Hiiii Oontzers,
This week we're focusing on Madonna's iconic 1998 electronic album, Ray of Light, and its respective nachos!
What do we mean by nachos? Well, if you're not as chronically online as we are, nachos (aka reheated nachos) refer to the idea of an artist reusing a concept from an earlier time, usually to a less effective degree (reheated nachos are, of course, never as tasty as fresh nachos). However, we here at Oontz Oontz love nachos, and respect the cyclical trends of dance music and broader pop culture as innate. So for the purposes of Oontz Oontz here and forevermore, "nachos" refers to music that takes inspiration from a specific artist or body of work, in today's case: Ray of Light!
Ray of Light was Madonna's seventh studio album and is often considered her best due to its groundbreaking blend of trip-hop, electronica, trance, house, and techno-pop spearheaded by superstar producer William Orbit. While trip-hop heads and disciples of electronic music will roll their eyes at the notion that Madonna somehow invented any of these genres, the impact this album had on bringing these sounds from the underground into the mainstream is undeniable.
27 years on, it has become clear that Ray of Light continues to be a well of artistic inspiration for artists. FKA Twigs dance pop album, "EUSEXUA," and Addison Rae's debut album, "Addison," are often cited as the clearest examples of Ray of Light's legacy in recent music. In a dance music landscape currently dominated by samples and interpolations, what separates these albums is their ability to expand on the ideas introduced within Ray of Light without taking directly from the source. Ray of Light nachos are special in that they are not reheated–but innovated, and can be found in artists ranging all the way from the experimental Oklou to the pop princess Zara Larsson. So whether you love '90s electronic dance music, or just love nachos (like us), we hope you enjoy our brief but curated selection of dance tracks from Ray of Light and beyond.
Oontz Oontz #5 - Ray of Light (Nachos) Playlist:
Nothing Really Matters - Madonna
Girl Feels Good - FKA Twigs
Frozen - Madonna
Aquamarine - Addison Rae
Seasons - Erika de Casier
Skin - Madonna
Dark Angel - Kelly Lee Owens
Sky Fits Heaven - Madonna
Perfectly - FKA Twigs
dance 2 - Oklou
Midnight Sun - Zara Larsson
Ray of Light - Madonna