Summer proper arrives on Saturday, and the best of the season in Silicon Valley is yet to come: backyard barbecues and pool parties, cruising with the windows down on hot nights or, perhaps, clinking a cool beverage with friends on one of the many outdoor bar patios throughout the valley.

No matter the activity, a well-curated soundtrack can only enhance the mood. We polled eight Silicon Valley DJs, including members of the BVMO and Bangerz crews, to compile a list of 24 tracks to accompany the season. Collectively, the group represents some of the most active selectors from the Silicon Valley club scene, and arguably the local music scene’s hottest exports.

The cast below has roots in Silicon Valley but on any given weekend can be found rocking parties from Seattle to Vegas and L.A., where Cutso recently made his debut at celebrated day party the Do-Over.

Whether it’s a hankering for a soul classic, a fresh dance cut or an innovative cross-genre remix, the DJs provide a spectrum of their favorite tunes. Consider this a cheat sheet to kick-start this season.

SmoovGroovs (BVMO)

Ducksauce—“Goody Two Shoes”
You can always find a perfect balance between funk, soul and dance music in many of Ducksauce’s tunes. I love the vocal sample and the driving drums on this track.

Foster the People—“Best Friend (Waveracer Remix)”
Foster the People is just a flat-out epic band. I first heard the original song live at Coachella 2014 and it has been on rotation nonstop. Wave Racer puts an electronic, bouncy, soulful and bright spin on the song, giving it a fresh new vibe while keeping it intact. Sunny day vibes here, for sure.

Pharrell—“Frontin’ (Disclosure Re-Work)”
A classic hip-hop tune reworked U.K.-house style. In addition to Pharrell’s Smokey the Bear-style ranger hat getting lots of attention these days, the young duo Disclosure from the U.K. has been making a lot of noise in underground and popular music. This re-work has the U.K. funky bassline present throughout the track, punchy percussion and, of course, the classic vocals of Pharrell.

Cutso (Bangerz)

Sade—”Smooth Operator (Star Slinger Remix)
A thumpin’ retouch of one of the coolest songs ever recorded. It’s kind of an undeniable one on the dance floor because of its bassy bounce. It’s good for both the day and night parties. And let’s face it, nothing goes with a fine whiskey and a two-step in your good clothes better than Sade.

Jaded Incorporated—”Coconut Sofa”
Mayer Hawthorne and producer 14KT get synth wavy on a Thomas Dolby kind of vibe. It’s their own personal concoction, which they fondly call “beat wave.” This joint ain’t for everybody—only the sexy, quirky people. You can bust your weird, off-the-wall dance moves to this one.

Brother In Arms—”Jamaican Gyal”
A hot retouch on Grace Jones’ ode to an island lover, “My Jamaican Guy,” Brother In Arms brings SF’s J-Boogie and Deejay Theory together for a round of dancefloor burners. Their expertise in Moombahton, dancehall, tropical bass and other genres make for the perfect mixture to get the party people ready to sweat.

SheaButter (BVMO)

Starship Connection—“We Can Go All Night”
If this isn’t the theme song for “heading home” with the baddest girl in the bar, I don’t know what is. This is one of those jams that causes arthritis in your finger due to pressing the repeat button one too many thousand times. The direct lyrics, while simplistic, might get you lucky if you sing along.

Antwon—“3rd world Grrl (produced by froskees)”
Highway 1, windows down, something that smells like a stunk being blown out the window—this song makes for the perfect combination on any summer day. Give it up for San Jose’s Biggie Smalls. No Diddy, though.

Captain Planet feat. Chico Mann—“Un Poquito Mas”
Ay Dios Mio. This uptempo, Latin-infused track will have you screaming for “a little more.” After the first 16 bars you find the rhythm taking over and you are left with no choice but to move your body to this beautifully composed track.

DJ AJ Orbit

Porter Robinson—“Sad Machine”
The Vocaloid voice synthesizer gives this song a magical feel. Porter has come a long way. I was fortunate to open for him at Motiv in Santa Cruz for the very first show of his career. I’m loving his new musical direction and I think his album Worlds will be a success.

The Knocks—“Comfortable (Awe Remix) feat. X ambassadors”
The energy in this track is amazing. The vocals and upbeat rhythm of this song will go well with hot weather and large bodies of water.  Awe is a very clever producer.

Lido—“I love You”
The intro of this song already put me in a trance, not to mention the funky melodies and a banging beat. This wonder producer will soon rise up and take center stage.

Goldenchyld (Bangerz)

Kool and the Gang—“Summer Madness”
There are so many great, different songs that have sampled the original track from Kool and the Gang. It will remain in eternal summer rotation.

Quincy Jones—“Summer In The City”
There’s never really a bad time to hear this song. To me, if you really want to capture the essence of summer, throw this on at the end of a Sunday evening barbecue while you sit with your favorite drink outside and watch the sunset.

Childish Gambino—“3005 (Louis Futon Remix)”
Since I cited two songs that have been out forever, here is a new one I really dig. I pick this track simply out of the pure vibe it gives off when you listen to it. It’s impossible to feel anything other than awesomely relaxed and ready to do whatever at the same time. To me that’s what summertime is all about.

RCADE (BVMO)

Bastille—“Bad Blood (Lido Remix)”
This actually came out a couple weeks ago and I was immediately blown away. Butter chords, heavy hits and the song develops with new elements all the way to the end. Almost like a DJ mixtape, this track will take you on an audio journey, all in under five minutes.

Bro Safari & UFO!—“The Dealer (Milo & Otis Remix)”
One of the heaviest tracks this year for me. This track is in most of my sets these days. Big summertime vibes with a quick transition into one of the illest drops, period. From moombahton to twerk to trap, it’s got it all. Milo & Otis is another group that is dropping nonstop hits.

Duke Dumont feat. Jax Jones
This track is a summertime sure shot, with feel-good house vibes mixed with deep house elements—soulful vocals, bangin’ drums and an amazing vibe all the way through. This track is guaranteed to get people moving.

DJ Remedy

Lil Jon—“Bend Ova”
This track is straight fire. The first time I heard the track I didn’t want it to end. It has the same feel as “Turn Down For What” so you know it will be a monster everywhere this summer.

Lil Wayne ft. Drake—“Believe Me”
This one right here is already creeping up in DJs’ prime-time club sets. This track takes the baton from “Started From the Bottom” and keeps it moving. The beat bumps and lyrics match to make it a perfect combination.

Zeds Dead & Twin Shadow—“Lost You (Original Mix)”
So, my other picks are straight hip-hop fire for the clubs this summer, but since I play all genres, I chose “Lost You” by Zeds Dead as my house music summer track. The vocals are clear and the production is chunky so the speakers will be thumping real nice this summer.

G-Wrex (Bangerz)

Drake—“ 0 to 100”
The song of the summer. The beat brings you back to some Wu-Tang shit you mob out to on a hot summer night. Drake’s delivery and consistent, clever lyrics keep you zoned out until you reach your destination. The slow-down portion of the beat keeps your mind lifted, if you know what I mean.

Tinashe—“2 On”
Mustard on the beat! This producer has been on a tear lately, filling the summer air waves with heat. “2 On” is no exception, an instant summer classic. This song is guaranteed to keep the dance floor packed. Tinashe’s sexy tone, catchy hook on top of a Mustard track is a recipe for you to roll down your windows, too.

Miguel—“The Thrill (Spotify Session Version)”
This live performance in my opinion is way better than the original. This song is something you play when you’re headed to the bar with the top down. Miguel’s lyrics matched with the acoustic guitar helps you imagine the thrill of the night.

Rosey Gonzales contributed to this report.

San Jose based DJ/production collective BVMO latest release, The Resume, is an eight-song free release that includes one original and remixes that cover a variety of electronic styles. It’s is a testament to the group’s versatility not just as party-rocking DJ’s but as producers as well.

While the quartet—composed of SheaButter, DSTRKT, SmoovGroovs and Rcade—has released mixes in the past, The Resume marks their first release with top-to-bottom BVMO production.

“Objective,” the sole original composition of the set, kicks things off and plays into the The Resume concept well, offering a clear look of the album’s future-forward sonics from the first drop of the bass. Plenty of frenetic snares and tinny hi hats spice up a lazy groove that manages to still hit hard.

From the opener, Resume launches into a series of revamps of well-known hits and overlooked contemporary gems that reveal a diverse palette of influences. Through seven remixes, the collective re-works songs by the likes of Total, Timbaland and Pretty Ricky. Just as their bio declares, this is an album that aims for “keeping the music fresh with a progressive mind state.”

R Kelly seems to be a presiding muse over this project: his 2007 hit “I’m a Flirt” gets flipped as a Jersey Club track before the release closes out with the more downtempo “Panty Dropper Remix.” The same contemplative keyboard chords show up on both versions, proving BVMO can take a song in vastly different directions with the same base.

The crew’s remix of SBTRKT cut “Never Never,” featuring then-unknown guest vocalist Sampha, captures their duality quite well by peppering in just enough turn-up without completely distorting the soul of the original song. It’s a well-produced piece with a keen ear for nuance, and an album highlight. Their UK Funky re-edit of “Night Light,” taken from British chanteuse Jessie Ware’s fabulous 2012 debut Devotion, is another choice cut—one that adds a light, upbeat house touch that certainly picks up the pace of the moody original.

Stream The Resume here:

As part of the BVMO Crew, Shea Butter, along with Smoovgroovs and Dstrukt, are some of the hottest DJs in the South Bay right now. They specialize in spinning obscure soul, funk, hip-hop and electronic tracks, as well as doing some pretty innovative remixes. The trio also released the excellent mixtape Cupid’s Hangover this year.

Shea Butter broke down for us his favorite albums released this year, specifically ones he feels people will still be talking about in 20 years.

Mayer Hawthorne – Where Does This Door Go
Funk, rock, boogie, soul and hip hop are all blended together in Mr. Hawthorne’s musical crock pot, giving his growing fan base exactly what they need. Thank you Peanut Butter Wolf (the San Jose native, now in LA, releasing Hawthorne’s music on Stones Throw Records.

When it came time to settle on a name, local DJs Smoovgroovs, Shea Butter and Dstrukt made the odd choice of naming themselves after the beverage store chain, BevMo. While for some, the resulting “BVMO” (with the “E” dropped for style) seemed a strange name for a funk/soul/hip-hop DJ crew, it made perfect sense to them.

“We actually got flak from some people, who said ‘no one is going to take you serious if you use that as your crew name,’” Shea Butter says. “If you look at the tradition of crew names, there’s a certain humor that kind of underlines a lot of Bay Area DJs.

“Most of them could be comedians if they weren’t DJs,” he says, citing examples such as Invisibl Skratch Piklz and even Fingerbangerz—the name the Bangerz used up until a couple years ago.

BVMO isn’t just a funny name. There’s an actual story behind it that the crew feels is telling: When they started working together back in 2010, they noticed that every time they got in the same room, each one of them brought along a different beverage. The observation made them laugh, but it also felt poignant.

“It was kind of like our musical style, like we all come from different backgrounds and have different tastes. It’s like the variety that’s in that store,” Smoovgroovs says.

Everyone in the crew has the same objective of spinning interesting and obscure soul, funk, hip-hop and even some electronic dance music, and doing so in an artistic way that still achieves the main goal of getting people to dance. But they all do it in different ways, with different strengths and weaknesses.

Dstrukt started out backing rappers at underground hip-hop shows, and brings a lot of blending techniques and scratching skills to BVMO. He toured the U.S. and Europe recently as L.A. rapper Dumbfoundead’s DJ. In general, though, he left that scene behind.

“I started to realize that underground hip-hop doesn’t make girls dance,” Dstrukt says.

Smoovgroovs studied the piano before he ever touched a turntable and brings a lot of composition knowledge to BVMO, which helps when producing original music and creating remixes. “I was always backed by classical piano, reading notes, knowing the theory of music,” Smoovgroovs says.

Shea Butter started out as an avid record collector and later became an on-air DJ at KSJS, which ultimately led to him picking up a turntable and spinning at clubs.

“I started collecting vinyl because I love remixes,” he says. “I remember picking up a record thinking, ‘I’ve never even heard this track, I wonder what’s on here?’ I bought the record before I even had a turntable.”

One thing they all agree on is the importance of finding good danceable music other DJs aren’t spinning that will help them create diverse sets that still have cohesion to them.

“It’s almost like a friendly competition,” Shea Butter says. “It’s an individual sport as much as it is a team sport. I love digging for music and discovering new things and thinking that I’m actually going to break a song to people who’ve never heard it before to expose them to what I think is so great and get them to move at the same time.”

The crew holds residency at 55 South in San Jose every first and third Thursday, as well as at the Cardiff Lounge in Campbell every first and third Sunday, alongside Bangerz DJ Cutso. They also spin every other Thursday at Nightlife at the Academy of Science in San Francisco.

The crew spends the rest of its time playing one-off gigs, sometimes as BVMO, but often just as individual DJs. They also sometimes play more mainstream clubs, where they are expected to play Top 40—something not usually prominent on their playlist, but also not an issue to add to the mix.

“We can throw in the familiar songs, but we use it more as a tool to lure them in,” Smoovgroovs says. “After we get that connection, we like to play stuff that we like to play that maybe they haven’t heard of. If they like it then we achieved the goal.”

The BVMO crew are working on an EP of original sub-genre-based dance music, as well as a mixtape/hot dog package with CaliDog, as in you’ll get a CaliDog hot dog and a BVMO mixtape for one price, which should be interesting.