Max's golden rules for the perfect party playlist

As the Creative Director of I Do Festivals I have been spending quite a bit of time putting together the playlists for our Silent Discos. I love putting together playlists that will make people get up and dance for hours on end because it is exactly what I expect (and quite often demand!) of a great night out.

In putting together these playlists it got me thinking about some important rules to making a great party playlist that I thought I would share! These are by no means definitive but are a fun few ideas that I like to follow when thinking about what can and can’t go in a party playlist!

How fast can you side step to the song?

Let’s be honest…when you are at a wedding and dancing the majority of people are not going to be pulling slick dance sequences like Beyonce or Bruno Mars! The least you can hope for is darn good side step with a bit of a booty shake. Then everyone can take it from there in whatever direction or shape their body wants to throw! So it’s key to make sure that the songs you choose have a high energy beat that can get even your granny moving! I often get requests for songs that I just have to say no to because as great as songs as they may well be they aren’t going to get people moving. And that is key!

Singalong factor

As a DJ and also as a punter there is nothing better on the dancefloor than the rush of when a classic singalong tune comes belting out the speakers and the crowd goes mad! That moment when you realise what the track is and turn to your friends with a big scream of delight is such an adrenaline rush and I am always aiming to give people that buzz. So often that comes from putting on big well know banging tunes whether old skool classics or current earworms. Everyone loves a number they can sing along to! Which brings me to my next point…

Personal preference has to go out the window!

If it were up to me I would probably play a mix of Kate Bush, Tina Turner and Grace Jones all night long! But that is a recipe for a party for one! Even at a party of my own I know that combination is only going to satisfy people for a couple of songs. So you have got to play to what the majority of the crowd wants if you are to keep the people happy. Give them what they want but sometimes what they didn’t realise they needed!! Some of my favourite moments have been playing a song that you had forgotten even existed but is a total classic. The look on people’s faces when they realise what it on it’s way is priceless!

These are just a few of my golden rules for putting together the perfect party playlist!The question now is…WHAT ARE YOURS???

​