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For as long as I’ve been making mixes, I’ve never been quite sure what to do with “four-on-the-floor” songs. That means a bass (or “kick”) drum sound happens on every beat, as in most disco or house music. Because my mixes are for nodding your head or tapping your toes, but not actual dancing, the “boom-boom-boom-boom” of a four-on-the- floor track can be jarring. Yet a lot of the music I listen to fits the description, although usually with a more relaxed feeling – although not necessarily a slower tempo – than full-on house or disco.

This time, instead of sneaking them in as an afterthought, I started by picking two four-on-the-floor songs that fit the summer vibe I wanted and then chose the other songs to put around them. I’m happy with the result, but of course you’ll be the judge of whether it all flows successfully.

The first song I’m talking about is #8, “Time to reflect” by Moomin, a German producer I learned about through his association with the Hamburg label Smallville. I’m a big fan of the label, which has a playful aesthetic and specializes in melodic deep house.

The other four-on-the-floor song is the last one, “Mercy of means” by Frank & Aakmel. Frank is Brooklyn resident Francis Harris, who has also released music with another duo, Frank & Tony, as well as under his own name. He’s one of those musicians with amazing ears, by which I mean his productions have subtle touches that for me provide a consistent warmth and beauty.

That’s the last song, now on to the first: I’ve almost played British singer/songwriter Hollie Cook in several previous mixes. This time, I decided to let her go first so she wouldn’t get squeezed out again. Hollie’s mother sang with Culture Club; her father was the drummer in a little combo called The Sex Pistols. “Survive” is from her third and most recent album Vessel of Love.

I was a superfan of the French duo Air when they started releasing music in the mid-90s. Since then, their albums and solo projects have been, for me, very hit or miss. So I was pleased to learn that member Nicolas Godin was behind the retro lounge music in the delightful Netflix series “Au Service de la France” (“A Very Secret Service” is the English name). The series is set in the 60s, and Godin captures the swinging Paris vibe perfectly. “Clayborn” is from the soundtrack album.

If you aren’t familiar with the group case/lang/veirs, this is your notice that it’s a collaboration between Neko Case, k.d. lang, and Laura Veirs. If you like any of these artists, the album, from 2016, is essential. “Honey and smoke” gets a lead vocal from k.d., one of my very favorite singers; and I’d say this is one of her very best songs.

1. Hollie Cook – Survive
2. Johnny Hartman – The day the world stopped turning
3. C Duncan – Holiday home
4. Roy Ayers – Destination Motherland
5. Tosca with Anna Clementi – Honey
6. Freddie Hubbard with Hubert Laws and George Benson – Naturally
7. Pizzicato Five – The world without you
8. Moomin – Time to reflect
9. Bebel Gilberto – Tranquilo
10. Nick Drake – One of these things first
11. Nicolas Godin – Clayborn
12. Beach House – Majorette
13. Shirley Horn – Return to paradise
14. James Blake with Rosalía – Barefoot in the park
15. Dennis Brown – Hold on to what you got
16. case/lang/veirs – Honey and smoke
17. Willie Bobo – Night song
18. Frank & Aakmael – Mercy of means