10 love songs for the dance music lover's Valentine's Day

The raw emotion of love has been showcased in dance music since the first rhythms and melodies graced the airwaves. It's only natural - the feeling of being in love is like hearing your favorite track or that perfect sound, it takes over every aspect of thought and refuses to let go. Although, from a musician's perspective, conveying this message of love is not always easy. The top artists recognize this and, as such, pour their hearts into their craft so that listeners can feel what they felt when they produced it. With that in mind, songs about love stand out due to their intimate nature.

Just take a listen to Caribou's album 'Our Love' and it's apparent what producer Dan Snaith was trying to get across regarding his ideas about love. He shed some light on his vision in an interview with Grantland: "...I think, lyrically and thematically, I guess, the record’s kind of about the love relationships in my life — not just my wife, but also my daughter, my parents, my family, my friends. People close to me have been through divorce in the last few years, and it’s actually been good in the end. And my experience of all those relationships is they’re complex and rich and contradictory and encompass lots of different things; melancholy and happiness next to one another. It’s not just this kind of one-note simplistic kind of thing."

Love is definitely complicated, but what's not are these 10 tracks that seem to simplify the emotion for all to digest. Don't take Mixmag's word for it, just dive into this playlist of love songs below and it's easy to see what we're getting at.

Mary Clark’s ‘Take Me I’m Yours’ is a cult classic soulful disco track filled with the passion and raw emotion of a lover’s lust. Up until recent years it was a mythical tune, rumored to have only been pressed on 200 records when it was originally released as a 7” in 1980. Then in 2005 it was repressed on purple vinyl, but gained mass appeal when Floating Points featured it in his BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix in 2015. Produced by the influential musician Patrick Adams, ‘Take Me I’m Yours’ undeniably a love song not to be overlooked.

Omar-S is no stranger to deep and sexy tunes, and ‘S.E.X. (Conant Gardens Posse Remix)’ is a clear example of just how seductive his tracks can be. Released in 2012 as part of the ‘S.E.X - The Remixes’ EP, the track is a collaboration with Aaron "Fit" Siegel and vocalist L’Renee, two fellow Detroit natives. With lyrics as risqué as the forward title suggests, it’s a love song for the freaks. If there’s any tune released within the past few years that will help set the mood with your significant other, this one is it.

The disco era was a prime time for love-focused dance tracks and Gwen McCrae’s ‘Keep The Fire Burning’ is one that reflects the essence of that time period. With an infectious bassline lying at its foundation, McCrae delivers a ballad addressing the notion that love is something that needs constant attention, as the title says, to keep the fire burning. Although McCrae is more known for her R&B work, ‘Keep The Fire Burning’ is as effective on the dancefloor as any funk infused disco track and is a critically acclaimed, timeless gem. It reminds us: “You gotta work on your love, you gotta give it all you've got”.

Simply put, Motor City Drum Ensemble has a way with producing an irresistible groove, as is evident in his track ‘L.O.V.E.’, released as a DJ-Kicks exclusive on !K7 in 2011. The steady, flowing track delivers soulful deep house elements highlighted by his brilliant use of samples, an unparalleled aspect of his artistry. The smooth and sultry essence makes this a love song for those special intimate moments. The digital release is accompanied by standout remixes from Kyle Hall, Smallpeople and Wolfgang Voigt, all of which are a nice addition to any music collection.

Caribou’s 2014 album ‘Our Love’ is filled with beautiful emotions and intimate motifs, but Tale of Us and Mano le Tough stole the show with arguably the top track of that year with their remix of the album’s lead single ‘Can’t Do Without You’. They expertly transformed the original into a progressive and uplifting dancefloor ballad that was heard in countless DJ sets from Ibiza to London to NYC and beyond. There is a strong sense of yearning for a loved one portrayed in the track, done so with such delicacy and class that it’s bound to tug on the heart strings. When looking to musically confess your love, this track is a great starting point.

For those that speak Turkish, it will be clear why this track is selected. If not, then just know the title translates to “I want to love” and the lyrics tell of a person who wants to love, but is not sure if they are capable. The music on the other hand is the great communicator here because no matter what language you speak, it’s clear this funk filled dance track can help set the mood. MMT, aka Mehmet Aslan, is a Berlin-based producer who has received nods from the likes of Tim Sweeney and Damian Lazarus and has released on Banofee Pies and Huntleys & Palmers, among others. Phe’s launched his Fleeting Wax label which is an outlet to keep an eye on for future MMT material.

Studio Barnhus co-founder Kornél Kovács’ moody interpretation of Serge Devant’s ‘Always On My Mind’ is one of those tracks that’s more about someone longing for love, rather than actually in love. Nevertheless, it’s a song that’s no less filled with love. Released in 2016 on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels, the original also comes with a remix by Pirupa and another Kornél Kovács dub.

One of the tunes that helped launch Mall Grab into the spotlight, ‘Can’t’ made its rounds on the internet a year before it was released on the London-based Church imprint in 2016. Sampling Alicia Keys’ ‘Feeling U, Feeling Me’, Mall Grab captures the emotion of the original track’s melody and airy vocal hook to deliver an alluring house tune. If you’ve been in love before, clearly it’s hard to get that person out of your mind, and Mall Grab captures that feeling in a dusty deep house anthem.

Detroit producer Kenny Dixon Jr., aka Moodymann, is no stranger to soulful love tunes. Back in 1999 he released ‘Don’t You Want My Love’ and in recent years the track’s legendary status has been cemented in the scene. Throughout his career he’s been a master at using incredible samples and on this record he completely transforms ‘Spiral’ by The Crusaders into a grooving club track aimed directly at the dance.

There might not be a better tune to help set the mood than Daft Punk’s ‘Something About Us’. The steady beat met with a warm bassline, funky guitar riffs and a synth melody to melt your heart makes this an ideal tune for “the right time”. Putting this on repeat in a hot moment is never a bad decision. Daft Punk’s ‘Discovery’ album released in 2001 is loaded with timeless gems and ‘Something About Us’ is undoubtedly a standout production.

Not everyone has the pleasure of being in love and as such an anti-love tune is necessary to help lift spirits. Released on a single sided vinyl in 2013, Swedish producer HNNY flipped TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’ into his beautifully emotive house tune simply titled ‘No’. The lyrics say it all, “No, i don´t want your number and No, I don’t want to give you mine and No, I don’t want to meet you nowhere No, I don’t want none of your time and No”. Sounds cold, but also empowering. Dive into this when the going gets tough and just know that you’re completely fine on your own.

For more love songs, check out our Spotify playlist here

Harrison is Mixmag's East Coast Editor. Follow him on Twitter here