Monday Mixer

Say you’re me and you’re trying to avoid writing articles, so you decide to clean up the living space. No reason to not have fun with it, so you decide to hook up your smart phone to a speaker and play some music. You need something that’ll energize you. You need something to keep you cheery. You need dance music. More specifically, you need this playlist.

1. The Hollywood Persuaders – “Drums A-Go-Go”

Let’s start off with something that will get that bacon shaking. The drums on this instrumental rattle out a rhythm that can be enjoyably followed just like a melody on any other instrument. The horn section adds color by playing with just the right amount of dissonance to give it that jazzy danger. Dance cautiously friends.

2. James Brown – “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”

A friend once told me James Brown was Whiplash crazy to his backing bands. Though I never looked into the claim (I’m a busy guy okay?), I always thought if this was true, it would certainly explain why the band is always so tight. I love how bright the bass is in this track and how sharp the guitar is. If you’re not dancing when you hear this song, your leg is probably asleep.

3. Sonora Dinamica de Colombia – “Oye”

Let’s mix this up with some ethnic music. My family loves this song and I’m sure it’ll be the song I get married to. The song is all about enjoying the little things in life like a child’s laugh or a conversation with your best friend. The rhythm is what is called cumbia, a genre of dance music that originated in Columbia. It used to be strictly for courtship and while it still is a great way to impress your dance partner at your next fiesta, feel free to dance-sweep alone.

4. Stevie Wonder – “Sir Duke”

This is easily my favorite Stevie Wonder track. Like a great dance song, it has distinct and memorable parts without being overly complicated. Even the drummer doesn’t seem to play the same pattern for more than a handful of bars. The song is supposed to be an acknowledgement to Wonder’s idols who had passed, like Duke Ellington. I am so glad that he decided that instead of mourning their deaths, Wonder celebrated their lives with this jam.

5. Kendrick Lamar – “King Kunta”

Alright, now let’s bring some more contemporary music. Rap has some of music’s greatest lyrics, but I’ve always felt like an outsider to the overproduced drum tracks in mainstream rap music. I’m glad there are people like Kendrick Lamar and Action Bronson who are going back to exploring more than drum samples. Not only exploring musically, Kendrick Lamar is also one of the few to explore some greater questions like institutionalized racism and the alienation of instant fame. The album To Pimp a Butterfly explores these and more, all while giving you plenty of funk to bounce to.

6. Shamir – “On the Regular”

This song has been stuck in my head all week. That cowbell alone makes for a great intro. Shamir knows how to bring the sass, making you think he’s the hottest shit to ever happen. I don’t know if he really is this fun ‘on the regular’ but if he is, I want to always hang out with Shamir. Oh, and his music video is also so wild, your kids will probably make fun of you for living in a decade when heart sunglasses were a thing.

7. John Newman – “Come and Get It”

This summer, if my sister and I were going anywhere, we would start our drive with this song. I remember looking at the artist profile and thinking he looked like he was going to be another Sam Smith type. While he is a pretty British boy, I think he’s got the goods. The whistling bit is catchy and the horn section has a great back and forth with the guitar. This is the kind of tune you want to dance to when you’re feeling dramatic drunk dancing, especially for that bridge.

8. VV Brown – “Crying Blood”

This song has rocks and rolls with a burning energy. This song pushes the tempo more than the other tracks so be ready with some quick feet. The drums and bass don’t let up the intensity except for a bar before the chorus for great effect. For a girl who’s crying blood, she sure made a brilliant song that gets my blood/tears pumped.

9. Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique – “Love is Free”

I’m gonna finish the playlist with a club banger. I don’t listen to this type of music too often, but there is something all too compelling about this summer track. Maybe it’s the hypersexualized voice and lyrics. Maybe it’s the second part of the song where they stop accenting the beat and everything “slows down.” It all sounds so futuristic, I can picture this being the soundtrack to 2050’s.

About Mateo Muro

(Web Director) What's up, my name's Mateo and I like playing gamecube and/or eating M&M's with popcorn. I also can believe that it's not butter.

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