Build a Workout Burnout: Kid Sister – Right Hand Hi

Kid Sister’s “Right Hand Hi” works for one very solid reason. A MONSTER BEAT! One of the most ferocious bass beats I’ve heard in recent memory, the song works great as a burnout because your body just cant think of moving slowly to something this aggressive. One weakness is that I really wanted to break out dancing when I heard it, which unfortunately is not a good idea on a treadmill.

Build a Workout Stride: M.I.A. – Paper Planes

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, strides are all about consistent beats and a bit of variety to keep you interested. “Paper Planes” is a natural fit, providing a cathartic beat juxtaposed with an amazing hook full of gunshots and M.I.A.’s soft vocals. This one is a winner.

Build a Workout Mix: Successful Mix 7

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

This mix is an altered version of Successful Mix 6 which can be found HERE

1. HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER – Daft Punk

2. We R Who We R – Ke$ha

3. Crazy In Love – Beyonce

4. Paper Planes – M.I.A.

5. Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas

6. Right Hand Hi – Kid Sister

7. Dont Stop the Music – Rihanna

8. My Life Feat. Lil Wayne – The Game

Since my last mix was already mostly pop and electronic music, I decided to completely dedicate this mix to that theme. I replaced “Boom Boom Pow” with some Daft Punk, and moved it down to replace “Chariots of Fire”. I also added “Paper Planes” and “Dont Stop the Music” as my new strides and “Right Hand Hi” replacing the B’z. Finally I added The Game’s “My Life” to replace the Offspring to complete my all pop oriented mix.

Daft Punk’s “HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER” is a perfect Warm Up because the song has this natural build to it. It starts off working with these separate ideas and then starts playing them off of one another ratcheting up the songs intensity. When the 2 minute mark hits and the song reaches its best sections, my body was primed for my run. Couldnt ask for more.

“We R Who We R” and “Crazy In Love” continue to do their jobs.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, strides are all about consistent beats and a bit of variety to keep you interested. “Paper Planes” is a natural fit, providing a cathartic beat juxtaposed with an amazing hook full of gunshots and M.I.A.’s soft vocals. This one is a winner.

If there was any stumble in my workout, it was probably “Boom Boom Pow“. While the song worked great as a mix opening warm up, it stumbles a bit as a mid-mix song. At this point I was getting pretty tired and was looking forward to taking things down a notch. This song just starts with a bit too much intensity for the slower paced song I was hoping for. Still, I made it work and it wasnt enough to ruin or breakup my workout so I’m still claiming success. If anything it made me run a little bit faster and longer.

Kid Sister’s “Right Hand Hi” works for one very solid reason. A MONSTER BEAT! One of the most ferocious bass beats I’ve heard in recent memory, the song works great as a burnout because your body just cant think of moving slowly to something this aggressive. One weakness is that I really wanted to break out dancing when I heard it, which unfortunately is not a good idea on a treadmill.

Rihanna songs are almost always good for strides. They have fun beats that keep you moving and often times allow for some great sing-alongs to keep you entertained for their entire length. Plus who doesnt love Rihanna’s voice?

For a cooldown I selected The Game’s “My Life”. Two reasons. The first is I’m a big fan of Lil Wayne’s autotuned singing (Sacrilegious I know). The second is that a good emotional story is a great way to end a run, encouraging you to finish out those last couple minutes by keeping your brain occupied.

So there you have it. Another run finished and another mix completed.

Build a Workout Mix: Successful Mix 3

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

I did run yesterday but I skyped with my fiance and didnt have time to post this. This mix is built off of successful mix 2 which can be found HERE.

Lets start with the new tracklist. Lots of updates on this one.

1. Lose Yourself – Eminem

2. Fuckin’ In the Bushes – Oasis

3. Alive & Amplified – The Mooney Suzuki

4. Seventeen Years – Ratatat

5. The Dragon Boy – Joe Hisaishi

6. Totalimmortal – AFI

7. Intergalactic – Beastie Boys

8. …To Die For – Hanz Zimmer

9. Invocation – …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Like I said, almost a complete overhaul. I figured that if the mix is successful, I should switch out more of the tracks so that I can introduce new ones to add for your own mixes.

The mix starts off the same with the excellent warm up “Lose Yourself”

I complained last time that “I Get Around” didnt fit in mood wise after “Lose Yourself” so I replaced it with the new stride “Fuckin’ In the Bushes”. This Oasis gem is a perfect stride with its repetitive guitar riff. I first heard the song during the climactic scene in the movie Snatch(Seriously if you havnt seen that movie, its a must!) and fell in love with it!

Next up comes a new burnout “Alive & Amplified”! I cant remember when I first discovered the Mooney Suzuki but this song got stuck in my head almost immediately. Like its name implies, this song will get you amped!! I was feeling extra tired since I was coming off a nine hour work day for my run tonight and when it was time for my burnout I couldnt remember what song I had picked. I just kept thinking, this thing better be BIG or else I’m giving up. Needless to say I did NOT give up!

“Seventeen Years” has returned for one more run but I’ve finally replaced its companion with the more mellow “The Dragon Boy” by Joe Hisaishi. If you dont know the composer, he is responsible for the soundtracks of all of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli animated films. This one comes from the wonderful “Spirited Away”. Stop reading this and go watch the movie if you’ve never seen it. The song is a bit soft but still served as a good warm up. It must be pointed out that “The Dragon Boy” is only the first 2:13 seconds of the youtube video I posted.

Another amazing burnout! I have no idea what the leader singer of AFI is saying most of the time but this song amps me up like nothing else. Everytime he says “This! Rage I! Cannot! Let! Go OH!” The bass line is mesmerizing and the guitars provide this perfect intensity that forces your body to give its hardest effort. And when he starts yelling at like the 2:05 mark?? I just wish there was anything else in AFI’s catalogue as amazing as this song.

I also finally retired “Ringa Ringa” replacing it with the very fun stride “Intergalactic”! The song as a great shuffling beat that keeps perfect pacing while each of the emcees provides plenty of funny lines to keep you entertained throughout.

“…To Die For” spins again as both a burnout motivation and a cool down

And finally another new cool down in the form of “Invocation”.  I’m gonna be honest, you CANNOT go wrong placing this song as either an intro or an outro on ANY mixtape. The perfect subtle beauty of the piano works to either build tension towards the first powerful track on an album, or build towards a moment of rest as it does here at the end of the mix. Wonderful Wonderful music! For some reason the original version isnt up on youtube!! I had to settle for this cover which does a fairly good job of conveying the beauty of this song. Find the original if you can!

Build a Workout Mix: Successful Mix 2

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

This is a reworking of Successful Mix 1 which you can read about HERE.

Here is the new tracklist:

1. Lose Yourself – Eminem

2. I Get Around – The Beach Boys

3. Prayer of the Refugee – Rise Against

4. Seventeen Years – Ratatat

5. Toreador – Apocalyptica

6. Misirlou – Dick Dale

7. Ringa Ringa – A R Rahman

8. … To Die For – Hanz Zimmer

9. Una Pistola Per Ringo – Ennio Morricone

I’m happy to announce that another successful mix has been made though today, my body tried to give out on me at multiple points. I cant wait until my legs become accustomed to running and theres less pain and ache for the rest of the day after a run.

“Lose Yourself” turned out to be PERFECT as a warm up! The soft piano eases you in and then once the beat starts to build, there is no stopping this engine. Even Eminem’s flow and lyrics are dead set on getting your body pumped up and ready. I think the song really proves the effect of mood on a work out. Starting out a running mix with this song adds a layer of context to your run. It gets your brain thinking seriously about making things happen. The run becomes more important and that sense of duty moves your body along effortlessly. 

Unfortunately the mood created bu “Lose Yourself” was pretty much killed by “I Get Around“. It wasn’t bad enough to ruin my mix and I did keep moving through the whole song but it does point out the importance of constructing a mix with a theme for it to be perfect. At some point I do plan on putting out some much more calculated mixes that come with high recommendation. These will definitely focus on setting a mood that stays steady through out. It may be serious like “Lose Yourself” or all for fun like “I Get Around” but blending them can cause a hiccup if not done correctly.

“Prayer of the Refuge” brought the mood back down to a more serious place and it still kept me going as a good burn out. I must also again point out that the combination of “Seventeen Years” followed by “Toreador” works extremely well together and will definitely be combined again in an advanced mix.

You’ll notice that I finally switched out “Liberi Fatali” for the new burnout “Misirlou” which you may recognize from the amazing Pulp Fiction! The Beach Boys surf rock encouraged me to try again and Dick Dale does not disappoint with this fast paced guitar party with horn accompaniment. Crazy that I can no longer think of this song without hearing The Black Eyed Peas “Pump It”

The stride staple “Ringa Ringa” helped ease me through a tough cramp during this run and I was thankful that it allows you to keep the beat at a slower pace if need be.

Anyone who didnt think the stampede song was going to end up here as a burnout really doesnt know me very well. One of Hanz Zimmer’s masterworks, this emotional and powerful song accompanies one of the saddest deaths in all of movie history. I seriously cant hear this song without getting crazy emotional. Thankfully it also works to make me run like theres a herd of wildebeests chasing me! Now there’s two ways to go with this one. The second half of this song is clearly a cool down so you can either skip ahead to the next song once the intense part ends or you can do what I did here and place it near a cool down to give you a bit of extra time to rest your body and mourn the death of Mufasa.

Ennio Morricone is a soundtrack king mostly because all of his songs make you feel like the coolest person on the planet. Even his slower music can be used on runs because a good cool down should always make you feel like the hero at the end of a movie.

Overall I didnt think the ruined mood was enough to mark this as a failed mix but it did teach me about the importance of mood for creating the best running mixes so be sure to keep that in mind when you make your own.

 

Build a Workout Mix Stride: Ratatat – Seventeen Years

Ratatat’s “Seventeen Years” turned out to be a perfect stride! It bursts out in full on electric guitar pop beats and drums early on and keeps things fresh with some fun guitar solos. The longer a stride song is, the more you want there to be a bit of variety so your brain doesnt grow bored from hearing the same basic beats. Here this is accomplished by the sheer variety of guitar riffs as well as a subtle shift in the energy of the song about halfway through. This “taking it down a notch” affect allows for your body to adjust accordingly either remaining at higher speeds or slowing down with the music to save some breathe. I can definitely see “Seventeen Years” used to anchor the center of a workout allowing for a quick cool down embedded in the stride before the next warm up.

Build a Workout: Successful Mix 1

If you’re not sure what this is about, start by heading HERE and reading the introduction to this section of my blog.

This mix was built off of Failed Mix 3 which you can read about HERE

This mix isnt perfect but it definitely got the job done without any hiccups! Let’s start with the playlist.

1. Akatsuki – Takanashi Yasuhara

2. I Get Around – The Beach Boys

3. Bloody Mary – Lady Gaga

4. Prayer for the Refuge – Rise Against

5. Seventeen Years – Ratatat

6. Toreador – Apocalyptica

7. Liberi Fatali – Nobuo Uematsu

8. Ringa Ringa – A R Rahman

9. Forever Young – Alphaville

I changed a couple things around for this one. I removed the second warm up at the beginning of the mix for a stride, in this case “I Get Around” and then coupled that with a second stride to keep me going longer. I moved up “Bloody Mary” to keep a familiar song at the beginning of my run. “Prayer for the Refuge” was moved to the burnout position followed by newcomer stride “Seventeen Years” and warm up “Toreador” replacing “Americano”. I put my burnout staple “Liberi Fatali” towards the end of my mix followed by the comfortable “Ringa Ringa” and closed out the mix with a new cool down: “Forever Young”

Lets start at the beginning. “Akatsuki” has been doing a great job as a warm up and today was no exception.

I was a little nervous about using “I Get Around” as a stride but the songs happy-go-lucky nature helped get me in the mood to run and its simple straightforward pacing provided excellent motivation for a steady continued run. I guess surf rock can be used for running too.

“Bloody Mary” worked well as a second stride as its beat continues to keep my legs pumping.

I first used “Prayer for the Reduge” as a stride but the jump in energy from the verse to the chorus didnt really help my body maintain a consistent pace. The songs hardcore punk sound definitely work well to get my blood pumping for another 4 minutes as a burnout at the end of a 6 minute stride. The song is definitely lighter than some of my other burnouts as the slower verse sections allow a bit of leeway in terms of pacing while still providing the all out fire necessary for a burnout during the choruses and the excellent guitar solo and final rush!

Ratatat’s “Seventeen Years” turned out to be a perfect stride! It bursts out in full on electric guitar pop beats and drums early on and keeps things fresh with some fun guitar solos. The longer a stride song is, the more you want there to be a bit of variety so your brain doesnt grow board from hearing the same basic beats. Here this is accomplished by the sheer variety of guitar riffs as well as a subtle shift in the energy of the song about halfway through. This “taking it down a notch” affect allows for your body to adjust accordingly either remaining at higher speeds or slowing down with the music to save some breathe. I can definitely see “Seventeen Years” used to anchor the center of a workout allowing for a quick cool down embedded in the stride before the next warm up.

Apocolyptica doesnt seem like the ideal work out music since it is performed by a band of all Cello’s with absolutely no drums. Thankfully the power of said cellos is more than enough to both keep the beat and encourages those muscles to build some adrenaline. Im a huge fan of stringed instruments and they always make me feel like I’m in some epic fantasy land. “Toreador” is actually a perfect warm up! It starts off very slow and deliberate. With each minute, layer upon layer is added to the song as it starts to grow a bit faster with each minute. By the two minute mark, your feet will be moving and the cello solos will keep you on your toes. This warm up  is great if you want a bit more of a gradual build that still leaves you sweating by the end of it.

At this point, you’ll notice the familiar “Liberi Fatali” and “Ringa Ringa” combination. I did this because it’s important that the songs near the end of your run are the most solid. When you’re tired and ready to quit, you’ll want to make sure you have songs guaranteed to rescue you from that place. Thats why I’ll always faze songs towards the back of my mix and add new songs towards the front.

I guess it all depends on how you feel about the genre but 80’s pop ballads are almost guaranteed to work as cool downs! Something about their cheesy synth pop nature and addictive over the top choruses just really works to make you feel like you had a successful run. “Forever Young” is no exception and it was the perfect endcap to a great run.

Overall I’m happy with my mix and my run today! I took a couple days off to visit my brother in Ann Arbor and celebrate Memorial Day with my family. It’s always tough to get back into a running mood after you’ve had a few days off. Unfortunately your body can also give up earlier due to lack of practice. I’d like to say it was partially due to this mix that I made it through todays run and still kept my time and distance up. Cant wait to run again!

Song of the Day 12/07/12: Calvin Harris – Sweet Nothing Ft. Florence Welch

When I first saw this I thought: “Florence Welch singing electropop? That cant be good.” Then the beat kicked up and she started off those first few words and I was sold. Florence Welch almost sounds like she was made to sing along to music like this all the time! Some of the credit should definitely be given to Calvin Harris who produced just the right beat to bring out all the best qualities of Florence’s voice. I have to be honest, I wouldnt mind seeing a full album of collaboration between the two artists.

Song of the Day 11/03/12: Taio Cruz – Forever Love

I know I know. I’ve been neglecting my site! A couple reasons have led up to that but the main one is I’ve been really sick! I’m sorry. Im finally feeling a bit better and have a day off and my girlfriend is safely back in NY and I was able to tear myself away from Halo 4 and Assassin’s Creed III. All that being said, since my girlfriend left, Ive been almost exclusively listening to a pair of mixes I made last year in hopes of keeping her close. Then I realized a lot of the songs on that mix have gone unshared on this site, so why not put some of them up! That’s where Taio Cruz’s “Forever Love” comes in. I’m a huge Taio Fan and I really like his kind of slow burn dance hits like Forever Love. I like the lyrics a lot on this one. The way the song is in a minor key with kind of a sad tone. The meaning I take from the lyrics also implies that his love is deeper than his feelings. He loves her because he swore he would. That sense of honor in your words is very important to me. Especially at a time when I walked out on my girlfriend and moved to another state and then had to convince her I wouldn’t leave her again. Forever Love reminds me of that resolution in my heart.