The musical backdrop to an event sets the mood, whether at a casual barbecue, alfresco dinner or blowout patio party. For birthday celebrations, stag-and-doe mixers and even family reunions, creating the perfect MP3 playlist is a big part of successful summer entertaining.
Downloading and arranging a playlist of great MP3s is easy using your home computer. But how do you choose songs that make a party great? Scott Barratt, owner of Creative DJ Services, a Victoria-based company specializing in private and corporate functions, has some advice for creating crowd-pleasing playlists. Here are some of Barratt’s top DJing tips and tricks, drawn from his 25-plus years of experience in music mixology.
TIP 1: Cater to your crowd
"The first step is to identify the demographic make-up of your crowd," advises Barratt. "You'll probably have a range of ages from six to 60; in which case, you have to identify the age and taste of the core (the age group that makes up the largest portion of attendees). You should plan for a program that targets this group primarily, and then spice it up with selections for the other age groups and scatter them in every six or nine songs," says Barratt.
That means that, yes, your tween can help compose playlists; particularly if some of the guests will be her buddies. But, no, she can't take care of the whole project for you. (Unless you think all your guests are into Justin Bieber.)
TIP 2: Pick popular songs
This isn't the time to impress guests with that obscure, B-side track from your favourite underground band’s first single. Party playlists should appeal to the widest range of people, not just the music snobs on your guest list.
"The most important factor in music selection is familiarity," says Barratt. "If guests don't recognize a song, they won’t want to dance to it."
Feel free to draw from different popular music types, but opt for better-known examples of each genre. You want songs guests can't get out of their heads -- not songs that leave them scratching their heads.
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