The 10 Best Eurodance Tracks of the Y2K, according to LIZ

If you were a kid in the y2k, there were a few things you knew: inflatable furniture, beanie babies, and gooey aliens that either did or didn’t have kids. It’s an aesthetic that LA pop queen LIZ is decidedly into, from her tamagotchi-inspired artwork to the bubble chair she’s sat on in her press photo. A musical scholar of both the ’90s and y2k eras, she’s just dropped ‘BTR 2GTHR’, co-written with her friend and fellow pop lover Kim Petras (read our interview with Kim here), which is a modern take on tear-jerking Europop bangers from the turn of the millennium.

“Kim and I were listening to a lot of Europop together one night including a bunch of German DJs she grew up on,” LIZ says of the cut. “We got pumped to write, so we set up a session which basically become a two-day tequila dance party at the studio. The beginning of Scooter’s ‘Nessaja’ was the main inspiration for the vibe of the track, and then we added in a more modern urban section to break the beat up the beat. I’m very proud of our emo-ravey love child.”

Here to remind us of a time when trance synths loomed large and we all spent our time looking after digital pets, LIZ below shares her favourite Eurodance bangers of the y2k.

1. Alice Deejay – ‘Better Off Alone (Original)’

“Brings me back to testing out glitter body spray and bouncing off an inflatable plastic bubble couch at Limited Too.”

2. Gigi D’Agostino – ‘L’amour Toujours (Small Mix)’

“Reminds me of sneaking off with my big sister at the mall to try on mini dresses at Charlotte Russe and Wet Seal that were way too inappropriate for a tween.”

3. Scooter – ‘Nessaja’

“The beginning of this actually inspired ‘BTR 2GTHR’. I love high-pitched dreamy magic trance shit. Feels like My Little Pony at a rave… then Scooter’s voice comes in and it violently switches to hardstyle.”

4. Aqua – ‘Doctor Jones’

“A lesser-known single than their worldwide smash ‘Barbie Girl’, this one is just as fun and insanely energetic, complete with a yodel solo that somehow really, really works.”

5. Crush – ‘Jellyhead’

“This song was always perplexing to me and stood out to me as a kid, because the main lyric was so silly and bizarre. It’s catchy AF and I remember bouncing to it in the car on the way to dance class. Crush was kind of the prototype for girl duos like Icona Pop.”

6. Starstylers, Mitchy – ‘Keep On Moving’

“Ok, I’m def neck deep in an Ibiza foam party. I love myself a cheesy euro accordion sample.”

7. Darude – ‘Sandstorm’

“This goes hard and evokes how riding dirt bikes around Burning Man maybe feels? I’ve never done acid, but if I do, it would probably be to this song.”

8. Vengaboys – ‘Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!’

“Mindless. Bubblegum. Iconic. Bop! I’m twisting my hair in mini butterfly clips, and applying strawberry lipgloss while dancing in the mirror.”

9. Eiffel 65 – ‘Living In a Bubble (Album Mix)’

“Serving me dramatic ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ string section vibes! I have no idea what they’re saying, and the auto tune settings are making the vocals go nuts, but I’m so into it.”

10. ATB – ‘Don’t Stop’

“I’ve tried to recreate this electric slide guitar sample so many times, and I’ve never gotten it right. Henrik the Artist is the only producer I’ve known to be able to come close to it. I am possessed by this instrumental.”

And she’s supplied two more, which we’ll allow purely for the y2k nostalgia…

Dario G – ‘Sunchyme’

“It takes a while to build, but once it gets to about the 3:10 mark, that dreamy chant sampled from The Dream Academy’s ‘Life In a Northern Town’ kicks in and you are smacked in the face with the Ibiza island breeze, the smell of the Baltic sea, and images of an African safari all at the same time?”

Mason, Princess Superstar – ‘Perfect (Exceeder) – Radio Edit’

“I feel like a supermodel strutting down Rodeo Drive. Before EDM was even considered a category within pop music during our generation, this was a prototype for artists featuring on DJ/producers’ instrumental tracks, as well as mashups going mainstream. You can tell artists like Justice were inspired by this style of nü disco.”

Watch LIZ’s lyric video to ‘BTR 2GTHR’:

The 10 Best Underrated Pop Gems, according to LIZ

Follow Dummy’s curated playlists on Spotify: Next Hype: The Best New Music, Brand New, Electronics, Rap Drill & Grime and Bedroom Pop.