It’s time again for another installment of – you know I love acronyms – G.O.T.C. & M! Otherwise known as “get off the couch and move!” Another eight tracks of “motivational” music to get you going. The playlist contains one pop and one house track along with four dance tunes and two electronic, with contributions from eight different artists along with featured vocalists. What follows is the scoop on four of the entries.
Silk City is a music project that began in 2018 when American DJ and record producer, Diplo (Thomas Wesley Pentz – 1978), and English-American musician, DJ, songwriter, and producer, Mark Ronson (1975) joined forces. Their debut single, “Only Can Get Better” (2018), featured vocals by Daniel Merriweather. Their second single, “Feel About You” (2018) featured vocals by Mapei. The playlist track was their fourth released single (Sep.6, 2018), “Electricity,” with vocals by English-Albanian singer-songwriter, and actress Dua Lipa. The music video was released the same day. In 2021 they released another single, “New Love,” this one featuring English singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding.
The Night Writers (also written as “The Nightwriters,” “The Knight Writers,” “Nightwriterz,” and “The Night Riders”) was a Chicago House group that was active from 1987-1989. The group’s name, or names ,were often considered to be and alias for Frankie Knuckles, who produced both of the group’s landmark singles. The Night Writers’ discography was written by the lesser-known duo of Jere McAllister and Henry Riley Evans, with the original vocals for the playlist’s track, “Let the Music Use You,” performed by Ricky Dillard. After the song’s release (1987), it rose to widespread acclaim in both the United States and the United Kingdom. A second mash-up version of the single, “The Night Writers/BnC – Let the Music Use You/House Ain’t Givin Up,” was released by Jack Trax later that same year. From 1987 to 2021, the track has been reissued, remastered and remixed at least 14 times on labels such as Danica Records, Jack Trax, Ffrreedom, Danceteria Records, Phuture Trax Promotions, S12, and Mint Condition.
Next up is Franky Rizardo, one of The Netherlands’ finest music exports, who established himself as a name renowned across the globe driven by his music that tends to blur the lines between Techno and House. He is an Ibiza regular with the ANTS, Music On and Elrow camps, as well as hitting the decks in iconic venues such as Fabric (London), Shelter (Amsterdam), Amnesia (Ibiza), and Sound (Los Angeles). In 2015, Rizardo launched his FLOW brand with his good friend, Jasper Fioole, and since that time the pair have challenged themselves to bring people into a “flow state of mind” by creating unique vibrant gatherings and connecting people through their music. By 2023, Rizardo saw an expansion of his music with his own label, LTF Records, hitting No.1 on Beatport with “Everybody” and “Out The Fire (At The Hotel)” garnering over six million plays on Spotify in the first year. FLOW hosts over 20 events a year, and as they continue to grow, 2023 saw them launch into new territories such as the USA, Australia, Asia, and beyond. The featured track on the playlist, “Same Man,” is a single from 2017.
Chris Joss (1964) is a French multi-instrumentalist and record producer. When he was twelve, his parents enrolled him in electronic organ lessons, which taught him the basics of music, although he always wanted to play the drums. At fourteen, he received an acoustic guitar and taught himself how to play it. In 1981, he formed a band while in high school, and dropped out of school in 1984, “beginning to invest in recording and electronic equipment.” His music ranges from funk to electronica, and several of his tracks from his releases are featured in movie trailers such as Accepted (2006), Argo (2012), Hotel for Dogs (2009), Inside Deep Throat (2005), Ocean’s Thirteen (2007), and Role Models (2008), as well as the television shows, Six Feet Under, and Better Call Saul. In 1987, Joss released his first record with his three-member band on EMI. His 1999 album, The Man With a Suitcase, was part of a trend in the late 1990s of “imaginary soundtracks,” compositions created to accompany films that did not actually exist! As of 2021, Joss has released twelve solo albums plus a remix album; five of them by ESL music and six on his own Teraphonic Records.
Time to listen. Enjoy!
Los Angeles 2025
Spin baby spin!