Critical Reception
"Ready for the Floor" was generally well received by music critics and charted well in the United Kingdom, where it reached number six. Drowned in Sound gave the single a score of 9/10 and described it as one that "might not sell a million records" but that it could make "'household name' an achievable status".
Drowned in Sound said that it had "a chord change that uplifts the soul" and that the song was "a slice of sweetly insistent ‘80s Italo-house lite" but also said it could also be described "as a piece of sophisticated mainstream pop". MusicOMH said that "Ready For The Floor" bore an "undoubted resemblance at first glance" to "Boy From School" but said it was "more subtle in its use of brushed electro beats and clever countermelodies".
A number of reviews discussed the style of Alexis Taylor’s vocals. MusicOMH described his vocals as "quietly dreamy" whilst Drowned in Sound said there was "something incredibly sweet about the way that Alexis Taylor croons 'you’re my number one guy'" and described his vocals as "full of nerdy sexual chocolate."
Boomkat.com said that "Ready for the Floor (Smoothed Out on an R&B Tip version)", sounded "more in line with Morr-ish poptronica than R. Kelly" and was "undoubtedly tinted with a slightly more downbeat hue than the album and radio edits." Boomkat.com also commented on the B-side, "My Brother Is Watching Me", describing it as "a slow burning, exceptionally quiet electronic ballad".
The song was also well received in the United States, where it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in December 2008.
Pitchfork Media named it as the third best track of 2008 & 76th best song of the 2000s.
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