Going to start posting some of my curated kink/impact playlists here as well as explain some of my thought process behind how I build them, hopefully y’all can enjoy them or take some ideas from them for your own lists! This first one is a good catch-all impact playlist that balances out tempo and mood pretty well, putting it first because it works well for all kinds of impact play and it’s my go-to practice playlist for shaking the rust off w/ Florentine work. More than anything I hope these posts get people to realize exactly what in their music is affecting their play, because I bet if it’s not something you look for now, adding some mindfulness to your playlist creation can make SUCH a huge difference!
Warmup / Scene setting
BANKS – Gimme (Dm, 59 BPM)
Marina & the Diamonds – Power & Control (Am, 120 BPM – effective 60)
I:Scintilla – Boxing Glove (B♭m, 85 BPM)
Notes: This warm-up is sort of all over the place, but has some steady BPM increases (if you take the 1/2 speed for Power & Control) and tonal shifts from poppy bangers into the general industrial feel this playlist is all about. The full 120 BPM speed of Power & Control is good for doing light Florentine fours warmups.
Build-up
Faith No More – Midlife Crisis (Em, 107 BPM)
Kidneythieves – Zerospace (Em, 90 BPM)
Notes: Taking a small break for percussion-heavy rock before launching into industrial and staying there for a little while. Wanted to group these songs up because they’re both very drum-heavy tracks in E minor, but still nice and slow for a build-up. By now I am usually switching to very thuddy, drum-following implements to get the blood rushing under the skin and prepping for intensity.
Climax
I:Scintilla – Swimmers Can Drown (C♯m, 137 BPM)
Angelspit – Make You Sin (Dm, 130 BPM)
I:Scintilla – Taken (C♯m, 117 BPM)
Notes: Fully into industrial now, the 130-140 BPM range is incredible for fast flogging or Florentine fours the entire way through. (You can also do some ~70BPM tracks in double time or if you’re wanting to go hard, even 200+BPM tracks in half time.) Since these songs are very similar in key and tempo, I recommend just sticking with core implements here and going hard, nothing too fancy.
Cooldown
Deftones – Change (In the House of Flies) (Cm, 69 BPM)
Bad Omens – CONCRETE JUNGLE (Cm, 91 BPM)
Notes: Still sticking in the same general key range here, time to slow it down and get the bruises to stick with hard hitting implements. This is a great spot for slow, methodical paddling, personally. I tend to go with songs that are a bit more emotion-provoking and lyrically or melodically interesting on the back end, since during cooldown it can be a really sensual thing to focus in on.
Wrap-up / Scene ending
Lacuna Coil – Swamped (E, 71 BPM)
St. Vincent – Masseduction (Am, 114 BPM – effective 57)
Notes: Just some fun, slower tracks to end off the scene. Masseduction is sort of a sillier song to round it out, and by then I’m usually done with implements and starting in on aftercare and post-scene prep. The poppy beat and huge key change can help sort of delineate the play and the after, so I tend to use something more jarring.