tag under: High Energy Workout Mixes
Obligatory Back story:
So for little over a year now I decided to make a change in my life. In January of 2014 I made a resolution to lose weight, feel better, be healthier and deal with stress in a more positive way. A year and a month later I feel like not only have I accomplished my goals but I have discovered I am happily addicted to working out. Finally, an addiction that's good for me!
After getting used to the new routine and finding out that my best days are the days I work out, I've turned into a bit of a fitness junkie. I now have made a mandatory routine of working out 5 days a week every morning without skipping a day. This means getting up 5AM rolling out of bed, and heading to the gym every day except Sun and Tues.
As long as I stick to this routine, my personality thrives on it, my energy level is way up, I feel much better, I am happier, my wife says I look better, and it's all because I am stubborn enough to make it happen come hell or high water.
I know now that this is a lifelong commitment, I realize now that at my age I basically have to keep it up the rest of my life in order to maintain my health and happiness. I'm going to be one of those old skinny white bald guys running on the YMCA treadmill one of these days, that's the kind of commitment I made to myself. I'm the kind of guy that if I miss even once or twice due to sickness or injury it becomes very likely I'll simply stop going, so I have this "no excuses" attitude towards getting my hour and a half in on my W/O days.
All that being said,
music is easily one of my primary motivators. When I'm doing weights or cardio I need to be in my own little world so I can focus. Or unfocus on everything around me. I need music that will block out the rest of the people in there with me, for me I am a loner in the gym, it's all about shutting up and pushing weight. I don't want to socialize like the old fogies do. I want to make the most of that hour and a half and be as introverted and focused on moving as I can possibly be.
What I listen to on my decks back at home has almost nothing to do with what's being blasted in my ear buds sitting on my smart phone. When I am at home playing records I am there to relax, chief, and drink beer (<to undo what my morning routine did). At home I'll play any kind of music that gets me unwound.
At the gym however, the music has to be very specific. I require music that has the following characteristics to motivate my ass to move.
My workout music must be:
- Continuously mixed with no breaks to slow me down
- High Tempo
- The opposite of corny
- High Octane, as in loud, fast and hard
- machine like rhythms
- Super low end bass
- at least 60 minutes
- can have dips and comedowns but consists mostly of elevated energy builds
Now as much as I love Hip Hop more than practically anything, it doesn't really ever meet any of that criteria. Often Hip Hop is too slow tempo and blunted to push iron. I'm sure there's some fast hard mixes out there that meets my criteria but I haven't found any strong mixes with that sound yet. Obviously Jazz, Blues, and most organic music like basic rock is out of the question. Although some hard rock tracks as stand alone songs are great, but they won't fill an hour and they won't be a continuous mix.
So really that only leaves Electronic music mixes. Trance is typically too slow corny and predictable builds with cheesy chicks singing over the beats.
Long story short, really,
all that's left that fits my motivational music criteria is Drum and Bass\Jungle mixes and Techno mixes. For this thread I'll keep it all about the Drum and Bass and Jungle with some occasional Dubstep thrown in for good measure.
The Dilemma: Drum and Bass and Jungle mixes aren't exactly in their heyday in 2015. There's a few notable artists and DJs still making moves but compared to what it used to be for those genres years ago, fresh selections are slim.
But in order for me to remain motivated I knew I needed that kind of music. So I kept digging for this stuff and downloading it to my phone. A year later, I realized I've been doing it long enough that I've accumulated a fantastic playlist of Motivational Workout Mixes
...Thus this thread...
My hope is that it helps out others who want to amp up their workout routines with music that makes you move.
Let's get on with it!
...
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rchecka's High Octane Drum and Bass and Jungle Workout Mixtape Recommendations
(NOTE: All of these mixes were downloaded for free legally direct from the artists themselves. I am sharing them here as a direct download for convenience sake only. If any artists want me to remove the free music they gave away, please let me know and I will remove the download link)
(for now I'll do my current top ten and update it every so often)
The List:
10. Erb and Dub Podcast 379
This was downloaded from
Souncloud Link.
This mix is fast, loud, and tight. Tons of drum and bass and jungle with elements of hard dub step and ragga throughout. My only complaint is there's too many DJ name drops and "This is Erb N Dub..." talk-over bullshit. I don't need to hear what I am listening to 5x every 5 minutes. It fux with the flow and once or twice is all that is needed. A small complaint for an overall great mix but one that most listeners will find is annoying when overdone.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD LINK
9. Ed Rush - May 2011 Mix
This was downloaded from
Soundcloud.
A non stop ferocity drum and bass mix from one of the premo founders of the genre. At a few years old it doesn't sound even remotely outdated and it's speed and energy levels easily keeps me motivated for the full hour. No unnecessary name drops, no filler, pure energy.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD
8. Ed Rush and Optical - Essential Mix 07-02-99
This was downloaded from
Soundcloud.
Way back in 1999 when this was broadcast on BBC Radio's Essential mix show these guys were major players at the peak of the genre's popularity. Somehow 16 years later this doesn't sound old, it just sounds classic. Driving bass, fast drums, and electronic chaos can transcend time and in this case it does. This 2 hour mix would be much better without the constant Radio station announcements, but that's just the BBC doing it's thing so you can't blame these guys.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD
7. Dieselboy - Live At Beta (Remastered)
This was downloaded from
Soundcloud.
(tracklisting available!)
^This guy is my Drum and Bass God. He is personally unwittingly responsible for me loosing at least 20 of the 40 pounds I lost this year. His mixes are absolutely perfect for working out and they easily fit the criteria needed for me to kick my own ass.
This mix starts out with a funny but very real introduction from a movie voice guy about how he doesn't cheat as a DJ.
Quote
Welcome to DJing 101. Tonight, Dieselboy will be presenting a 90 minute clinic, presenting a 100 percent unadulterated, real, live DJ performance...
No Laptop,
no computer assistance,
no pre-planned set,
no cheat codes,
no lip syncing,
no smoke and mirrors,
no fucking nonsense,
no fake ass bullshit.
Just real, live DJing.
ONE man, THREE decks, in real time... So now let the lesson commence.
And right after that intro, comes the ass kicking music.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD
6. Dieselboy - Beyond the Black Bassline
This was downloaded from
Soundcloud.
(tracklisting available!)
^Like I said, this guy is my D&B DJ God. IMO, the best American DB\Jungle DJ that ever lived by a longshot. He's like the fucking Luke Skywalker of drum and bass. This one has plenty of ripping music with moments of brief organic calm, and then like clockwork he quickly slams the beat back in at the next build. All of his mixes have great intros and interludes and added sound effects that make for the perfect 60 minute sweat.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD
5. Slangbanger - Fabric Live x RAM
This was downloaded from
Soundcloud.
^I don't know Slangbanger, this trio of hard beat miners, but I know Fabric and based on a little bit of digging in Fabric's page on Soundcloud I found this mix of pure adreniline rush music. With moments of D&B wrapped around Dub Step and constantly shifting energy levels, this mix is one of my most "worn out" workout mixes. I'll put this on and run for an hour straight, and just sweat like a filthy grease pig. It seems to be absolutely perfect for non stop cardio workouts.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD
4. Bass Brothers - Fabric Live x Playaz Mix
This was downloaded from
Soundcloud.
^Probably the best Fabric Drum and Bass mix I've ever heard. Like Slangbangers the energy level and bass on this is off the charts. This one has ripping Dubstep mixed seamlessly throughout so it never get's overly repetitive. This one I crank so loud it usually causes my earbuds to fall out. I feel like whatever I say won't do this mix justice, so I'll shut it and let you download it yourself.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD
3. Bro Safari - Diplo and Friends Live on BBC Radio 1
This was downloaded from
Soundcloud.
(tracklisting available!)
^This one breaks one of my criteria rules, it's tempo is slower than all of the other mixes so it almost didn't make the cut. But it's so fucking hard and heavy and fun with all the right builds at the right times I had to put it in my top 5. It could be even higher ranked but because of all the BBC call-outs throughout the overall flow is constantly fucked with by that horse shit. I wish I could just shut off the radio DJ announcements that seem to come at the worst possible time when the music is building, but I can't so I try to ignore it and enjoy it for what it's worth. With moments of DB, grime, and dubstep this is very fresh sounding. BTW, his back to school mix is even better than this, but at only 35 minutes it's way too short to make the cut for this list.
I really know nothing about this guy, his name is cool, his music is cool, and as long as he's dropping slamming beats like this one he's got my attention.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD
2. Dieselboy - The Destroyer
This was downloaded from
Soundcloud.
(tracklisting available!)
^Did I tell you I like Dieselboy? Can you tell? I can't help it, mixes like this are absolutely perfect for pushing weight around. The intro is like a movie, the tempo is uber fast, the bass is ear bleeding, the flow makes rivers jealous, and I can't get enough of it.
It's not to say there shouldn't be other artists in this top ten list, there should be, but I haven't found a DJ that even touches what this guy can do with a solid mix, so I feel no guilt dropping credit where credit is due.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD
1. Dieselboy - Unleashed!
This was downloaded from
Soundcloud.
(tracklisting available!)
^How would you like to look like the guy on this album cover artwork? Just listen to this mix while you are working out and try to keep up with the tempo.
Let it be known, I have been collecting Dieselboy mixes on CD for many many years. He basically stopped making physical mix releases a while back and switched to hosting his mixes online for mp3 downloads. I think this is the pinnacle of his career. It is a solid 10/10 mix in my book. So many perfect transitions from Drum and Bass to Dubstep and back again, so many highs and even higher highs to keep pushing you onward when you tire, and I'll bet I've listened to this mix at least 30 times since I woke up to it a few months ago. This mix is pure drum and bass perfection.
If there is only one mix you download on this topic, let this be the one.
INSTANT DOWNLOAD
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I will add another top ten in a while. I am guessing that the next top ten won't be as good as this list above, but time will tell.
In the meantime,
PLEASE, recommend more of these high energy workouts mixes to me here on this thread. I am not a huge D&B head, so I still have much to learn from those who are. If you have some suggestions along these lines I am all ears because I want to keep getting new and heavy music like this to keep variety in my workout routines.
Thanks for listening.
“Lesser artists borrow... great artists steal.” - Igor Stravinsky
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