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The Prodigy Named Most Influential Dance Act Of All Time

• 12th Jul 2010

Break beat pioneers The Prodigy have been crowned the most influential dance act of all time. The Essex based band who are now celebrating their 20th year in the music business saw off a host of stiff competition including Daft Punk and New Order in the GlobalGathering survey released today.

Over 2000 festival and club goers took part in the survey which was specially commissioned by the UK’s premiere dance festival GlobalGathering to mark ten years of the festival. Music fans were asked to vote for the dance act they considered the most influential from a shorlist compiled by the Global team and the results provide a definitive list of the top 10 most influential dance acts of all time.

James Algate GlobalGathering Festival Organiser said:
“Dance music is constantly evolving but it’s great to see The Prodigy getting the recognition they so richly deserve. We are also thrilled to have so many of our past performers make the cut with the unstoppable Carl Cox and headliners Faithless returning for the 10th year of the festival this year”

With over 20 million worldwide record sales, 2009 GlobalGathering headliners The Prodigy continue to both push musical boundaries and garner critical acclaim. From the band’s debut single; Charly whose chart success hooked thousands of new converts to dance music to their recent critically acclaimed album ‘Invaders Must Die’ the band continue to be acclaimed as pioneers of dance music. Blending hardcore rock with drum & bass and techno, the Prodigy have created a truly unique sound which has often been emulated but rarely bettered. Commonly cited as one of the first dance acts to successfully crossover into the live arena, the band remain a festival favourite throughout the UK and Europe.

French duo Daft Punk, 2006 headliners at the dance festival, came second in the survey with 13% of the vote. Bursting on to the scene in 1995 with their debut album ‘Homework’ the duo have been widely credited with helping to break dance music in the USA and the band’s blend of chart bound yet credible techno-disco continues to both grow in influence and transcend musical genres having been sampled extensively by hip hop stars including Kanye West, Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliot.

The Top 10 most influential dance acts are

1. The Prodigy (29%)
2. Daft Punk (13%)
3. Faithless (11%)
4. New Order (9%)
5. Orbital (7%)
6. Kraftwerk (5%)
7. Paul Oakenfold (4%)
8. Carl Cox (4%)
9. Fatboy Slim (3%)
10. Chemical Brothers (2%)

GlobalGathering headliners Faithless, famous for timeless club hits such as “Insomnia”, “God Is a DJ” and “We Come 1” took third place in the poll. With over 10 Million global record sales, Faithless continue to be one of dance music’s biggest live draws and the band performed to over 7 million people on their most recent tour proving they are one of the most successful and influential dance groups of all time.

New Order who came fourth in the poll, currently hold the title for ‘best selling 12-inch single of all time’ for the 80’s hit ‘Blue Monday’. The single release proved to be a defining moment in dance music history appealing to both dance music and indie fans alike. New Order embraced electronica throughout the 80’s and 90’s and also spawned the infamous Hacienda nightclub which was a focal point for the Manchester scene of the late 1980’s.

The hugely influential electronica duo Orbital came 5th in the poll. The Hartnoll brothers, who have recently re-formed after their split in 2004, will be celebrating 20 years of festival-rousing anthems and cinematic sounds this year. One of the most influential acts in dance music history, Orbital accompany their music with expansive audio-visuals, and their trademark torch-glasses. Orbital were fixed firm at the top of the bill for the festival in 2009.

Kraftwerk who are widely considered the inventors of Electronic music came in at 6th in the survey. The German band who still tour sporadically have been making music since the 70′s and went on to become a huge influence on the first wave of Detroit house and hip hop producers.

Ranking in at seventh in the survey is trance DJ, producer and artist Paul Oakenfold, famous for his legendary Ibiza sets and remix work for the likes of The Happy Mondays, U2 and Madonna, Paul was the biggest DJ in the world throughout the 90’s and continues to play to packed dancefloors throughout the world. Fellow UK DJ and producer, Carl Cox ranks at number 8 in the poll, One of the most influential DJs in dance music history, Carl Cox has had a successful career that’s spanned almost 30 years, taking him from acid house veteran to the champion of techno.

Also featuring in the top ten is Norman cook aka Fatboy Slim. Credited with originating the ‘Big beat’ sound, Cook received a prestigious Ivor Novello Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to British music’ placing him amongst some of the greatest British music acts of all time.

Pioneers of the big beat electronic dance genre, The Chemical Brothers, complete the top 10. The world’s favourite psychedelic acid-beat duo have always combined moments of egotistic indulgence and mind-numbing formula with visionary brilliance. This duo were one of the first electronic acts to move from clubs to arena.

Stratford-Upon-Avon’s Long Marston Airfield will play host to the UK’s premier electronic dance music festival on July 30th and 31st as GlobalGathering celebrates its tenth anniversary. Over 50,000 dance music fans will pour through the Stratford-upon-Avon gates to experience the biggest GlobalGathering yet. Taking place in Shakespeare’s country at the height of summer, over 150 of the most exciting dance acts in the world including headliners Dizzee Rascal and Faithless will take to 16 stages to keep the crowds dancing through the two-day festival.