[Lagerfeldt]

You're probably using too much limiting and your compressor is set wrong. There are certainly instances where you use automation in mastering, but usually that's simply for lowering or raising volume. If you need to automate limiters and eq in most of your masters you need to look at your whole approach again.

But you also have to remember that when you listen to and look at good commercial dance tracks, they have been produced and mixed to near perfection before mastering takes place.

The producer and mixer (often the same person in this type of music) has absolutely control over each sound in the mix, much more so than with rock or acoustic music. Mastering a good dance track is more about minimizing the side effects of compression and limiting than anything else. You'll rarely be limiting more than 2 dB, perhaps 3 dB in total.

The good dance mixes I get in for mastering (and the productions and mixes I make myself) are tightly controlled in terms of peaks, so little limiting is needed on the master in order to increase volume. It primarily comes from the mix itself.

My advice for you is to see if you can get a really good unmastered dance track to examine, and then experiment more with your compressor (and limiter).