Back Like Jesus: 5 Dance Music Career Resurrections

Like the Lord Jesus himself, musicians have a way of dying and coming back to life. They might score a few hits and have a good run. Maybe the momentum will slow, or maybe they’ll just duck out for a while. But life is a long and unpredictable journey, and opportunities are legion thanks to the endless niche trends and nostalgia phases that dominate dance music—and music in general—in the high-speed internet age. One day, the right collaboration or spark of inspiration might hit and send a dormant artist right back into the limelight, going for another run with all that extra experience and fan appreciation to shore them up.

Of course, it’s probably a stretch to compare mere mortals with the Son of God. Then again, some stars do enjoy a rather deity-like status among their fans, especially on their second go-round. Just in time for Easter, then, here’s a look at some musical greats who’ve been graced with a new lease on dance music stardom.

Nile Rodgers

Nile Rodgers has done many great things in his 45-year career—collabing with megastars like David Bowie and Madonna, having his tunes sampled by rappers like the Notorious B.I.G. and Will Smith, and working on soundtracks for films such as, uh, Rush Hour 2 and Beverly Hills Cop III. But Rodgers has never been the showboating rock-star type, and when he plays with disco/soul legends Chic, with whom he rose to fame in the disco era, his guitar style is so relaxed and cool-headed that you could almost overlook him entirely.

Still, listeners took notice when he collaborated with Daft Punk on 2013’s Random Access Memories, cowriting three of the album cuts and appearing alongside the ‘bots and Pharrell in the “Get Lucky” video and during their 2014 Grammy performance. Rodgers has certainly had plenty of admirers over the years, but you almost get a sense that with this album, the public at large had a chance to reflect on and properly celebrate his immense talent.

Lil Jon

In the early- and mid-‘00s, Lil Jon was best known for dirty-ass party bangers like “Get Low” and “What U Gon’ Do.” Thanks to Dave Chappelle, he was also beloved for yelling stuff like “YEAH!” and “WHAT!” in his oh-so blustery voice. It was a different time then, of course. Dubya was still president, hashtags weren’t a thing, and people got “crunk” instead of “turnt.” But if this perpetually dreadlocked rapper/producer eventually slipped off the pop charts, he’d still managed to seed the ground, offering inspiration for eventual hit-makers like DJ Mustard, while paving the way for new catchphrases to come.

All in all, it’s no surprise that he’d eventually come roaring back with “Turn Down for What.” The lyrics on this EDM hit are pretty simple; Lil Jon mostly just screams “TURN DOWN FOR WHAT?!” over and over, atop a spastic trap beat from DJ Snake. But in these four words, Lil Jon managed to capture the party-time zeitgeist and create the perfect catchphrase companion to “Club Going up on a Tuesday.”

Aphex Twin

Thirteen long years transpired between Drukqs, Aphex Twin’s fifth album, and Syro, his organic, intricate and completely unexpected 2014 follow-up. In that time, Richard D. James wasn’t 100 percent inactive; he played shows here and there and released music under the pseudonym the Tuss. However, he was certainly lying low, to the point where some Aphex fans might’ve assumed they’d never see new material from the Aphex name again.

Well, lo and behold, the floodgates have opened. In recent months, James has dropped not only Syro, but also the long-lost Caustic Window LP from 1994, a new EP of meditative robot fugues (Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments Pt2), a data dump of B-sides and studio experiments (see SoundCloud account for user48736353001) and—hey, why not?—a handful of electronic tunes from his six-year-old son. It’s overwhelming to be sure, but it’s also beautiful and compelling stuff; and from this crazed genius, you shouldn’t expect it any other way.

Marc Kinchen

A staple of early-‘90s house, Detroit producer MK made an indelible impact on the genre, delivering sexy house jams like “Always” and “Burning,” alongside a killer string of remixes featuring his distinct style of punchy beats, organ lines and sliced-up vocals, with the occasional synth horn thrown in. As trends began to shift by 1996, MK got so bored and frustrated that he retired from dance music entirely, opting instead to go by his birth name, Marc Kinchen, and work as a producer for the likes of Will Smith, Pitbull and Jay-Z.

But now, after a 15-year break, the man known as MK is back again—only with higher-tech gear, tons more cred, and a more vibrant and sophisticated approach to remixes. Sure, some of his most iconic tracks are 20 years old, but they’re pretty much timeless and gel well when mixed in alongside newer dubs of pop names like HAIM and Lana Del Rey.

Nadastrom

Say the name Dave Nada, and one word comes to mind: “moombahton.” In 2009, he dialed down an Afrojack remix of Silvio Ecomo and Chuckie’s tune “Moombah” to a sultry 108 BPM at a cousin’s basement party. In due time, his little trick turned into a full-fledged microgenre, with DJs and producers across the world churning out their own remixes and sending clubgoers into fits of nutty dance moves with hyperactive bass lines and booty-blasting reggaeton syncopation.

Naturally, it was only a matter of time before moombahton would be eclipsed by the next meme-worthy music trend, but Nada and his Nadastrom cohort Matt Nordstrom are too smart to let their legacy be defined by one silly portmanteau. The duo’s brilliant, self-titled new album has a little moombah action going on. Fundamentally, though, its tender synth builds, mysterious techno/house contours and soulful collaborations (with vocalists RYAT and Jesse Boykins III) are everything moombahton is not, suggesting this duo has many more moves to make.

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