On Demand
Soundcheck
-

Music as a Workout Motivator
It’s getting near that time of year when outdoor workouts come in from the cold. Today: how music in your health club is chosen -- and why music matters to your workout. Also: Damon Albarn, frontman of the Britpop group Blur, and graphic artist Jamie Hewlett, a comic-book artist and designer, talk about writing an opera based on a 16th-century Chinese fable. Finally: Jazz meets Indian raga in the works of saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa.
Music in the health club
It’s long been known that fitness clubs use music to motivate their customers. But increasingly gyms are piping one format into the cardio room, and another into the weight area or spinning class. We look at the art and science of getting gym customers pumped up through music.
Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer asks if music can motivate you at the gym.

When Opera Meets Animation
Damon Albarn, frontman of the Britpop group Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, a comic-book artist and designer, first teamed up for the animated insanity of the “virtual band” Gorillaz. Now they’ve joined forces with actor and director Chen Shi-Zheng for “Monkey: Journey to the West,” a mash-up of opera, electronica, and animation based on a 16th-century Chinese fable. Albarn and Jamie join us to talk about the sounds behind "Monkey."
More about "Monkey: Journey to the West"
"Monkey: Journey to the West" on Amazon.com
Rudresh Mahanthappa
Saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa has often explored the music of his parents’ country – India – in this work. But he takes a step further into that direction on his new album, Kinsmen, done in collaboration with Kadri Gopalnath, known as the Indian emperor of the saxophone. Mahanthappa joins us to talk about it.
- About this program
- Staff Bios »
- Contact Us »
- Latest Episode
- Internship
- Tapes and Transcripts
- Show Archive »
Features & Series
Podcast
Stay up to date.
Subscribe to the Podcast
Soundcheck's Noteworthy New York
Want to know the hottest places to go this weekend? Check out where New York's musicians go in their free time.
More
Soundcheck Blog
Go behind the scenes!
Find out what John Schaefer and the Soundcheck staff have to say about recent segments on the show.
More
Best Live Performances of 2008
Soundcheck
We revisit memorable in-studio performances from Toumani Diabaté, Cat Power, Regina Spektor, and others.
The Year in Music and Branding
Soundcheck
Pop music and advertising go together like peanut butter and jelly. Grey Group music director Josh Rabinowitz shares his picks for the best song picks and ad campaigns of 2008.
Critics Week
Soundcheck
Music writers look back at the year's best pop, rock, hip hop, classical, jazz, Latin and world albums. Plus: the worst music of the year and the best online music. Read our critics' lists here. And don't forget to cast your vote in our best-albums poll.
Noteworthy New York
Soundcheck
We have invited musicians and artists to help us select their favorite cultural destination in the neighborhood where they live. From parks and coffee shops to bowling alleys and museums, the options are as diverse as our group of contributors.
