By Jessica Knowles    Photo Keksautomat

We all should know by now what it takes to set the mood. Dim lighting? Check. Soft music playing? Check. Roommate safely banished? Check, check and check. If you've done it right, whomever you've brought home is ripping their clothes off by now.

But before the two of you are halfway to home plate, your iTunes shuffle deceives you. Rage Against the Machine comes blaring across your puny speakers, Zack de la Rocha screaming about political injustices and genocide and other equally unsexy subjects.

The mood is ruined.

As anybody who's encountered this situation knows, music can make or break a sexual experience. Bad sex music kills the ambience almost as quickly as bad hygiene.

It seems that music accompanies everything we do these days: working out, studying and doing dishes. And seeing as the songs you listen to while pumping iron are different from the ones you listen to while reading Trotsky, it only makes sense that your sexy-time music should be kept on a separate playlist as well.

But what to put on that playlist? The problem is, music taste varies as much as sexual preference. I have one friend who swears that Miles Davis is a no-brainer for a great sex mix, and I once dated a guy who was mildly obsessed with Tchaikovsky's Firebird Suite (even us sex columnists have poor judgment at times).

I'd recommend going through your iTunes list while thinking about sweaty bodies to see what strikes your fancy. Just don't include Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" - it's been done.

To give you some ideas, here's a peek at some of the songs on my "Baby-Makin' Music" playlist. (For the record, Mom, I'm not making any babies. Quit worrying).

• "Pumpkin" by Tricky (from his album Maxinquaye): Tricky's British trip-hop music is strange, to be sure. But it's also damn sexy. The way he whispers lyrics in that gravelly voice of his is equal parts danger and seduction.
• "Criminal" by Fiona Apple (from her album Tidal): Fiona is a bad, bad girl. She caused an uproar when the music video for this song came out, featuring her crawling around a filthy apartment in her underwear.... so put it on the mix.
• "Here I am (Come and Take Me)" by Al Green (from his album Call Me): A great soul voice over a driving beat? Oh baby, oh baby.
• "ijustwannalayaroundalldayinbedwithyou" by the Coup (from the album Pick a Bigger Weapon): Oakland-based rapper Boots Riley talks sex over a beat that's made for bumping and grinding.
• "On the Couch" by Prince (from his album Musicology): I mean, it's Prince. That man packs so much sexual energy into one little body it would be a shame not to include him on this list.
• "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" by D'Angelo (from the album Voodoo): The masterpiece Voodoo is a perfect sex album from beginning to end. This song goes on the playlist mostly because the music video features a muscled, sweaty, naked D'Angelo. If only the camera went just a little bit lower...
• "Everybody Here Wants You" by Jeff Buckley (from his album Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk): The late Buckley's falsetto practically drips with longing. Plus, he plays the guitar. And we all know how hot that is.
• "Lipstick from the Asylum" by Alpha (from the album Stargazing): This lullaby is ideal for post-coital snuggling - you know, if you're into that.

Of course, these are just my personal preferences. Maybe you like listening to Rage Against the Machine while you're raging against somebody's sweaty body - or maybe you prefer silence. The sound of heavy breathing cutting through the quiet of a room can be pretty orgasmic as well.