The love for Teena Marie carries over to “Energy,” with another, more recognizable “ooo la la” around 1:17. And “Superstar” drops in one of the album’s first of many references to queer ballroom culture, with Bey declaring, “Category: bad bitch” (à la how the categories for the walks are announced). (Plus, don’t miss the “Unique” sample carried over here, with Beyoncé channeling Kim Cooper through her own “unique!” ad-libs.) Amid all the house references, Honey Dijon nabs another credit, alongside a murderer’s row of musicians including Lucky Daye, 070 Shake, Labrinth, and Beyoncé’s own husband Jay-Z. (Also known as Johnny Dangerous, Foremost Poets is a progenitor of deep house.) But wait, there’s a third new sample, too! The “We walk a certain way …” vocal originates from an interview with National Black Theater founder Barbara Ann Teer, as sampled in “Do It Your Way,” a 1996 deep-house cut from Mood II Swing. “Alien Superstar” also references a more obscure song, Foremost Poets’ “Moonraker,” which gives it the “Please do not be alarmed, remain calm” introduction. Give it a read, then get back to grooving.īeyoncé joins the likes of Future and Taylor Swift by tackling Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” unlike them, she manages to pull it off, twisting the hook about being “too classy for this world” into another house track. Wondering where that bass line came from, who crafted that beat, or what exact style that song is? We’ve got you covered with a track-by-track guide to all the dance references on Renaissance. The album’s core producers include Beyoncé go-tos The-Dream and Mike Dean, and recent collaborators Nova Wav, but each song also brings new faces to the party. Renaissance is a rich text - dauntingly so, with some songs featuring multiple samples, shifting subgenres, and Easter eggs. Sure, the record may not have any visuals yet - a stark break from her work over the past ten years - but that’s just another homage to dance music, where the best way to experience a song is to listen and move. Given the roots of disco and house, Renaissance also continues Beyoncé’s ongoing interest in spotlighting Black culture. It’s a remarkably focused approach, in a similar vein to the Pan-African music on The Gift and the ballads–pop songs split on I Am … Sasha Fierce. Instead, over the album’s hour-long run time, Bey is channeling dance across various subgenres, attempting to make as full of a tribute to the club as she can. But on Renaissance, Beyoncé’s seventh solo album, she is no longer dabbling. She’s been doing it her whole career, from early songs like “Naughty Girl,” which sampled Donna Summer, to later ones like “Schoolin’ Life” and “Haunted,” which are rooted in disco and trance. There’s little left for Beyoncé to conquer at this point - including dance music. Photo: Carlijn Jacobs/Parkwood Entertainment
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