The word Birthday is synonymous the word party, and no party will ever be complete without music.
When you play host to a party, birthday or otherwise there are a great many factors to consider, one of the most important factors being the music, which is something many people forget to consider. It may not always be feasible to hire a professional DJ to do your bidding and although playlist planning is not an exact science, building a playlist of your own may even be fun.
Here are Magpie’s guidelines to compiling the perfect playlist:
Consider your guests
The goal of a party is for everyone to have a good time, for this to happen you will have to play music that everyone will enjoy. Always make sure you have a good variety of music to suit different demographics. If you have guests of all ages, try mixing some oldies in with newer more current stuff.
You can even consider remixes of older songs which preserve the spirit of the original track nevertheless the more modern elements can make it appealing to those who don’t even know the song at all.
Plan the Playlist
The biggest mistake you can make is to put all the songs you like on a playlist and select shuffle, this is a sure fire way to kill a party. Consider the flow you want your evening to take and plan your playlist accordingly, I would suggest that you build your playlist by grouping songs together that play well after each other, give your playlist a “mixtape” feel, start with more “chilled” songs and build up your vibe till you have a “dance” party going.
Timing is key, consider how long your party will last, a playlist of about 4 hours will be a good start, if the playlist is too short you will have to repeat it, and if it’s too long you run the risk of the best party songs playing after your guests have left.
Personal Touch
You may think that planning the playlist on your own is personal enough, but don’t forget to put your own personal stamp on the playlist by adding some of your own favourites even if they are lesser known. Your friends will appreciate your efforts and it’s your party, so enjoy it!!
Backup supply of hits
A proper planner will always have a plan B, so even if you are convinced your playlist is on point, it won’t hurt to have a backup “hits only” playlist just in case, old favourite and current hits are always a good backup.
Once your playlist is ready listen to it again, be your own worst critic and remove the songs that don’t work, The more prep work you do, the less you’ll have to stress when it’s party time!
Written by Margaret Whitfield • DJ Magpie • our in-house Music Maven
