Party DJ Music List - For Starters!
A good, targeted party DJ music list is essential to your success as a DJ. You'll most likely be playing a lot more parties than clubs, at least in the beginning. After all, it takes time to build the kind of reputation as a first-class DJ that it takes to get a gig playing in the hottest clubs. The beginnings of that reputation will be built upon the parties that you play early on in your career. In order to become known the DJ to call for a great time, you've got to know how to put together a tight music list.
The first thing to remember when putting together your party DJ music list is that list have to be customized to the part you're playing. You can't just put together one party DJ music list and bring it everywhere with you and still hope to keep getting gigs. Different crowds want different kinds of music. Therefore, you have to find out in advance what type of crowd to expect at the party. Will it be mainly pre-teens (like at a bar mitzvah), middle-aged men (at a business convention), or elderly couples (like at a 50th anniversary party)? You wouldn't play Metallica songs for your grandmother, so you certainly shouldn't play them for her friends. If you don't know what kind of crowd to expect, ask now. You'll need at least a few days to come up with the right party DJ music list to suit the audience.
Finally, bring a few extra songs with you. Even if you've got a really tight, well thought-out party DJ music list put together, you'll probably still have some requests. Bring along songs in your crowd's genre that are well-known and loved and are likely to be requested. You may also find that some of the songs you're playing don't go over as well as you'd thought. Having some back-ups to throw into the mix can make the difference between a successful party and a disaster.
The first thing to remember when putting together your party DJ music list is that list have to be customized to the part you're playing. You can't just put together one party DJ music list and bring it everywhere with you and still hope to keep getting gigs. Different crowds want different kinds of music. Therefore, you have to find out in advance what type of crowd to expect at the party. Will it be mainly pre-teens (like at a bar mitzvah), middle-aged men (at a business convention), or elderly couples (like at a 50th anniversary party)? You wouldn't play Metallica songs for your grandmother, so you certainly shouldn't play them for her friends. If you don't know what kind of crowd to expect, ask now. You'll need at least a few days to come up with the right party DJ music list to suit the audience.
Finally, bring a few extra songs with you. Even if you've got a really tight, well thought-out party DJ music list put together, you'll probably still have some requests. Bring along songs in your crowd's genre that are well-known and loved and are likely to be requested. You may also find that some of the songs you're playing don't go over as well as you'd thought. Having some back-ups to throw into the mix can make the difference between a successful party and a disaster.
Also check out How to DJ a Party!