Cool Hunting

Advertorial content:

Equinox Fitness Clubs go beyond neighborhood gyms in just about every way. Most places purchase music from a service or play the radio, but Equinox Creative Director Bianca Kosoy and her team wanted people to get excited about the music, so they took things into their own hands.

First they recognized that different areas of the club—lobby, workout floor, spa and locker rooms—require different music. Next they thought a lot about the various genres of music (classics, pop, electronic, hip hop, R & B, and most importantly what they call "discovery," music from new musicians as well as less popular music from more established musicians). The team also considers the mix, how much of each genre feels right, and comes up with a monthly playlist of about 600 songs. And, last but not least, they also take the beat into account; songs in the workout area are optimally at 130 beats per minute, for example. Each month Equinox updates a significant portion of the playlist with new songs, modulating the percentage from each genre.

Bianca feels part of the Equinox brand experience is to introduce members to new music. Some of her current favorites currently in rotation include The Silversun Pickups, The Virgins, Chromeo, MSTRKRFT and Black Kids

EQ Sessions, available on the Equinox site and iPhone application, features monthly highlights from the mix and September saw the launch of Sessions by guest DJs. First up was Madonna followed by Paul Sevigny, and next up you'll hear Sessions by Cyndi Lauper (who's doing two Sessions, one of her favorite holiday music), Laroux, Cher, Michael Boublé, Stevie Knicks, Tommy Lee, Dave Navarro and Jason Mraz.

Experience a music-enhanced workout with a no-cost, no obligation three day pass at any Equinox club.