B-Side Weekly: “Skirt” – Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue, better known as the “Australian” Madonna / Queen of Pop, truly hasn’t had a resurgence in the United States since her single from 2002, “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.” Aside from that number one pop hit, Minogue’s brand of Euro-pop and working with the hottest European house producers still hasn’t provided Minogue with another hit, outside of her popularity with the gay community in the United States, which has attributed to her success in the club scene. 2013 was a roller-coaster of a year: fresh off of her last album, Aphrodite, she not only made an effort to tour to the United States once, but twice, even though her capital would count it as a loss since she would be playing small theatres, opposed to arenas and stadiums;

And out of the ashes of the picky United States comes the Australian Phoenix, for in 2013, the banger produced by Chris Elliot, by the name of Skirt was released exclusively on Beatport. Skirt was a milestone for Minogue, for although she had participated in the dance world, Skirt contained elements of dubstep, house, and sweet drops that our Ms. Kylie had not yet incorporated into her music. Although the mainstream ignored any effort she tried to make, Skirt rose to the position of number one on the Billboard US Dance Club Song charts to number one, cementing her into the dance world with more and more synth heads giving her a chance.

While Skirt did face a successful release for a promotional single, no video was released, and Minogue happened to be pretty quiet leading up to the release of her Kiss Me Once album. None the less, Skirt stands the test of time due to its production style being spearheaded by a non-American producer, who unbiasedly combined the “campy” aspects of her musical brand with an American club sound that is relevant to the world of EDM and dance music in general. If released as the lead single and not a promo, Skirt might have actually survived in a competitive climate, but it is well-known that when an artist finds their market, sometimes it is not always necessary to invest in an unsteady audience that might not consider you their favorite.

If you’re looking for a track that satisfies your need for hard drops, yet provide high powered synths comparable to Western European house, tune into Kylie Minogue’s Skirt, because dance music is always a little better when its a bit more campy.

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Sources: Billboard