It's rare that I step outside my song of the day comfort zone and post about something other than a new music. That's mostly due to time constraints (I'd do more album reviews, posts, concert reviews and interesting stuff if I didn't have an 8-5), but also because I don't get much daily mail to
greatwhitedj@gmail.com that really interests me...#ShamelessEmailPlug
Last week, though, I was notified of an intriguing service/music database called
Run Hundred. It's noteworthy for a lot of reasons, the biggest being that it addresses a need for a service that provides new, upbeat workout music. Much of what I write about on a daily originates from music that I added to my daily iTunes playlist I created the night before and then reviewed while working out at the gym. Run Hundred's song lists (emailed weekly and monthly to subscribers who provide their email) and searchable music database do the work for you by providing a free list of music that is constantly being reviewed and voted by others. Better yet, if you like the song, links are provided underneath the song to purchase the track using the iTunes or Amazon.
As far as selection is concerned, the music on the site ranges from Country to Hip Hop to Electronic/Dance music from the past decade. It may not matter much to you, but for DJs like me, I appreciate the fact that every song includes beats per minute (BPM), which is great for mixing or even making a cycling/running mix. If you have never tried it, make a mix that has a high BPM and I'd bet the farm you work out harder and burn more calories. To give a good representation of what to expect, I'd give a look at their list of the
Top 10 Workout Songs. I run through a lot of music weekly, but I hadn't heard a lot of the remixes on their Top 10 list, which was cool. Finding a few tracks that I really like that even I had never heard of was a huge selling point for me.
You may be wondering what exactly the song list service that @RunHundred provides entails. First off there are a couple of ways you can get in the free email subscription. You can either email
Admin@RunHundred.com or go to
www.runhundred.com/ and submit your email on the website to join. As far as song list content, below is a recent example of an email that was sent out to all monthly subscribers...
"Fort Wayne, IN – October 8, 2011 – This month's list brings two questions to mind:
#1. For how many consecutive months will David Guetta turn up in these top 10 lists? (His new track with Usher made the cut--and he just barely missed making it again with his recent Nicki Minaj collaboration).
#2. Will Calvin Harris, Benny Benassi or Afrojack be the one that unseats him? (All three are making their second appearances on the charts this month. And, like Guetta, each has begun being billed as the artist on his tracks--rather than being credited as the producer/remixer, which was the case a couple years ago.) This month's top 10 is rounded out by a new track from LMFAO, a Britney remix, and a song by Young The Giant--brought most folks' attention by the band's surprise inclusion on this year's MTV Video Music Awards.
Here's the full list, according to votes placed at RunHundred.com--the web's most popular workout music blog.
Rihanna & Calvin Harris - We Found Love - 128 BPM
Dev - In The Dark - 125 BPM
Afrojack & Eva Simons - Take Over Control - 128 BPM
LMFAO - Sexy And I Know It - 129 BPM
Chris Brown & Benny Benassi - Beautiful People - 129 BPM
Shortee & Faust - Friday Night Special - 133 BPM
Kelly Rowland & Lil Wayne - Motivation (Rebel Rock Remix) - 130 BPM
Britney Spears - I Wanna Go (Oliver Remix) - 129 BPM
Young The Giant - My Body - 130 BPM
David Guetta & Usher - Without You - 128 BPM"
I've already copped a few of the tracks above and added them to my weekend cardio mix. There a lot of song titles I still need to go through on
Run Hundred's site this weekend too. Put it this way, there aren't many other sites on the internet that provide free indexed content that has been reviewed and voted on by lots of people. The real time feedback on new music is invaluable and if you're like me, you appreciate sites that are able to consistently find new, upbeat music you haven't heard yet. Plenty of room on the bandwagon folks, do your iPod a favor and re-vamp that cardio mix you're been running to the past year...