Beat Match City

Speed: 96 bpm The DJ's Take: Had to dig around a little for this one, but certainly worth it. Just a good, solid track that could've been a hit a few years ago. Today? Tough to say. Probably not something you'll be playing in a club or even in a bar (unless it takes off in the coming months), but worth a spot in a mix tape with key-compatible songs like the following: In the 90 to 95 bpm range: Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes , You're All I Need - Method Man & Mary J. Blige , Baby Baby Baby - TLC , Ridin Solo - Jason Derulo , Airplanes - B.o.B , Find Your Love - Drake , Flashing Lights - Kanye West , Replay - IYAZ , Renee - Lost Boyz In the 95 to 100 bpm range: Do What U Want - Lady Gaga , Hold On, We're Going Home , What's My Name , Find Your Love ,  Opposite of Adults - Chiddy Bang On a side note re: the video, is that Deebo from Friday ? His scowl still kills me. Download the song: Amazon:

Speed: 95 bpm The DJ's Take: As the old saying goes, sometimes less is more. Nondescript lyrics and decent flow over a chill, almost hypnotic beat make this worth a spin in a laid-back 90 to 95 bpm hiphop mix. Stay key-compatible and try mixing with tracks like Numb - August Alsina ,  Show Me - Kid Ink , Adorn - Miguel ,  Diamonds - Rihanna , and Somebody Else - Mario , then maybe lead your crowd out of the clouds with something sunny like Right Here - SWV  or She Ain't You - Chris Brown . If you want to dial it up a couple bpm's, transition into Turn Down For What - DJ Snake . Download the song: Amazon:

Speed: 128 bpm The DJ's Take: Once everything gets going, this track feels like a heavy electric buzzsaw slicing into my side. In fact, I think it belongs on the soundtrack for Fast & Furious 17 (or whatever sequel they're on now). If you're looking for the most key-compatible tracks to mix with, consider going with Give It 2 U , Don't Stop The Party , and maybe even Please Don't Stop The Music . A little generic, and probably better-suited for a Miami nightclub than a college bar, but still worth a download. Download the song:

Speed: 128 bpm The DJ's Take: More futuristic jungle music , and I like it. Cool distortion in the buildup to the drop too. Probably more of a club track than something for your Top 40 college bar, but who knows - maybe those crazy kids wouldn't mind a little jolt once in awhile. Varying levels of popularity, but if you want to stay key-compatible, try mixing with some or all of the following: It Should Be Easy - Britney Spears , Love Me Again - John Newman , Revolution - R3hab & Nervo & Ummet Ozcan , Scream & Shout - will.i.am and Britney Spears , Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO , Count On Me - Chase & Status , Scream - Usher , Hey Brother - Avicii Download the song:

Speed: 125 bpm The DJ's Take: Kind of funky in a feminine way, with little hints of Super Freak . And considering all the talk on the web  and all the YouTube hits in the past week, people are bound to know it, right? I do think there's a certain level of danceability, especially for women. However, I'd save Hard Out Here as an experimental track on a quiet night at your venue (assuming you have those). See if anyone's feeling it, and if not, abort the mission and go back into songs like Levels , Summertime Sadness and Good Feeling . Download the song: Amazon:

Speed: 97.5 bpm The DJ's Take: Feel like I've been hearing this a lot lately. The appeal is pretty simple - well-placed whistles get right in your ear and don't leave for months on end (see Juelz Santana and Flo Rida for recent examples). Probably getting some serious play in the South, and definitely worth a download.  Ideally, you're staying in the basic bpm range and mixing with key-compatible tracks like Trillmatic - A$AP Mob , Rack City , Juicy , Say Aah , and even Drop It Like It's Hot (on the slower end) or Hip Hop Hooray and Going Back to Cali on the faster end (then maybe jump into the 100 to 105 bpm range with Love More , Mo Money Mo Problems , and Turn Me On ). Download the song: Amazon: