05/08/2025
52 Frequencies - Week 4 - "Pink Skates"
https://essaytiger.fanlink.tv/pink-skates
Genre: Nu-Disco, Soul Disco
So in my fourth week in, I was working on a track and stumbled upon a sound in one of my Pro Tools instruments — a Rhodes patch with a vintage feel. I started messing around with some chords, and suddenly a lightbulb went off.
As I began building the melody and shaping the overall feel of the song, it started turning into something people could actually dance to. I don’t usually make dance tracks, so this was uncharted territory for me. I thought, Who in the world am I even making this for? Who would be dancing to this?
As luck (or favor) would have it, the very next day I jumped on social media and saw a video of my cousin Sean — an avid skater — at his favorite skating rink. Another lightbulb moment. Why not create a track as an homage to the skate community?
That’s when the momentum picked up. From Monday to Wednesday, the music began to take shape. By Thursday, I was humming a melody. And by Friday, the full idea had arrived.
I wanted to make a song that invites people not just to come out and skate, but to come out and be social — no matter who they are or what their skin tone is. I wanted it to feel like an audible throwback to those old Soul Train clips, where Black, white, and Asian folks were all wearing their grooviest outfits, dancing, vibing, and simply enjoying each other’s company.
About the Cover Art:
I wanted the artwork to reflect the “skin tones” mentioned in the chorus: Pink Skates & Brown Skin, Pink Skates & Light Skin, Pink Skates & Olive Skin. The three women on the cover represent those ideas. I designed the image with them facing away to suggest forward motion — they’re moving ahead, progressing. They’re also in the same skating pose to symbolize unity and harmony as they move together.
Let me know what you think.