Building the best Dancefloor
Over the years we have DJ’ed a multitude of weddings, and over the years have played just about every genre at them. Some weddings were themed and had specific music they wanted played the majority of the time. All Halloween music for a wedding in October, surfer music for a lakeside beachy wedding, Azeri, Latin, Persian, we’ve done it. How about all metal, rock, and country at a biker camp in the woods…yup! Mostly Disney songs for dinner and first dances and some karaoke sing-alongs later. Mhmm. These tend to be a lot of fun since they are so specific and the couple knows exactly what they and their guests want! But what about those that just want the classics that work at the majority of weddings spanning across many age groups, decades, and genres. We’ve got you covered there! Unless you specify otherwise, we will work our magic, read the crowd and get them going on the dancefloor. I’m going to break this down into different portions of the night and different energy levels. Each of these can be building blocks when the time calls for it and you may need to switch up what you’re playing if the energy dies or the dancefloor clears (usually not the case as we can read ahead and get out of a song or genre that isn’t working quickly and change it up to keep the floor alive). Towards the beginning, you want stuff that everyone from many generations are going to know and enjoy. This will get grandma up out of her chair and out on the floor to celebrate with the newlyweds! Then it can go many directions from there. You might add in some slow songs (Check out these slow song suggestions here) to the mix, which might get others sitting down to get out on the floor, hype it up again with party songs, line dances, hip hop, country, or edm even. So here it goes, dance section-by-section. Opening the Dancefloor A sure-fire way to signify the opening of the dancefloor is to 1. Make an announcement that it’s opening and you take requests and 2. Kick it off with a line dance or popular song (if “no line dances” are requested). Then flow into some disco, Motown, or funk some of the older stuff that spans generations. “Cha-Cha Slide” – DJ Casper “September / Let’s Groove” – Earth Wind & Fire “P.Y.T” – Michael Jackson “Make me wanna Shout” – Little Richy “Brown Eyed Girl” – Van Morrison “Do you believe in Magic” – The Lovin’ Spoonful “The Twist” – Chubby Checker “Uptown Funk / 24k magic” – Bruno Mars “Macarena” – Los Del Ray “Can’t Stop the Feeling” – Justin Timberlake “We Are Family” – Sister Sledge “Cupid Shuffle” - DJ Cupid From there you can take the dancing a few ways, by what the couple has requested on the timeline/script you can gauge what direction to head into next. You can go country with it, more hip hop with it, or older Motown, jazzy, and rocky with it (if the older generation is still out there), or slow it down if people are already clearing (all depends on the crowd). It’s not an exact science but this article surely gives you some tips and tricks to help. And of course you can keep hopping genres, play a few of something, and get into something else. It’s all in the feeling of how the night is going. The Country Route If they have a lot of country requests on the script or your request book is already filling up with country, this might be the route to take, again playing a wider variety from older country to newer hits, Some are high energy and some slow it down a little but pick right back up with the next one. “Country Girl Shake it for me” – Luke Bryan “5-1-5-0” – Dierks Bently “Mountain Music” – Alabama “9 to 5” – Dolly Parton “Love Story” – Taylor Swift “Your Man” – Josh Turner “Amazed” – Lonestar “Any Man of Mine” – Shania Twain “Cotton Eyed Joe” - Rednex “Honey Bee” – Blake Shelton “Wagon Wheel” – Old Crow Medicine Show “Tractors Sexy” – Kenny Chesney “5 O’clock somewhere” – Jimmy Buffet “I Wanna Talk about me” – Toby Keith “Jolene” – Dolly Parton “I Walk the Line” – Johnny Cash “Good Time” – Alan Jackson “I Like it I love it” – Tim McGraw Older Route (Motown, Jazz, Rock-n-Roll) If by chance the older generations are still out there, reward them with some older stuff! Keep them going with some Motown classics or some jazz or older rock era’s “Ain’t No Mountain High enough” – Marvin Gaye “My Girl” – The Temptations “ABC” – Jackson 5 “What a Wonderful world” – Louis Armstrong “Cheek to Cheek” – Louis Armstrong “The way you look tonight” – Frank Sinatra “Fly me to the moon” – Frank Sinatra “Wouldn’t it be nice” – Beach Boys “Here comes the sun/ All You need is Love/ Come together” – Beatles “Hound Dog/ Jailhouse Rock/ Can’t Help Falling in Love” – Elvis “Boogie Shoes” – KC and the Sunshine band “Fly Like an Eagle” – Steve Miller Band “Have you Ever Seen the Rain” – Creedence Clearwater Revival “Magic Carpet Ride” – Steppenwolf “You Really Got me” – The Kinks “I’m a Believer” – The Monkees “California Dreamin” – The Mamas & The Papas Hip Hop Route If the party is already to that point from reading the room, you can start to go a little more hip hop but keep it on the light side, don’t go all in just yet. Save that for when all the grandparents have maybe cleared out, These are some safe ones to start to steer in that direction, sprinkling in other genres with them of course. “Yeah!” – Usher “Low (applebottom jeans)” – Flo Rida “Baby Got Back” – Sir Mix-a-lot “The Motto” – Drake “Bootylicious” – Destiny’s Child “My Humps” – Black Eyed Peas “Crank Dat” – Soulja Boy “You’re a Jerk” – New Boyz “Wop” – J-Dash “Bikers Shuffle” – Big Mucci “Buy you a Drank” – T-Pain “Jump on it” – Apache “Bust a Move” – Young MC “This is How We Do it” – Montell Jordan “Big Fantasy Energy” – Lizzo ft Mariah Carrey DJ Khaled Remix “Toosie Slide / One Dance” – Drake “Poison” – Bel Biv DeVoe “Rhythm of the Night” – DeBarge Sprinkle in Rock and 80s Hits Don’t forget to sprinkle in some 80s rock and pop hits. You don’t want to play too many in succession, but sprinkle these in a few places! “Pour some Sugar on me” – Def Leppard “Back in Black” – ACDC “Thunderstruck” – ACDC “Cherry Pie” – Warrant “Don’t Stop Believing” – Journey “Walk this way” – Aerosmith “Don’t Want to miss a thing” – Aerosmith “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen “Take on me” – Ah-Ha “Material Girl” – Madonna “Never Gonna Give you Up” – Rick Astley “Time of my Life” – Dirty Dancing Soundtrack “Maneater” – Hall & Oates “Thriller” – Michael Jackson “I Wanna know what love is” – Foreigner “Every Breath you take” – The Police Liquid Courage (When the Party is Finally Vibing) Ok by this point in the night the guests might have a little more alcohol consumption and a little more liquid courage to get out on the dancefloor and just go crazy, its time to turn up the party to an eleven! If it’s a dry wedding don’t fear, closer towards the end, people are feeling the music and want to get out there and party regardless. Country Shout-a-Long People are ready to scream the lyrics at the top of their lungs. If they’re into country from learning that earlier on, then these are great to play later in the night when everyone just wants to sing in a big group or dance. Hand the mic over to some of these songs to the crowd. “Man! I feel like a woman” – Shania Twain “Devil went down to Georgia” – Charlie Daniels “Goodbye Earl” – Dixie Chicks “Red Solo Cup” – Toby Keith “Friends in Low Places” – Garth Brooks “Beer for my Horses”- Toby Keith “Redneck Yacth Club” – Craig Morgan “Fishin in the Dark” – Nitty Gritty Band “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynard Skynyrd “Tim McGraw” – Taylor Swift “Our Song” – Taylor Swift “Truck Yeah” – Tim McGraw Dirtier Hip Hop OK maybe by this point the grandparents left and the children had to go to bed, so now is a great time to get into a little more dirty hip hop that makes you get low, and grind like you were back in high school or twerking like Miley. There’s something about the Krunk era that still remains party favorites today, with some newer trap beats in between. Now is the time, go for it! “Stanky Leg” – GS Boyz “Get Low” – Lil Jon “Genuwine” – Pony “Truffle Butter" - Nicki Minaj “Grind on me” Pretty Ricky “Blow the Whistle” – Too Short “For Free / Nonstop/ Nice for What / Best I Ever Had / Sticky / Way 2 Sexy” – Drake “My Neck My Back” – Elle King “Goldigger” – Kanye West “Panda” – Desiigner “Suge” – DaBaby “Swimming Pools / Starboy / I feel it coming” - Weeknd “Wasn’t Me” – Shaggy “Come my lady” – Crazy town “Cyclone” – Baby Bash “Tipsy” – J-Kwon “Get Up / Let’s Get it On / Sexual Healing” – Marvin Gaye “My Chick Bad / Get Back / How Low can you go” Ludacris “How We do / 21 Questions/ P.I.M.P / Just a lil Bit / In Da Club” – 50 Cent “Lollipop / 6 foot 7 foot / Ms Officer / Bandz a make her Dance” – Lil Wayne “Act Up / Twerkulator” – City Girls “Good as Hell / About damn time / Truth hurts” Lizzo “Party Up / Ruff Riders / X Gon Give it to ya” – DMX “Without me / Real Slim shady / My Band” – Eminem “Two Step remix” – DJ Unk Party Favorites These are just a few party favorites once the party turns up or needs to go a little harder. These don’t really fit a genre, maybe mostly pop stuff but hits nonetheless (maybe a little cheesy ones at that but hey, fun anyway). Use these at your disposal too when the floor is packed. Some are danceable, some have everyone shouting the lyrics or just jumping around! “Milkshake” – Kelis “Party in the USA” – Miley Cyrus “Super Bass / Anaconda / Super Freaky Girl” – Nicki Minaj “Super Freak” – Rick James “Mr Brightside / Somebody Told me” – The Killers “All Star” – Smash Mouth “Down” – Jay Sean “Talk Dirty / Wiggle / Savage Love” – Jason Derulo “Glamorous / London Bridge / Hollaback Girl” – Fergie “Just Dance / Alejandro / Poker Face” – Lady Gaga “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme / Dancing Queen” ABBA “Barbie Girl” – Aqua “Fat Bottomed Girls” – Queen “Baby One more time / Toxic / Oops I did it again” – Britney Spears “Sexy Back / Rock Your Body / Bye Bye Bye” – Justin Timberlake “Ride wit Me” – Nelly “First Class / Whats Poppin remix” – Jack Harlow “Peaches / Baby / Boyfriend / Yummy / 10,000 Hours” Justin Bieber “RITMO / Mi Gente / In Da Ghetto” – J Balvin “Shake Senora” – Harry Belofonte “Boom / Pepas/ The Business” – Tiesto “Do it To it” – Acraze “Ride It” – DJ Regard “Sexy Chick / Play Hard / Where them girls at / Who’s that chick” – David Guetta Hopefully with this list, whether you're a DJ or planning a wedding, shed some insight as to what we think has worked over the years. A great place to start anyways but as anything, with time, practice, and experience you evolve to know what works for you! |
In the MixA Blog-style information column based on past experiences at events, trends in the DJ'ing world, and keeping in-the-know with what others are doing, a helpful aid to planning your next event! Categories |