Playlist: 8 Summer Songs Part 1

by Norm Ramil, 8 Count Audio creative.director / chief.music.officer / dance.fan

Musicality is a huge theme with 8 Count Audio and my approach to making music and dance work well together. If you’ve ever worked with 8CA, you’ve probably had to read through my long notes that go over my thought process for each song in your routine.

So here’s the first of the all-new 8CA musicality playlists: 8 songs with musicality and choreography insights. I’ll try to share details on the songs from a music production and songwriting point of view, and how these details could help dancers and choreographers make these songs work on the dance floor!

So to start us off, let’s do a summer-themed playlist.

Aquagen “The Summer Is Calling”: Before anyone used the “EDM” label in the 2010s, there was the “electro / house” phase of dance music in the mid 2000s. And before that? The “Euro / trance” sound from about 1994-2004, exemplified by this track by Germany’s Aquagen (2002).

Notice that boomy bass drum–not as flabby as ’90s dance tracks, but not as sharp as today’s EDM songs. It’s also got a fast tempo (about 142 beats per minute) so typical of club music from that era. The singer also has a slight auto-tune effect, the kind that Cher pioneered in 1998 and T-Pain got rich on by 2007. And for the music nerds out there, you’ll notice that the chorus and verse are in E major, but the breaks are in A major, kind of an interesting twist. Dance-wise, you’d only want to use this for pom, something Crystal Lake Central did in the ’03-’04 season on the way to an IDTA AA Pom title.

Josh Rouse “Summertime”: His previous albums got more critical acclaim, but 2006’s Subtitulo is my favorite, mainly for tracks like this one, tailor-made for chilling on the patio with a cold drink. The acoustic guitar work: awesome. And he sings it in a way that feels like you’re eavesdropping on the thoughts running through his head.

A very cool, almost jazzy drum part comes in around 1:31, with the snare hits coming in on count 2, but a little before counts 4, 6, and 8–a definite challenge for any choreographer, something to either ignore or take advantage of (I vote for the second option). And that’s an upright bass that comes in at 1:31 with the drums (that’s the huge orchestral instrument that’s as tall as the player, not the bass that looks like a guitar). The bass player gets three sets of four 8-counts, with each set growing a little more interesting, eventually getting pretty crazy in a very cool way from 2:01 until the end.

“And the feeling doesn’t last that long, before you know it it’s up and gone…” So true, summer.

Afrojack, Mike Taylor “SummerThing!”: Dutch DJ Nick van de Wall (a.k.a. Afrojack) made a name for himself with a string of upbeat EDM hits in the early 2010s. This 2015 track switches things up a bit–you still get a throbbing EDM break, but it’s nestled between sections of a soulful pop song. A lot of the elements are familiar if you’ve been anywhere near a wi-fi connection or a radio in the past 6 years, but he does get unique with that short saxophone part around 1:03-1:05 and again just before the breaks. Lots of skillful guitar work pops up here and there throughout the track in addition to the steady rhythm guitar parts, something we don’t hear enough of in EDM songs. BPM: 129, so take this one to Ibiza.

Y&T “Summertime Girls”: Time for some MTV hair metal from 1984. The genre is known for pointy guitars, excessive guitar solos, big hair and makeup, and just cheesy, pop goodness. If there was ever a feel-good song to throw on as you change your car’s engine oil (or even if you’re just washing it, or cleaning out the missing french fries under the seat), here it is.

Notice the little drum roll effect every few counts in the first half of both verses; it’s almost a sucking sound, and an effect you’ll find in lots of ’80s songs. It’s extra-effective at the start of verse 2 (1:15-1:30) because it sounds sparse coming right after the big, loud chorus, and then sets up a nice contrast when the drummer goes back to the main rhythm at 1:31. In a pom routine, you’d want to highlight this little contrast in the choreography–it would have to get “bigger” somehow at 1:31.

Ok, the singer takes things a little too far (2:34), but give credit to the guitarist for a restrained and tasteful solo. The first half of the solo (2:14-2:20) is melodic and almost vocal, while the second half (2:20-2:29) has flashier parts. In a choreo situation, you’d want to reflect that change in the music.

At 128 beats per minute, believe it or not, this is nearly the same tempo as the Afrojack song! You can get a huge variety of sounds and “vibes” across genres with the same tempo.

Sam Hunt “Single For The Summer”: Country music has always picked up on pop trends through the decades, and 2016 is no exception. The first :13 has that pitched, filtered, distorted effect that’s so popular in downtempo EDM tracks right now, plus you get an easy-going, pop drum sound throughout. A couple nods to country include a snippet of pedal steel guitar during the chorus and as an effect during the verse at 0:25. The chorus part that goes “suh-uh-uh-single for the summer” has a strong rhythm that you’d have to highlight in choreography, maybe as a soft ripple.

Since the song comes in at over 4:30 and has a long fade-out, you’d have to cut it down for a routine. The chill, almost drumless part from 2:45-3:13 is a great opportunity to use as the ending! With a typical country tempo at around 78 BPM, you have a lot of chances for smooth and connected combinations if you’re up to choreographing lyrical country. On the other hand, with that R&B / pop bass drum beat, you could almost try a hip hop style based around strong hits. Remember: it’s summer, and the rules go out the window!

The Mowgli’s “Summertime”: This indie-alt band makes a good case for pop fans to check them out with this summery jam from ’15. Tons of indie/pop ear candy awaits you, launched by that double-time clap with lots of reverb (which is that echo-y sound when you make a noise in a space, like a room) at the very start of the song. Another cool thing right now is having the whole band sing the chorus with the lead singer up front. So for musicality you might want to think about a whole-team combination when the chorus hits (0:22).

Creative choreographers get another shot to think outside the box at 0:29 and again at 0:39–the line that goes “fallin’ in love with you in the summertime.” Musicians call that singer’s rhythm “syncopated,” or focused on the off-beats, or the “ands” of each count. Some of the coolest choreography involves taking advantage of moments in the music when those “ands” are emphasized. And at an easy-going 97 BPM, many high school dancers can handle intricate choreo if it involves some fast moves on those off-counts.

Beyonce, Diddy “Summertime”: Virtually forgotten is this very minor hit from 2004’s Fighting Temptations movie. And that’s a shame because I think this could be her best song. Just a pretty melody with every instrument playing a perfectly written part. I don’t know who’s playing acoustic guitar on the left speaker, but she or he is pretty solid, outlining some pretty major 9th and major-7th arpeggios (sorry to get technical right there). That flute-like keyboard in the right speaker is perfect, too. You also get an intricate bassline that starts to get really interesting from 3:09 until the end–almost certainly a real bass player instead of a bass keyboard.

Then there’s Beyonce’s sweet vocals, including her own background singing. She’s so good at varying the rhythm of her lyrics, especially during the verse. For example, how about that triplet / staggered feel to her lines at 0:32-0:34? The words “impressing” and “curiosity” could be painted in interesting ways if you focus on her use of 3 beats over the space of 4.

Almost everything about the song demands a lyrical routine, though you’d have to figure out how to handle the R&B / hip hop beat. And a storytelling approach would really help, because as pretty and dainty the music is, it’s made up of only two different chords throughout the whole song! Lyrical hip hop, anyone?

Dashboard Confessional “Warmth Of The Sand”: Before Chris Carrabba filled out DC with a full band, Dashboard was just him and his acoustic guitar. This 2004 track from a compilation album is a full-out summer anthem, despite being almost all acoustic (you do get a hint of electric guitar in the second verse). Two acoustic guitars are split left and right, anchored by a catchy riff that first appears from 0:00-0:14 and comes back a few more times. That makes it a motif, and a choreographer might want to have the same combination reappear whenever the motif comes up in the song.

Plenty of emo-punk-acoustic rules of thumb get spotlighted in this tune. Strong, rhythmic guitar work during the verse gives a definite sense of momentum, despite the soft, intimate vocals. Then you get a huge contrast during the chorus with the big vocals. Not sure what’s being said, but you gotta like the whispering on the left side from 2:23-2:36. I also love the effect of singing a duet with yourself during the bridge section (2:36-3:05), so choreographically speaking, you’d probably want to try some featured partner work.

The outro chorus starting at 3:05 is pretty cool, too: he combines the different lyrics from chorus 1 and chorus 2, plus adds in the new line, “when all you hope for is another.” OK, so maybe this song’s on the edge of what’s danceable, but on a playlist of summer faves, this one’s my ultimate fave. If someone gave me four minutes to explain why summer’s the best time of the year, I’d have this song blasting out the speakers.