Give them credit: When Justice plotted an NYC stop on their current MySpace Music tour, they initially booked at Madison Square Garden. The arena. Where the Knicks play, or, we should say, where a few players wearing orange and blue occasionally conduct a lazy pick-up game. It was a bold move, and while the plan ultimately didn't fly -- the show was moved to the smaller (but still relatively cavernous), 3,500-capacity WaMu Theater at MSG -- it did prove that dance music has a resurgent presence in this country not felt since the supposed-but-never-realized electronica takeover of 1997. Will SXSW 2008 serve as the launch pad for the next slew of dancefloor dominators? Let's examine a few contenders.

From now through March 11, SPIN.com's Peter Gaston is chained to his desk, listening to almost 600 MP3s of SXSW 2008 performers on shuffle mode in iTunes, separating the wheat from the chaff. His findings will be posted daily.