WELCOME TO THE DANCE FLOOR!

“Dance music is dying.”

Muttered over pancakes in a 24-hour diner after a serious night of clubbing, those four words gave birth to DIVA DIVO.

Our pal Kurt shook his head as he said them, fighting back a tiny twinge of sadness… or more likely, the beginning to a killer hangover. We were wrapping up another night on the town, and our conversation – one that was a little too loud and a little too slurred, judging by the dirty looks from our bitter waitress – had turned to the future of dance music. We LOVE dance music. There's nothing better than the pounding beat of a catchy hook, the rocking wail of a saucy diva – or divo! – and the unadulterated joy of casting away worries, cares and inhibitions, to dance under the flashing lights of a city night.

But we had noticed a gradual trend over years: The death of dance. Radio stations had all but forsaken the genre, putting even mainstream Madonnas – nevermind the hundreds of lesser known acts – out to pasture. Our favorite clubs were trading formats, preferring even the most banal hip hop over the most complex dance cuts. And even the internet – probably the greatest tool any subculture could possess to spread news, form communities, and strengthen bonds between the likeminded – lacked a viable dance music presence.

As much as we hated to admit it, and even though his pessimism might have been attributed to a disagreeable mixture of vodka and maple syrup, our friend had a point: Dance music was dying.

Well, not without a fight, thank you very much!

Enter: DIVA DIVO … a website devoted solely to dance music, the people who make it, and the people who love it.

Sure, there were other dance sites on the internet, but they weren’t satisfying our appetites for the kind of fun, fascinating, emotive – and yes, even artistic! – music that we love. Instead, they were filled with news on the latest DJ booth gizmos, reviews of unidentifiable singles by faceless techno artists, and “hot gossip” about record label management. There was lots of industry chatter, gadget-speak, and pouty photos of self-serious clubbers.

That's all well and good, but it wasn't what we were looking for.

Where were the house divas who work the stage – and the microphone – to send us into dizzying spins of dance delight? Were we the only ones who preferred a catchy, sing-along hook to a monotonous beat? Was it so wrong that we were less interested in breaks, bass and beats per minute – and more interested in just having a damn good time?

Don’t get us wrong, we have nothing but respect for the talented DJs who spin every night of the week to keep us moving ‘til our early morning pancake breakfasts – in fact, we’ll certainly spotlight quite a few on this site! We do respect the barely-known producers and artists who fly beneath the mainstream radar. And we do appreciate the importance of industry news and happenings.

But that’s not the focus of what you’ll find on DIVA DIVO.

What you will find are interviews with your favorite dance artists, tour dates (so you can actually see them in the flesh for once!,) behind-the-scenes news and gossip, and reviews of CDs you’d play in your car… not just in the DJ booth.

If the other sites think we’re sell-outs, that’s fine by us. If they find us lame, we’ll take it as a compliment.

Last time we checked, there’s nothing wrong with having fun on the dance floor. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the artistry as much as the technology. And there’s nothing wrong with smiling over pancakes, in a 24-hour diner, under the auspicious glare of a bitter waitress, after dancing the night away.

Welcome to DIVA DIVO. No cover charge, no drink minimum, and no attitude.

Well, maybe just a little.

Enjoy the music! And check back often. This blog is updated daily, CD reviews weekly, and main features monthly. So there's always something new to find!

- Jade Diva & Johnny Divo