Podrunner
Nonstop Music Mixes for Any Fast-Paced Workout
"Machine Says Go" (145 BPM)
Does it ever. An unexpected benefit of our recent change in music licensing is the opportunity to present some classic dance tracks that have never been played on Podrunner, and this one is stuffed with 'em. The energy in this mix builds all the way through.
I'm also delighted to present another track from Slim Yelow here, this time an irresistible, hypnotic remaster of "Fraktal." I've seen rooms go absolutely mental when I've dropped this track. I just love this guy's stuff.
Beatport Playlist
The Original, High-Quality, Non-Mixed Tracks Featured in Podrunner
From "1AD," a brooding progressive house opener by Moogwai, this week's Podrunner playlist on Beatport.com starts cranking up the energy with Angelo Kortez's classic "House Muzik (Protribe Mix)" until it refuels you near the halfway mark with Peter Rauhofer's Doomsday Club Remix of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax." Consumer Alert Warning: Don't fall over when you get to Sean Finn's "My Eye" about halfway through.
Groovelectric
Welcome to the New Old Funk
"Voices of the Tide"
This time out I wanted a long wash of progressive house music with an oceanic feel, and buddy, that's what I got, cuz you could float off somewhere listening to this mix. I really like its mood. It's insistent and dark — just the thing for the holiday season!
Tee Time
No Lemons
We didn't get enough requests for hoodies to do a run in time for Christmas, but we still have plenty of Podrunner & Groovelectric T-Shirts. They make great presents for friends & loved ones who are Every Silver Lining...
...Is Obscured by Clouds
Some people say the glass is half full, some say it's half empty. I say, Hey, who the hell's been drinking my water? Despite this tendency, I'm finding that the change in music licensing that required taking down the massive Podrunner archive has also opened up a wealth of tracks that are well-known in the club scene (along with a lot of tracks considered to be classics in Electronic Dance Music), but that have never been played on Podrunner. This week's mix, "Machine Says Go," definitely reflects that new availability.
One of the things I love about doing Podrunner is that it's exposed a kind of music I love to a great many people who might never have heard it otherwise. (I suppose that's true with Groovelectric, too, but generally GE's listeners tend to be more familiar with EDM). It's amazing how many emails to me open with, "I thought I didn't like this kind of music, but...."
The truth is, ten years ago I would never have listened to this stuff, either. That boom-chik disco techno drug rave stuff? No way! But I can't get enough of it. I keep waiting to get sick of it. It hasn't happened yet. (If it does, you'll be the first to know.)
In fact, the more I listen to EDM, the more I learn, and the more variety and subtlety I become aware of. People unfamiliar with this music tend to dismiss it: "All that techno sounds alike." (Which I always find funny if only because I play very little techno.) It's because they're hearing it with ears trained to listen to popular music: they're looking for melody and lyrics in a self-contained song with a verse-chorus-bridge-verse construction. While EDM certainly has its own formulas, a track is composed with an understanding that it's going to be a piece in a much larger puzzle constructed by a DJ over the course of a night, or at least of a mix. Each of those puzzles is unique, and the pieces themselves are subject to a surprising amount of customization. And it ain't about melody, it's about groove.
When you take a long view of putting together music this way, there's something nearly symphonic about it. Individual tracks become part of greater movements of tone, emotion, and pace. It's an oddly patient music. At the same time you're affected by what's playing right now (trust me, half a million watts of amplification pushing masses of air across a large room at 130 BPM most definitley affects you right now), there's a bigger picture that's taking into account the rise and fall and tension and release over the course of an evening (or a mix). Clubgoers know this. DJs know this. There's a transaction there
Anyway, this is all a very convoluted way of saying that I think the newfound opportunity to showcase some music that's been moving people in clubs for years is Rilly Kewl.
--Steve Boyett
