Dance Music

In the world of English rock guitar gods, all roads lead back to the Yardbirds.In 1963, the young combo began playing clubs around London, and immediately earned a reputation, both for its devotion to the blues and for a stunning young guitarist named Eric "Slowhand" Clapton (the nickname being an ironic acknowledgment of his speed on the fretboard).Two years later, Clapton left the group, disgusted at how pop-friendly the Yardbirds had become. Desperate for a replacement, the group turned to Jimmy Page, then the hottest session guitarist in England.

Talvin SinghAsian Dub FoundationBombay the Hard WayOK (Island 314 524 559)Rafi's Revenge (Slash 314 556 053)Guns, Cars, Sitars (Motel Room 3)Ever since the Beatles added sitars to their sound back in the '60s, Western pop fans have been familiar with the sound of Indian music.But what we heard wasn't really Indian pop music. It was just a gloss on the traditional sound of sitars and tablas, something rock stars threw in when they wanted their music to sound psychedelic and exotic. For all we knew, there wasn't any such thing as Indian pop music.

Some people talk about drum 'n' bass as if its 170-beat-per-minute tempos were inhumanly fast. But that frenetic pace is nothing compared with the kind of schedule that U.K. DJ Groove-rider maintains.That's as it should be, though, because if it weren't for Groove-rider, it's doubtful that drum 'n' bass would be anywhere near as well-known as it is.After all, the whole drum 'n' bass explosion began when Groove-rider was resident DJ at the London club Rage.Some critics have even gone so far as to credit Groove-rider with inventing the whole hyperkinetic language of drum 'n' bass, in which break-beats (sampled snippets of drums or percussion)

The Ballet Theater of Annapolis staged its version of "Dracula" so soon after the Pasadena Playhouse's dramatization opened that I feared I would be Dracula-ed out. Happily, I wasn't.Artistic director Edward Stewart's dance adaptation proved interesting and exciting.Created last season for the 100th anniversary of Bram Stoker's Victorian novel, the ballet has much to recommend it -- spectacular dancing, haunting music, fine costuming, expert staging and great lighting.Dmitry Tuboltsev, the former Bolshoi Ballet dancer who has become the theater's principal male dancer, has the stage presence, acting ability and dancing skill to realize all aspects of the bifurcated vampire, who is both living and dead, forbidding and attracting.

Lauryn Hill1/2Chris KaltenbachSquirrel Nut ZippersPerennial Favorites (Mammoth 354 980 169)Because they use crooning saxophones in place of screaming guitars, the Squirrel Nut Zippers are seen as part of the swing revival. But the evidence found on "Perennial Favorites" argues otherwise. True, the band has its share of hot jazz numbers, particularly "Suits Are Picking Up the Bill" and the jovial "Pallin' with Al," but swing isn't all they do. "The Ghost of Stephen Foster" flirts with klezmer, while "My Drag" is presented as a sort of Middle-Eastern tango.

In the Bible, Matthew writes of the prophet who is not without honor, save in his own country. But what of the pop star who is honored everywhere but her hometown?In Europe, in Japan, in Brazil, Ultra Nate is a star. A big star. Her last single, the guitar-driven dance tune "Free," was a global smash, a million seller that moved more than 400,000 copies in the U.K. alone.Her current single, "Found a Cure," entered the British charts at No. 6, several places above such American hits as K-Ci & Jojo's "All My Life" and "What You Want" by Mase.

The members of Epiphany Episcopal Church in Odenton are dusting off the antique chairs, pulling out the good linen and training the youth of their 81-year-old parish to serve an English country tea from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the church on Odenton Road.In addition to teas, they will serve finger sandwiches, scones and trifle. And this year, they have added a plant sale.Tickets are are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Information: Elva Cox at 410-674-4144.Spring dance showThe modern dance students at Anne Arundel Community College present their spring show "Spring Migration '98," at 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday in the Pascal Center for Performing Arts on the Arnold campus.

King Britt Presents Sylk 130When the Funk Hits the Fan (Ovum/Ruffhouse/Columbia 67906)Pop fans often think of dance music as being simplistic and shallow, a style more concerned with getting a groove going than with telling a story or engaging the listener's emotions. That's understandable, too, given the number of love-you/miss-you dance songs that end up in the Top 40.Hit singles, though, are just the tip of the iceberg. Dance music these days isn't just funk and disco; it covers an enormous amount of musical ground, from acid jazz and ambient to trip-hop and techno.

Gang RelatedThe Soundtrack (Death Row 53509)With many in the music industry wondering about the future of Death Row Records after the death of Tupac Shakur, the departure of co-founder Dr. Dre, and the incarceration of label chief Suge Knight, the soundtrack to "Gang Related," Shakur's final film, ought to be enough to silence the naysayers. Instead, it only adds weight to their doubts. Despite reports that Shakur had recorded several albums' worth of material before his death, the "Gang Related" soundtrack hardly counts as a 2Pac album; after all, he's only featured on four of the double-album's 24 tracks.

Oct. 30, 1938, was a typical cool autumn Sunday as Baltimoreans relished the news that Hopkins had defeated Haverford College, 7-6, after Charlie Rudo scored on an 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. On the other hand, Navy and Penn had slugged it out through four grinding periods to a scoreless tie.Headlines in The Sun promised that the War Admiral-Seabiscuit match race that Tuesday would open a "Brilliant Meeting" at Pimlico Race Course, while Brenda Frazier, New York's "glamour deb," had attended the Velvet Ball that weekend.