Keyword Adventures

The Fun of Searching the CSS Music Library

Unabashed brag: While some music libraries provide only one method of searching, CSS Music offers you three (3) easy ways to explore our vast library! There. We got that out of the way. Seriously, finding exactly what you’re after is an individual choice, ergo we’ve designed our database to suit your favorite way to hunt for music.

If you enjoy a leisurely listening session, choosing our Hand Picked Genre/Category Hot List is the way to comb through tracks. Simply select a general category and click on the Go button. You can then look at titles, read the keyword descriptions and quickly audition music you think might work for your show/scene.

When you’re in a hurry and know a particular style or emotion you need, the CSS Music Keyword Alpha Lists lets you use dropdown menus to derive a master list. For example, if you need something Fun and Offbeat, you’d choose “Fun” from the A-G menu and “Offbeat” from H-Q. Obviously, this system does have a limitation; if you wanted Fun and Easy, you’d be stuck.

But we’ve solved that conundrum with our Build-A-Search by Keyword menu! Here you can type in up to four (4) keywords separated by commas to yield your results. So if you typed in “fun, easy” you’d get 4 pages of tracks to audition. A keyword search of “retro, rock, fun” will assemble a 2 page list--you’ll find these selections are right on target for your needs. While there’s no way we can humanly include every keyword known to man, we think you’ll find Build-A-Search covers a lot of territory.

Everyone enjoys exploring music in one manner or another. If you’re the type of person who loves listening to a genre, a busy music editor who wants to quickly explore a style or emotion, or when you generally know what you’re after, CSS Music has a methodology that works. Need music? Then search us!

The Fun of Searching the CSS Music Library

Unabashed brag: While some music libraries provide only one method of searching, CSS Music offers you three (3) easy ways to explore our vast library! There. We got that out of the way. Seriously, finding exactly what you’re after is an individual choice, ergo we’ve designed our database to suit your favorite way to hunt for music.

If you enjoy a leisurely listening session, choosing our Hand Picked Genre/Category Hot List is the way to comb through tracks. Simply select a general category and click on the Go button. You can then look at titles, read the keyword descriptions and quickly audition music you think might work for your show/scene.

When you’re in a hurry and know a particular style or emotion you need, the CSS Music Keyword Alpha Lists lets you use dropdown menus to derive a master list. For example, if you need something Fun and Offbeat, you’d choose “Fun” from the A-G menu and “Offbeat” from H-Q. Obviously, this system does have a limitation; if you wanted Fun and Easy, you’d be stuck.

But we’ve solved that conundrum with our Build-A-Search by Keyword menu! Here you can type in up to four (4) keywords separated by commas to yield your results. So if you typed in “fun, easy” you’d get 4 pages of tracks to audition. A keyword search of “retro, rock, fun” will assemble a 2 page list--you’ll find these selections are right on target for your needs. While there’s no way we can humanly include every keyword known to man, we think you’ll find Build-A-Search covers a lot of territory.

Everyone enjoys exploring music in one manner or another. If you’re the type of person who loves listening to a genre, a busy music editor who wants to quickly explore a style or emotion, or when you generally know what you’re after, CSS Music has a methodology that works. Need music? Then search us!

Let’s Dance!

A Look At Today’s Dance Music

Do you remember The Twist, The Pony or The Watusi? Then you’re OLD!! J Dancing has certainly gone through a number of permutations since the 1960’s and CSS Music, while not fast on our feet, has kept up with all styles of today’s dance music.

If you look at our Hand Picked Genre List, you’ll see we’ve broken Dance music into two sub genres: Hip Hop-Rap-Dubstep and Club-House-Trance-Electro. Besides the wide differences in sounds, these two styles vary greatly in tempo. Unless you’ve been living in a monastery for the last 40 years, you’ve heard hip hop or rap music. With tempos ranging from as slow as 70 beats-per-minute (bpm) all the way up to 120 bpm or higher, hip hop is famous for its kick (bass) drum-- usually electronic--pitched super low to make a subwoofer thunder. Add a tight, high pitched electronic snare drum and you’ve got the foundation of a hip hop groove! Guitar riffs, synthesizer licks, short sampled loops, (Note: all CSS Music tracks use only licensed loops) record scratches and just about anything else you can dream up can be used to create hip hop music. And Rap? That’s pretty much a hip hop track with rhyming, spoken word over the track. A close cousin to Rap/Hip Hop is Dubstep. The typical formula for dubstep is 32 bars of an 80 bpm “intro” that concludes with a “drop,” or large electronic effect, that usually sweeps from high to low. Then the dubstep begins with its relentless noise-meets-music, punctuated with micro-edited sound clips and obligatory quarter note triplet figures.

On the flip side of today’s dance music is the very high-energy Club-House-Trance-Electro that also includes Electronic Dance Music, or EDM. This type of music is typically heard in nightclubs and harkens back to the Disco Era. The styles are very similar with respect to tempo and underlying rhythm. Like disco from the late 1970’s, a “four on the floor” kick drum pattern holds the track together. With Club, there’s usually a vocal riff that is used throughout the piece. While sung, there’s really not a lyric line; it’s more akin to instructions—i.e. “Let’s dance, get on up, shake your groove,” etc. House music comes from the disc jockey combining elements of different records to create his/her own “house mix.” When you hear Trance, you’ll understand the name. Relentless repetition of a musical figure with only slight variations—for example, dropping out the drums for 8 bars—makes this music ideal for those on drugs. (Kidding!) Electro music is very synthesizer based and is noted for a short “hook” that’s used repeatedly throughout the piece.

There you have it! While your show may not have a need at the present time, you never know when a scene with fashion show runway music wouldn’t work. Or perhaps you have an urban scene that could be enhanced with a gritty, street-sounding hip hop/rap track. We want you to know that at CSS Music we’re keeping our ears open—and feet moving—to the latest trends in Dance music!

Ole!

Understanding The Genres of Royalty Free Latin Music

Latin music is comprised of more than one single style. And CSS Music has a wide variety of Latin music when you’re ready to head south of the border or visit Spain! To help you better understand the different Latin music styles, here’s a quick synopsis of the different grooves and dance steps.

 The most popular styles, perhaps today considered “old school” because of the abundance of new hip hop flavored Latin tracks, are from the dance school. (Pun intended.) These include the Bossa Nova, a mid-tempo dance step marked by its syncopated groove. Then there’s the Cha-Cha Cha that’s famous for its 2 bar pattern with a “cha cha cha” on 3 & 4 of the second bar. Merengue is a very simple Dominican dance with music that’s much more “four on the floor” with tempos that are generally medium up-tempo. The Tango, a more sensuous dance, is know for its heavy downbeat—you’ve probably seen this dance performed with the woman clenching a long stem rose in her teeth as the couple flow across the dance floor cheek-to-cheek. The Beguine, from the West Indian French, bears a close resemblance to the Bossa Nova and was made famous with Cole Porter’s Begin The Beguine. The Samba, with its super high-energy groove, is often marked by syncopated horn stabs and driving rhythms. Finally, from the island of Cuba comes the Mambo. This music is also very peppy and is usually punctuated with horn figures. There’s also Afro-Cuban music; Latin flavored but with much more mild tempos.

Whew! Today, a new generation of Latin music, from World Music influenced Latin to hip hop/rap to Tex-Mex still retain a lot of the rhythmic structure and basic percussion instruments. If you use the CSS Music Keyword Alpha List or type in “Latin” in our Build-A-Search window, you’ll find many of the above-mentioned styles ready for you to audition. Happy searching amigos y amigas!

Understanding The Genres of Latin Music

Latin music is comprised of more than one single style. And CSS Music has a wide variety of Latin music when you’re ready to head south of the border or visit Spain! To help you better understand the different Latin music styles, here’s a quick synopsis of the different grooves and dance steps.

 The most popular styles, perhaps today considered “old school” because of the abundance of new hip hop flavored Latin tracks, are from the dance school. (Pun intended.) These include the Bossa Nova, a mid-tempo dance step marked by its syncopated groove. Then there’s the Cha-Cha Cha that’s famous for its 2 bar pattern with a “cha cha cha” on 3 & 4 of the second bar. Merengue is a very simple Dominican dance with music that’s much more “four on the floor” with tempos that are generally medium up-tempo. The Tango, a more sensuous dance, is know for its heavy downbeat—you’ve probably seen this dance performed with the woman clenching a long stem rose in her teeth as the couple flow across the dance floor cheek-to-cheek. The Beguine, from the West Indian French, bears a close resemblance to the Bossa Nova and was made famous with Cole Porter’s Begin The Beguine. The Samba, with its super high-energy groove, is often marked by syncopated horn stabs and driving rhythms. Finally, from the island of Cuba comes the Mambo. This music is also very peppy and is usually punctuated with horn figures. There’s also Afro-Cuban music; Latin flavored but with much more mild tempos.

Whew! Today, a new generation of Latin music, from World Music influenced Latin to hip hop/rap to Tex-Mex still retain a lot of the rhythmic structure and basic percussion instruments. If you use the CSS Music Keyword Alpha List or type in “Latin” in our Build-A-Search window, you’ll find many of the above-mentioned styles ready for you to audition. Happy searching amigos y amigas!