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Play Good Party Music at Your Next Celebration
It’s happened to plenty of people that throw a party. You’ve invited the guests, prepared the meals, bought the beer, and you realize you don’t know what kind of music to play. You hastily throw together a bunch of songs, hoping it will suffice, and then a number of people end up fighting over the iPod or the CD player hoping to get their stuff played. If you want to throw a party that will keeping people dancing and more or less happy, but you don’t want to hire a DJ, follow these tips.
1. Create a Playlist Beforehand
The most crucial mistake is forgetting about music until the time of the party comes. Maybe you had a party a couple months back, so you use the same set list. Maybe you ask someone that gets there early to put something on. In any case, this attitude is a recipe for disaster. The best way to get a grip on the situation is to make a playlist well in advance, and then stick to it.
Do not deter from the playlist unless there is a party wide request for a certain song. If your buddy comes over and says, “Hey man, you mind if I throw something on,” you may live to regret letting him play Insane Clown Posse for the rest of the night. Even worse, once you let one person change the music, everyone may feel entitled. This can create one of the biggest party fouls ever: Someone turning off a song in the middle when everyone else is enjoying it, a surefire way to get booed. If half the party is desperately clamoring for “Don’t Stop Believing,” then by all means stop your play list and oblige the masses. Don’t let your friend that listens to nothing but Death Metal spin some tunes, though.
2. Order the Playlist
While throwing together a glob of songs and hitting random is a whole lot easier, you may improve your success rate by ordering the songs. If you throw your mix on random, Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” may end up following Jay-Z’s “Can I Get A,” which can be hard to swallow for a lot of people. If you order the list, you can play the most popular favorites (such as current pop hits, or proven crowd pleasers) when the party is at its most crowded, and save some of the lesser known stuff for earlier and later in the evening.
3. Don't Cater to Yourself
Okay, maybe you are the guy who loves Death Metal, or wants to listen to Pink Floyd all night. While your music may be awesome in its own right, it may not be the right choice to get the party bouncing. You’ve got to swallow your pride and throw a little Michael Jackson and Madonna on the list if people are really going to make a scene on the dance floor. So, take the night off from thinking you’re too cool for Justin Timberlake (or Timbaland, for that matter) and throw on some songs that people love.
4. Do Cater to the Crowd
A night full of Destiny’s Child and Nelly might not be for everyone, so think carefully before adding songs to your playlist. If most of your friends like punk rock, then you don’t want to load up on Backstreet Boys songs when you’re making your list. Think about who’s coming, and cater to the crowd accordingly. If the party is too big, and you have no idea exactly who’s showing up, you’d have a hard time going wrong with a nice mix of current pop hits, classic eighties tracks, and the occasional oldie that everyone knows.
5. When in Doubt, Keep it Short
If you’re trying to decide between songs, you should favor shorter ones. Nine times out of ten it’s better to play two three minute songs to one six minute song (Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough” is, in fact, the tenth time). That way, if you put on a song that doesn’t go over to well, it’s over faster.
Follow these simple rules to playlist construction, and you should be well on your way to getting people outta their seats and onto the dance floor.
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