ESL Podcast 871 - Listening to Club Music

club - a dance club; a building with a large, open area where people can dance while listening to music, usually a business that serves alcoholic beverages

Noemi and her friends like dancing, so they often go to clubs on weekends.

DJ - disk jockey; a person who decides what songs to play and in what order, often speaking between the songs, especially on the radio, at a dance club, or at a special event like a wedding

Did you listen to the radio this morning? The DJ played some great new music by a band I had never heard of before.

to spin - to be a DJ; to play recorded music, especially in a club

Trent is a DJ and he loves his job when he gets to spin the records he likes, but sometimes his clients want to pick all the songs.

mix - a recorded song that has been rearranged and/or combined with other songs in some way

Sheila loves listening to unusual mixes, like classical music mixed with rap lyrics.

mixed drink - a drink made with alcohol and juice, coffee, or cream, usually with a sweet taste

Jill's favorite mixed drink is a sea breeze, which contains vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice.

pumped up - excited, enthusiastic, and energetic; ready to do something

The coach gave a great speech that got his team pumped up for the big game.

to sample - to use a small part of a song to create a new song

Most musicians are flattered when other musicians sample their songs, as long as they give them credit.

track - one song on a CD, associated with a number

Why would you buy a CD with the whole album if you're just going to listen to the same track over and over again?

pounding beat - a very strong rhythm in a song, especially for dancing

Soon everyone in the room was moving to the band's pounding beat.

dance floor - a large, open area where people can dance, usually at a dance club or special event

Everyone fell silent and watched as the bride and groom stepped onto the dance floor.

to segue - to transition into something very smoothly; without a break or pause

How in the world did our conversation segue from national politics to the mating practices of bees?

mellow - calm and relaxing; not exciting or loud

Michael has such a mellow personality. I don't think I've ever seen him get angry.

club music - the type of music normally played at dance clubs, usually very loud, electronic music, and perhaps experimental or hip-hop

Why does the club music have to be so loud? I can't even hear myself think!

to sit this one out - to not participate in something right away, but maybe wait for the next opportunity, used especially when one does not want to dance to the current song

When James asked Evelyn to dance, she explained that she had been dancing all evening and wanted to sit that one out, but that she would love to dance with him once the next song started playing.

volume - a measure of how loud or quiet something is

As Dad gets older, he likes to have the volume higher and higher on the TV. Maybe he should have his hearing tested.

to turn (something) up - to increase the level of something, especially volume or temperature

If you're cold, we can turn up the temperature setting on the heater.