1. Thank you Moms!

    This weekend SoundTracking saw an outpouring of love, appreciation, and recognition for the mothers in our lives. From dedicated songs to personal pictures of moms and children the love was flowing on the trending wall and personal feeds alike. 

    It’s the genuine sharing, care and kindness of you, the ST community, that makes being part of the ST team so rewarding and exciting. We love sharing special moments with each other, and we’re glad you do too! 

    Thanks again to all the moms out there, and to you for sharing your dedications with us. 

    Relive the weekend Mothers Day lovefest through the highlights below! 

    steph

























  2. SoundTracking Team Mixtape: Sunny Number 11

    HAPPY FRIDAY! I must say, this week’s SoundTracking Team Mixtape is quite the musical and visual masterpiece. I get so excited to put together the singles tracks of everyone here, getting more of a glimpse into their music experiences. And this week is no exception. 

    You can tell that when San Francisco gets nice and sunny, everything is affected for the better. Many of us are dreaming of sun and beaches, still paying tribute to the ever influential MCA,  and helping each other discover new music. 

    And now I give you own springtime mixtape. Listen to it. Then listen to it again. I know you’ll like it. 

    Steph


    Steve

     


    Sat down on a flight back to San Francisco.  Looked to my left and it was Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple.  Whoa.  We talked a bit about mobile phones, apps and interaction design  Then, he asked what I did work-wise and I told him that our startup makes the SoundTracking app and his face lit up.  Woz said “Yeah, I know SoundTracking.  I have it on my iPhone and I use it to share what I’m playing on my iPhone.”   Then he showed me our app on his iPhone.  So, that was a really cool flight.

    Philippe

     
     

    Sunny week, I feel like going to the beach.
     

    Alex B

     

    Two weekends back my fiancé and I spent some time in San Luis Obispo doing the Wildflower Cycling Century, wine tasting, and getting away from it all. We had a fantastic time.
     

    Matt

     
     

    I’ve always wanted to cover Benny & The Jets myself but I don’t think I could top this rendition. RIP MCA
     

    Alex K

     
     

    Chicago is a city rich in musical tradition and my recent trip there reflected that. The San Francisco-based Sweater Funk dj crew was making their debut there this past weekend, and I was happy to tag along! Strictly vinyl, and with a focus on early 80s boogie, modern soul and steppers, the sound and vibe they bring is unique and always a great time. Leon Ware’s “Why I Came To California” is a Sweater Funk classic. Check them out! http://soundcloud.com/sweaterfunk
     

    Jamie

     

    Caught an awesome sunset Wednesday night while flying home from LA.  This is a perfect flying at sunset song.  It has this ethereal vibe that’s very spiritual to me, and it just takes off at the end.  Whenever I listen to it I imagine I’m lifting off the runway.

    Duncan

     
     
    This is a great track that came to my attention via The Orb’s “Tundra & Sunflakes” release last year.  Some solid beats and pretty amazing synth/samples/not-sure-what-that-is.  Headphones required.

    Eric

     
     

    I’m sure everybody is going to talk about Adam Yauch. Here is mine. I used to enjoy their first album, but forgot about them after that. My best friend introduced me to Paul’s Boutique on a road trip from West Los Angeles to Arcata, CA and I have been forever in love. MCA’s death was a huge, and tragic loss to the music community and the world in general.

    Doug

     
     
    The Onion sister site AV Club is running a retrospective of the band R.E.M. As usual, they take a different approach from the typical music press. The 4 part series is a fan’s perspective on the band’s legacy and their impact on one of their writer’s musical upbringing. Very moving and full of band drama, but also exploring the secret behind how they were able to pull off a hardcore cult following and smashing commercial success. Check it out here:


    Eliza
     

     
     

    It’s great to have co-workers who have a great music taste. Steph was playing Tegan and Sara on her Spotify the other day. I didn’t know what the song was so I pulled out my SoundTracking app, hit Music ID and Voila! So fun to discover new great song with the Music ID feature. I’m going to have to add that song to my Spotify playlist and listen to some of their other stuff. Thanks Steph!

    Edmund

     
     

    It has been a sad couple of weeks in the Mission District of SF. With masked vandals rucking amuck and fires ablaze, sometimes you gotta listen to some T.Rex and reset. Electric Warrior is one of those classic English rock albums which always seems to put me in a good mood. There is some great guitar throughout this song and the album, that it’s hard to not pick one up and jam along.
     

    Myke

     

    The changing of seasons is a perfect exhibit of the cyclic nature of the universe.  Grab a bourbon, and crank the volume to 11.


    Naldi

     

    Been sleepy and half sick for the past week (thanks Pollen!), need an upper beat boost to stay on top of tasks. Here I present the beautiful voice of Jacqueline Govaert from Van Buuren’s album Imagine.

    Steph

     

    A few weeks ago, I included a song that linked perfectly to an upcoming vacation I had started planning with a group of close friends. Well the it’s upon us! At this exact moment next week I will be at this very waterfall pool, creating tanlines of my own. Until then I’ll creating a happy boppy summertime #poolsideplaylist. Feel free to help me out by posting your soundtracks and using #poolsideplaylist to the description. Comment on the track above and let me know to check out yours, or tweet it out and I’ll find it on Twitter!

    Play mix in Spotify

    Play mix in RDIO 

  3. ThrowbackThursday!

    #OfficeSoundtrack #ThrowbackThursday ♫ “Way Of Life” by Lil Wayne, Big Tymers & TQ

  4. HumpDaySoundTrack

    Happy Wednesday all!

    What’s soundtracking your hump day!? Share your midweek soundtracks with us and add #humpdaysoundtrack

  5. RIP MCA, You Will Be Missed Dearly

    The Music and Hip-Hop world lost a true pioneer today, Adam Yauch (aka MCA), of the Beastie Boys. The passing of MCA has brought forth a celebration of the influential trio’s music.  Today our trending wall (below) reflects this celebration, with posts from music fans as well as artists reaching the top spots. 

    RIP MCA, you will be missed dearly.

  6. SoundTracking Team Mixtape: Ten

    Usually, I try to recognize themes across the team as they play out in our weekly mixtape. Sometimes it’s a rainy gray week, and the music is low key and mellow. Sometimes it feels like springtime and everyone is boppy and happy. This week, it seems we’re all just doing our own thing. 

    So sit back enjoy our eclectic taste and variety of tastes for all they have to offer! 

    Happy weekend!

    steph

    Eliza


    I decided to go with an oldie, but goldie this week. I used to listen to this song back in Austria at my parents’ house while my dad was teaching me how to cook Vietnamese dishes. It reminds me of good times, and delicious food. The other memory that this song always triggers are the hot summer days in Vienna where I would call up my girl friends and go with them to the Danube river island to tan, dance and sip Pina Coladas.
     

    Naldi 

    Bicycling around Embarcadero and was staring at the bridge when this song popped up. “At the county line bridge”, I was. Pretty setting for a great, sad song.  


    Jamie 



    I’ve been swimming recently in this little cove called The Aquatic Park in San Francisco (see the photo)…   I’m new to it, so almost everything about it is a struggle.  Putting the wetsuit on, getting in (b/c it’s 55 degree water), and swimming against the current at least 1/2 the time.  I always think of this song and the line, “all you do is push, pull, tear.  can’t you stretch it any farther?”  When I’m done, though, it’s the greatest feeling. 



    Steph



    This was the first song I’d heard of Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, and I fell in love. To this say, I still can’t get enough of her sultry voice, emotionally intelligent lyrics, and all round soul. Whenever I hear Thao at a public place, playing or the radio and such, I fall in love with her music all over again. I dream to be as badass as she is when I grow up. I guess you could say I’ve been brainwashed.


    Duncan


    Vince Watson’s music has always reminded me of a secluded, placid space, somewhere outside our everyday realm of being.  Say, an island in the sky.  This track takes me there.


    Edmund
     

    Tech conferences have always reminded me of the first day of school. At Schematic Labs, we encourage each other to attend many conferences to expand our knowledge and do a bit of tech shmoozing. This week we are attending MongoSF, a conference about the database which powers SoundTracking, MongoDB. Now time to find the frat parties and keggers!


    Eric



    Crunchy, fantastic, and still good after the thousandth listen. I can’t think of anything more to say about this one. Listen, enjoy.

    Alex B

     

    Three weeks of Pretty Lights and counting! Such a great group. Really looking forward to launching what I’ve been working on for the past couple months. Been heads down rocking out to music like this trying to wrap it up ASAP.

    Philippe 

    Last week-end, I was at a wellness conference (http://www.newlivingexpo.com/). I was inspired by a lecture about “Sound Healing” by Steven Halpern (http://StevenHalpern.com/).

    This sound track is one small sample of his top selling album: “Chakra Suite” (http://StevenHalpern.com/prod/relaxation-music/chakrasuite.html)

    I have a personal interest on using music for healing purpose.

    Doug 



    From work, I can look out the window and see the fog come over the ridgeline as it rolls over the city. I happen to live on the other side of the line so I know what kind of whether will be waiting for me when I go home.
    I was also experimenting with some Instragram filters to highlight the fog. I think the atmospherics really shine in this photo.


    Matt


    Turn on the bright lights


    Steve



    Happy Birthday, James Brown. #GodfatherOfSoul


    Play in Spotify

    Play in RDIO  

  7. It’s the first of the month…

    Happy May 1st AND National Mother Goose day! (Thanks Lee_lee31 for that one!) 

  8. iOS Update

    A new iOS update of the SoundTracking app (v2.1.2) is available in the iTunes AppStore.  

    Improvements to user profiles, neighborhood tagging, and a few fixes await you!  

    Download it now! 
     

  9. Monday Music

    Mr. Bangladesh is feelin’ it, are you?! 

     ♫ “Same Sh** Different Day (Album Version (Explicit))” by Young Gunz

  10. SoundTracking Team Mixtape: To the Nines!

    We’re back in action with a new mixtape and a new SoundTracking team member! This week we celebrate spring, warmth and… hockey! 

    Happy weekend all! 

    Enjoy

    steph

    Duncan (the newest addition to the team!) 

     

    Having long respected the work of creative powerhouse Scott Hansen aka Tycho, I was excited for the recent release of his latest album, Dive.  Truly a breath of fresh air in the world of electronic music, Dive hearkens to the halcyon days of electronica, drawing comparisons to Boards of Canada, Orbital, and even Aphex Twin in his calmer moments.  However, with his signature melodies and the refreshing depth of his tracks, Tycho is in a league of his own.  Melanine is one of many favorite tracks on the album and is prefect for a warm spring day or a drive down an open highway.

    Steph

    I had a different song selected for the mix this week, but it was a little too “low key” for how my week unfolded. This week a close friend of mine put out the call for a last minute vacay for friend time and sunshine. Next thing I knew a group of 8 of us were planning a long weekend trip for three weeks from now! Some of my most favorite friends are going to be spending a few days at a huge home with a pool in the the dessert. This song reminds me of them and makes me happy.  
     

    Philippe

      
     

    If you like this song from Kate Bush, check the full album “Never for Ever.” It is one of my top favorite albums.
     

    Alex B

     

    Head down. Write test. Write code. Make test pass. Repeat.

    Edmund

     
     

    It’s NHL playoff time and my San Jose Sharks were bounced by St. Louis. Now it’s up to you, New York to bring home a cup. Game 7s are always exciting… 

    Myke



    The weather has been crazy, the NHL playoffs are moving into the second round, and the Soundtracking team has been cranking like madmen.  Everything seems crisp and fresh this Spring.  You know what that means:  time to roll with the crew and enjoy life.


    Jamie



    Last Saturday was one of the nicest days I’ve experienced since moving to SF last summer.  I woke up and sat on my back porch drinking coffee, reading the paper, and listening to music.  This song came on and immediately brought me back to my summer of 1999 in New York.  It was a blazing hot summer, the mornings felt just like they did last Saturday, and my soundtrack was Manic Street Preachers.  Good times.

    Matt

     

    Old skool Italo Disco track we used to dial up on YouTube back in the day.


    Doug

     

    I’m a big Japanese anime fan and the new season of Japanese TV started recently. As usual a lot of new shows to choose from. A really promising series is called “Kids on the slope”, Japanese name is “Sakamichi no Apollan”. Created by Shinichiro Watanabe, who also created Cowboy Beebop and Samurai Champloo. The juxtaposition of a seemingly standard high school anime with bebop jazz is proving to be a good combination. The song here is featured heavily in the show.


    Naldi

     

    Pandora played me this song today - and reminded me of the great time I had during Lovelution 2011. Dash Berlin wasn’t there but someone else mixed it and rocked the stages. This year it’s going to be held around September — Looking forward to being there :)
     

    Alex K



    All this Dr. Dre / Snoop Dogg / Hologram business has got me nostalgic for the G-Funk era!
     

    Steve

     

    In passing conversation with a few friends, we got in our head that we’d try to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert.  I had always liked a few of his songs from when I was a kid, but had never seen him perform live and had never bought an album actually.  Little did I know that his live concert is one of the best music experiences ever.  Not only was it a 3 hour show in which every song sounded really good (The E Street band is ridiculous!), but he had a soulful bluesy side that I never knew about.  He sang a couple southern blues-tinged tracks that I think he wrote himself and even did a cover of the Temptations with his backup singers.  The energy level was through the roof.  He crowdsurfed from a handrail divider in the middle of the floor area all the way back to the main stage.  Unexpectedly, I’m a huge Bruce Springsteen fan now.  

    Play in Spotify

    Play in Rdio