Summer is my favorite season in New Mexico—it’s hot in the daytime, it cools off at night and there are relatively few stinging insects here to pester you. These climate conditions afford my appendages freedom from the chaffing, constricting fabrics that sheath them in the cold months. On weekends in the summer, I like to lounge around outside wearing floral swimsuits, shiny high heels and oversized cheap sunglasses (and an abundance of high SPF sunblock, of course). This activity is often paired with drinks and smooth, dreamy music. Yacht rock and sparkling wine go great with sunshine. Unfortunately, I have an insatiable fondness of French fries and cooking with butter and cream. Aside from the pursuit of general health, in order to justify forking over hundreds for swimwear every spring, I require at least a couple of hours of aerobic exercise weekly. Recently, while parked on an elliptical machine, half-reading about stewardess-inspired ensembles in some lady-mag, I realized the mixes stored in my iPhone all sucked for working out. "I Want Candy" by faux-Aussie ’60s group The Strangeloves was playing. While this is an excellent song with a dancey Bo Diddley beat, it wouldn’t provoke anyone to stand up straight, tighten their abs and really work for a bangin’ pair of thighs. Music is a workout motivator second only to the thought of looking svelte and fabulous in swimwear. I realize it’s a shallow notion, but vanity is a fact of life. In any case, I needed a collection of tracks with more—as some DJ-types say—BPMs. "Call On Me" by Eric Prydz is the perfect example (to fully understand why, you have to watch its ridiculous, soft-porn jazzercise parody video: see embedded video). And if not BPMs, then songs that convey a feeling of glory or the spirit of winning. So I made a mix of my old dance party favorites that doesn’t involve the shudder-inducing sonic foolishness often found on other workout mixage. The songs below comprise more than an hour of music that will pump you up.
Aural Fixation
1) "Vibrate" • Ghostland Observatory • Paparazzi Lightning Electro organ music from Austin.
Aural Fixation
2) “Je Veux te Voir” • Yelle • Pop Up French and filthy.
Aural Fixation
3) "Disco Biscuit" • Cagedbaby • Will See You Now This electronica jam band will help you forget about the burn.
Aural Fixation
4) "Modern Love" • David Bowie • Let’s Dance Build your endurance for dancing at ’80s night.
Aural Fixation
5) "Carnival" • Bikini Kill • The CD Version of the First Two Records Release your aggression on the elliptical machine.
Aural Fixation
6) "Perfect (Exceeder)" • Mason Vs. Princess Superstar • Perfect An electro jam about unmatched hotness from the bad babysitter and Dutch duo Mason.
Aural Fixation
7) "Ass-n-Titties" • DJ Assault • Mr. MuthaFucka Misogyny as motivation.
Aural Fixation
8) "Ready for the Floor" • Hot Chip • Ready For The Floor A song about getting things done.
Aural Fixation
9) "Girl and the Sea" • The Presets • “Girl and the Sea EP” Arty Australian dance music.
Aural Fixation
10) “Wolf Like Me" • TV On The Radio • Return to Cookie Mountain One of the best fast songs ever written.
Aural Fixation
11) "Tribulations" • LCD Soundsystem • LCD Soundsystem Everybody makes mistakes, keep going.
Aural Fixation
12) "Oh My God" • Mark Ronson featuring Lily Allen • Version Mark Ronson’s got more where this came from.
Aural Fixation
13) "Higher Grounds" • Cats on Fire • The Province Complains Uptempo Norwegian twee pop.
Aural Fixation
14) "We Used to Be Friends" • The Dandy Warhols • Welcome to the Monkey House Do you want to be friends again?
Aural Fixation
15) "Got Your Money" • Ol’ Dirty Bastard • Nigga Please A classic hip-hop jam.
Aural Fixation
16) "Worked Up So Sexual" • The Faint • Blank-wave Arcade A song about strippers.
Aural Fixation
17) "Let’s Make Out" • Does It Offend You, Yeah? • You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into An insistent song about lust.
Aural Fixation
18) "Lovesick" • Friendly Fires • Friendly Fires British disco.
Aural Fixation
19) "Hey Ya!" • OutKast • Speakerboxxx / The Love Below There has to be at least one pop hit in this mix.
Aural Fixation
20) "Finer Feelings" • Spoon • Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga This song once helped me through a 5-mile race.
