Apple Music Launches Fitness DJ Mix Series With Aluna, Valentino Khan, More

Let’s be honest here—we’re all full of crap with our New Year’s fitness resolutions. We stomp into the gym on January 2nd with a “clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose” mentality à la Friday Night Lights, but wake up in December with nothing but a pizza-filled potbelly and regret.

Ergo, it should come as no surprise that one of the world’s largest streaming services has launched a dedicated space to share fitness-related music content and light a fire under the collective ass of its subscriber base. Apple Music today announced its new “Fitness DJ Mix” series, a hub where artists and DJs share exclusive mixes designed to offer spirited workout experiences.

Moving forward, fans can expect one new mix each month. The first collection features exclusive sets from Aluna, Loud Luxury, Valentino Khan, and Above & Beyond, each of whom tailored their selections to a specific fitness setting: Aluna’s for riding, Khan’s for the gym, Luxury’s for running, and Above & Beyond’s for yoga.

You can listen to the mixes below and find out more about each via the accompanying blurbs, which were sourced from a press release shared with EDM.com.

Above & Beyond: Yoga

Since launching their Flow State project in 2019, Above and Beyond have released three albums “to bring people’s attention and focus towards helping themselves find better mental fitness and overall happiness in life,” Paavo Siljamäki, one third of the UK trance trio, tells Apple Music. So the group, which has collaborated with fellow yoga practitioners Elena Brower and ChauKei Ngai in the past, was a natural choice to design the inaugural Apple Music Fitness Mix for yoga, which follows the energy and tempo of a vinyasa flow practice. “Through raised awareness, being more present, one can reach a state of flow: a creative and free state of mind where time, fear, and stress dissipate,” says Siljamäki. “That’s always been the goal with our Flow State albums and mixes. We try to structure our mindfulness mixes with a smaller, intimate opening before stretching out to more string-based records.” Case in point: the inclusion of Jon Hopkins’ gorgeous ambient track “Abandon Window,” which “always finds its way into our downtempo sets,” says Siljamäki. “It was the opening track of our first yoga set at Robot Heart, Burning Man in 2014, and sets the mood instantly.” This mix is created for students and teachers alike to guide their practice or class instruction. “We hope it provides listeners with some degree of calm and solace in these wild times,” says Siljamäki.

Valentino Khan: Gym

At their core, there’s a philosophy that drives all Apple Music Fitness Mixes: “Music is this primal tool that gives us that extra boost of energy during our workouts,” Valentino Khan tells Apple Music. “It’s a pretty crazy idea, but it’s so obvious. For most people, it’s almost a requirement to any fitness regimen.” As such, the LA-based DJ/producer assembled the first-ever Fitness Mix for the gym, a nearly hour-long set to guide you through weight training, a HIIT workout, or any other equally challenging fitness routine. “I wanted to keep the energy high, while still selecting tracks that were pleasant to listen to—to play in any setting. It’s a bit of a crescendo, with the higher-energy tracks towards the later stages of the mix. At the same time, I wanted to give people a great ending that they can ride out to.” Amid this mix of house and hip-hop, a couple of key tracks Khan included are his own “Your Body,” with Nitti Gritti, and “a crazy flip of Drake, ‘Nonstop,’” he says. “It feels like a great cooldown song that builds back up into another round of intensity.”

Aluna: Ride

For the inaugural Apple Music Fitness Mix for cycling, British electronic producer and singer Aluna (formerly one half of AlunaGeorge) mimics her style of DJing. “I take whichever club or festival I’m playing all around the world with my collection of global dance music,” she tells Apple Music. “This time, it’s on a bike.” The set flows seamlessly from a relaxed warm-up into an intense set of half-time climbs and full-throttle sprints, with a few beats in between to catch your breath. Eventually, she guides you into what she calls the “sweet spot” of 90 RPM. “Of course, I had to move past that tempo just at the end for those who want a little extra challenge.” Undulating and invigorating, with plenty of bounce, the mix brings kinetic club energy into your ride. Aluna says the smooth warm-up cut “Topdown” by LA’s Channel Tres is the sort of deep bass cut that will help get you motivated. “It has that effect on the dance floor, too, where it just speaks to your body,” she says. Later on, DJ Sliink’s “Run Ricky Run” is sure to test your limits. “I’m sure you’ll have more than you thought,” she says, “because this track will bring it out of you.”

Loud Luxury: Run

No one ever said getting and staying fit was easy. “We’re both runners, and the hardest part about it is staying motivated,” Andrew Fedyk, one half of the LA-based house duo Loud Luxury, tells Apple Music about crafting the very first Apple Music Fitness Mix for running. “We made a mix that embodied what we would want to work out to and would keep us excited.” In terms of the set’s structure, “we were really intentional about having some sections that are very high-energy, big sing-along moments mixed with sections where it’s a bit more rhythmic and repetitive,” says Joe Depace. “The goal here is to keep you on pace so you’re never getting bored but also not losing all of your energy on one song.” Of the duo’s own fitness regimen, Depace says: “With all of the traveling we do, it’s tough having a consistent routine, but we try to find ways to get moving no matter where we are. This has taken some weird turns, such as planks in the hotel room or going for a run after the show in the middle of winter. The main thing we’ve learned is everyone has a different recipe for what gets them going, and we hope our mix can help.”

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