I don’t normally dance, but every few months I get the urge to let loose on the dance floor. Just in time, the ultimate pairing in Scandinavian dance-pop was announced at Chicago’s Metro, and I knew where to go to get my fix.

We walked into the Metro just as the adorable Annie was finishing up “Chewing Gum,” the thunderous bass sending us to the bar to buy earplugs. Having seen her earlier this summer at a very small club singing behind the shield of a glass DJ pod, seeing her up on a huge stage behind thunderous beats and flashing lights was a much more fulfilling experience. Her thin voice had difficulty filling up the space the Metro afforded her this time around, but it was made up for by the hot beats that gave the typically rock venue an uncharacteristic dance club vibe. Annie was backed this time by a drummer/guitarist and her extremely charming DJ Timo, who danced with reckless abandon behind his turntables. Annie sang a short set that included an extended version of “Come Together,” as well as a new song called “Marry Me” that she indicated will be featured on her upcoming DJ Kicks. She wrapped things up with Anniemal highlight “Heartbeat,” leaving me warmed up and ready for a full-fledged dance party.

Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge eventually made their way on stage in matching red shirts with skinny black ties. Taking up the majority of the stage was a huge mock-up of a cassette tape with their name scrawled on the label. “We’re Royksopp and we’re from Norway,” Svein said in his sexy robot voice after starting things off with “Triumphant,” the first track on Royksopp’s new album, The Understanding. The album strikes me as far more euro-pop than Melody A.M., and I’ve found myself enjoying the added cheese factor that comes along with that. That factor came on a bit strong when Royksopp’s female vocalist came on stage to sing on tracks like “What Else Is There”; her excessive emoting was a little over the top, and I couldn’t decide if it complemented or took away from the show. Still, Royksopp gave us a good time as they ran between their myriad of keyboards and electronic drum pads, and the colored lighting was well done on the part of the Metro staff. Though I do really like the new album and songs like “Only This Moment” sounded great, the highest highs still came from Melody A.M., with “Eple” and “Poor Leno” getting the crowd (and myself) cheering and moving the most. The crowd was generally a fun one, with 99% of the audience clearly having a blast, while the other 1% stood around with one hip cocked, cigarette dangling from their fingers, looking bored and disaffected as they tossed their bangs out of their eyes. The encore ended things on a high note with a “Poor Leno” remix, and I left more than pleased that my dance craving could be satisfied on a late Monday night, just before the realization that I had to work in the morning truly set in.