Let’s be real, there’s nothing worse than a bad party playlist. You see, the music you choose to play makes or breaks the atmosphere of your party. As a host, it’s your responsibility to serve the crowd some bangers ‘n’ mash. Making the perfect playlist for your party takes a lot of curated time and effort, but we’re here to help. Here is a sure-fire guide to making a ripper party playlist.
Balance
It’s easy to get a bit crazy on the queue. When one song goes down a treat, there tends to be an unspoken pressure for the next song to perform at the same quality. You start queuing and queuing and it becomes a bit of a mess. That’s why it’s important to have a balance of artists. A good rule is a three track maximum from one artist to ensure consistency. It’s also good to incorporate a different mix of genres that cater to your audience. Since it is your party at the end of the day, you do have the most control – but you don’t wanna leave your guests in the dark as you play the Antiques Roadshow theme song on repeat. Actually, that sounds like a great time.
Rationalise
It’s always good to balance out the types of songs at your party. How many times have you been listening to the same DnB song remixed seven times and just want to hear Kiss Me thru the Phone by Soulja Boi? The two most important types of party music are: nostalgic bangers and dance slappers. Nostalgic bangers are songs that have grown up alongside you; you hear the opening chords and immediately know all the words. Dance slappers are songs where it doesn’t even matter what the words are, the beat just makes you want to dance like there’s no tomorrow. It’s all about finding the perfect balance between the two, because often after an absolute ripper of a song you’ll need a moment to catch your breath. Be sure to have some nice filler music after your slapper song choices to allow people to sit down or sneak out for a dart.
Create a queue
When everyone is a few Cleanskins deep, it’s almost guaranteed that your playlist is going to be hijacked. If there is a group of songs you want to play, start up a queue from your original playlist. Sometimes songs come to mind in the spur of the moment, but they don’t make the cut if they aren’t on the playlist. Making a queue means your audience can get more involved, as they can request songs to make everyone happy. But this leads on to the next point.
Lock your phone
One of the utmost betrayals is when someone skips your song on the queue to play some top 40 bullshit. That’s why if you’re on AUX duty, keep your phone safely secure to ensure the perfect queue of songs. Especially on Spotify, if someone puts a song straight on without consulting the queue, then all the queued songs will be lost. If people want to put on a song, make them go through you so you’re on quality control. Oh and also – if you have to plug your device in manually, make sure it’s somewhere safe that won’t get red wine spilled on it (trust me).
Get an adblocker
Please, get an ad blocker. Or at least get Spotify premium. $7.49 a month is much better than having another Clear Blue ad blasting out the speakers. You’ll thank me later.
Stop playing Drake
Seriously, just stop.