I Dream of Divas

When I was younger I rarely appreciated pop divas. I saw Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” video rerun on MTV when it still played music videos and changed the channel. I’d hear Whitney Houston on the radio and groan. Somewhere along the way I bought the Brandy and Monica single “The Boy is Mine,” but it never managed to displace “Big Willie Style” as the CD of the moment. The era of the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears came, and if I couldn’t ignore Britney’s looks when I was in the sixth grade, I could surely avoid her music. Pop divas were never my thing, and I was comfortable with that.

But things change. All of a sudden I find myself giving directions like “to the left, to the left,” when telling someone where to find the Ritz crackers, and wishing I had as much soul, class, and style as the subject of Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man.” It’s an affliction, but one I’d rather not help.

There are two main causes of my newfound adoration of divas, the first being an abundance of dance floor ready remixes. Portland area DJ Copy put his “Diva Mixtape Vol. 1” out in early 2006, and began my diva revival. The CD contains six remixes, including TLC’s “No Scrubs,” Mariah Carey’s “Emotions,” and Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair.” Since releasing “Diva Mixtape Vol. 1,” Copy has been immersing himself in danceable diva tunes, starting Do n’ Dudes (DnD), a diva-focused cover band. They have released one CD so far, “DJ Copy Presents: Diva Mixtape Vol. 2,” which you can cop at both Copy and DnD live shows. Copy’s second LP, “Hair Guitar,” will be released on Audio Dregs on March 2.

TLC - No Scrubs (Copy Remix)

My diva habit was further nurtured by Kingston, Ontario DJ Sta, who recently released a refreshingly electronic remix of Beyoncé’s acoustic guitar driven “Irreplaceable.” Sta is relatively new to remixing, but after hearing this and his take on Timbaland’s “Give it to Me” he’s a name to look for when it comes to top 40 radio remixes.

Beyoncé - Irreplaceable (Sta Remix)

The final factor suggesting divas are going to become a permanent fixture in my musical landscape is that they’re gaining talented producers’ support and putting out singles that are solid before the remix. With Timbaland producing Nelly Furtado and DJ Premier in the credits for Christina Aguilera’s “Back to Basics” there’s no need to hope for exceptional lyrics or even great vocal skill (which Aguilera provides anyway). Divas are putting out dance floor fillers, and I couldn’t be happier.

Divas may have once been a bane, but with production like this, and DJs eager to play up the dancey bits, I’m happy to welcome them to the party.