Kitchen Raves are the New Craze on Spotify in the UK
Even though in-person nightclubs have been closed for the past year, the dance music genre is booming around the world. AmaPiano takes the stage in South Africa, Slap music thrives in Germany, and Russian Rave is also keeping the beat going. And in the UK especially, seasoned clubbers and new fans alike have brought the party to their kitchens, living rooms, and gardens—resulting in a boom in dance music streaming.
Since the start of 2021, Spotify has seen almost 80,000 new playlists created with “dance” in the title globally, and in turn, over 143 million hours of dance music have been streamed this year the world. And, in just the last 90 days alone, there has been a 26% increase in the number of UK playlists with “Kitchen Rave” in the title.
Dance music has kept fans going during lockdown. They’re even reminiscing to the sounds of their favorite venues on repeat. Globally, we have seen an increase in streams of official playlists made by nightclubs, with Oval Space in East London seeing an incredible 300% increase in streams of its official playlist, and perennial London favorite Printworks seeing a 110%+ increase of its own playlist.
“I know I’m not alone when I say I can’t wait to get back into my favorite venues,” says Spotify dance music editor Christie Driver-Snell. “Whilst we all eagerly await doors re-opening, it has been amazing to see the interest in the genre across the platform with both new and loyal fans turning to tracks to lift their mood, mark the arrival of the weekend, and relive dancefloor moments. With festivals and live events set to start taking place this year, excitement is at its peak. We are seeing this reflected on the platform, with dance having an incredible year on Spotify.’’
When it comes to the most popular artists and tracks, commercial dance has seen the biggest surge in fans. Since the beginning of 2021, Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris took the crown for the most-streamed commercial dance artist, followed by David Guetta and Travis Scott. “Don’t Play” by Anne-Marie, Digital Farm Animals, and KSI was revealed as the top commercial dance track of 2021 so far, followed by “The Business” by Tiësto and “Paradise (feat. Dermot Kennedy)” by Dermot Kennedy and MEDUZA.
Dance music isn’t just fueling our weekends and evenings; it’s also proving popular with fitness fanatics: Joel Correy’s “Lonely” is the most-streamed dance track within Fitness playlists on Spotify, followed by Becky Hill and Sigala’s “Heaven On My Mind (with Sigala)” and MK and Raphaella’s “One Night (feat. Raphaella).”
Throughout that time, DJs, venues, and producers have also kept the party alive by bringing the club scene into homes as dance has gone virtual. Now, Belfast-born, London-based electronic duo Bicep will be taking over Spotify’s flagship alternative electronic music playlist, Altar. The dance duo have nearly 3 million monthly listeners and over a quarter of a million followers on Spotify, with top listeners coming from London, Dublin, Birmingham, Amsterdam, and Bristol. Their takeover sees Bicep bringing all the heft of their euphoric energy and global sound to the playlist.
Whether you’re listening to Dance Pop or one of the other popular sub-genres of dance (Tropical House, EDM, House, Electro House), these stats show that you can keep the party going from any room you’re in.
