.com.au was very critical of the album, saying that "The Dance is a complete anachronism. It's as if nothing has happened in music over the last 15 years, or at least nothing to which Faithless have paid any attention. The Dance feels like Reverence: The B-Sides."
Entertainment-Focus.com gave the album critical acclaim, stating that "Faithless are in top form here. Though the majority of the record is not quite as tight and epic as some of their earlier work they are still at the top of their game."