It never fails to astound that at 78, Yoko Ono has carved herself a late career as a club queen. In 2001, she began her ONO remix series campaign, turning her previously released tracks over to a bevy of DJs and producers who recontextualized them for the dancefloor, turning on a whole new generation to her music.

On paper, melding her art-rock output with dancefloor beats might seem like strange bedfellows. But to hear Ono tell it, the decade-long project has really signalled a return to her roots:

“Many of my songs were dance orientated from way back,” she recently told Billboard. “That’s because I LOVE DANCE! When I hear a dance number, just hearing the first eight bars, it immediately makes my bod start moving and dancing. That’s how I was from a long, long time ago. I can’t help it. But now that I am very involved with making dance tracks, I feel I finally came home!”

Among those turning out remixes have included Superchumbo, Danny Tenaglia, Ralphi Rosario, Peter Rauhofer, Pet Shop Boys, Murk, Dave Audé, Basement Jaxx, Eric Kupper, Morel, and Stonebridge. Of course, while Ono gets the credit, she readily admits that clubgoers are really responding to the slicing-and-dicing skills of the heavy-hitters she’s managed to bring on board:

“One thing I didn’t know, and now I know: DJs are in incredible competition, musically. And they are the most musically creative and sensitive people in all the music charts. I am amazed how they are. Without their creativity, my songs could never have become No. 1. I have so much respect and love for the DJs on the dance chart, you just don’t know. One day, the dance charts will be the biggest chart in the music world. Because we all need to dance. This planet will be a fun planet when the judges in court will end the day with a dance!”

Well, I don’t know about all that, though a girl (or a 78-year-old icon) can dream. But everyone could use a little more dance music in their lives, for sure. This week, Ono celebrates her seventh consecutive #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart (and ninth overall), as “Talking To The Universe” ascends to the top spot, dethroning Beyoncé’s “Best Thing I Never Had” (which drops precipitously to #13).

On board with the ONO project from the beginning — check out Orange Factory’s hard-charging mix of “Open Your Box” —  picking from the latest round of remixes, I’m torn between the work of two returning champions. Both Ralphi Rosario and Dave Audé have done a stellar job with “Talking To The Universe.” Hear here:

You’ve really got to give it up to Yoko Ono. She’s even got her own Twitter account, and comments via her SoundCloud page too.

Purchase ONO – “Talking To The Universe” (Remixes) via iTunes.