This year has been the year of the novelty dance, in other words, "the skank." For all those who don’t know what a skank is, well, it’s basically a dance that us urban folk do whilst on the dancefloor of any grime, UK funky, or bassline rave (we could add dubstep to the list, but the jumping-up-and-down-with-a-beer-in-your-right-hand skank doesn’t look or sound too pretty).
Top 5 Skanks Of 2009:
Migraine Skank
Gracious K has tormented the nation this year with his infectious Migraine Skank. From just a joke on YouTube, this track quickly became one of the biggest tracks to come from the underground funky house scene, and it eventually got signed - with a spanking new video to go with it.
Swine Flu SkankIf you've suffered the dreadful swine flu this year, then you should have probably checked this rather educational skank out. The Swine Flu Skank was put together to show people what to do when coughing and sneezing into a tissue: “Catch it, bin it, kill it...’’
Tribal Skank
One of the more complicated skanks out there at the moment, the Tribal Skank (created by Fr3e) was one that you had to master before trying out on the dancefloor, otherwise you would’ve looked like a doughnut - just like the man in their video.
Gunfinger Skank
The Gunfinger Skank is a dance move mostly associated with the grime-loving audience. It's when you put your fingers in a gun-like position and wave it around profusely. Although it isn’t a new skank, it deserves a mention because it will never go out of date. In the bars of Tinchy Stryder (pre-pop): “Yeah! Let me see your gunfingers...’’
Stick Up SkankThe Stick Up Skank is simply a mix between the Gunfinger Skank and the Tribal Skank. The track by Dotstar is a classy UK funky number, one which the ladies can get down to in the clubs without having to deal with annoying little boys jumping around to perform the aforementioned skanks.
Joseph 'JP' Patterson's Top Tracks Of The Year...
Next Hype – Tempa T
Watching Her Move / Party Hard – Donaeo
End Credits – Chase & Status ft Plan B
Lipsin Ting – Scorcher
Over Me (Silencer remix) – JME
Cruel Intentions (Joker remix) – Beth Ditto
Fight For This Love (Crazy Cousinz remix) – Cheryl Cole ft Griminal
DC Gang – DJ Q & Lenky
Get Milli Get Mad – Kdot & Subzero
Words – Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
A version of this appears in Mixmag