I’m DJing at a party shortly, and my repertiore has always been very retro; so I’m looking for suggestions to expand it. Where better to look than the SDMB?
I’m looking for quite upbeat danceable 80s music - bands, tracks, anything you choose to name. Not too techno-ish, or slow and sentimental. Thanks in advance!
Blue Monday - by New Order
I’m So Excited - by Pointer Sisters
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - by Wham
Billie Jean - by Michael Jackson
Hungry Like the Wolf - by Duran Duran
Things Can Only Get Better - by Howard Jones
Really, almost anything by most of those acts would be fun …
(I’m just waiting to see how long before I get mocked for these suggestions!)
Remember people - he didn’t ask for GREAT music - he asked for DANCE-FRIENDLY music!
Cyndi Lauper or The Bangles are great for dancing to.
Very true. Quality of music in the aesthetic sense is totally irrelevant! 
Wham; check (already playing Wake Me Up)
MJ; check
Duran Duran; check (got HLtW)
Bangles; check (Manic Monday)
Seriously, at least one selection by New Order is a must … maybe Bizarre Love Triangle …
I’ll third New Order. Also:
Pet Shop Boys
Erasure
White Lines by Grandmaster Flash
Tainted Love by Soft Cell
Legs, ZZ Top
I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow
Rock Lobster by the B-52s
Mony Mony by Billy Idol
I Melt With You by Modern English
Whisper to a Scream by Icicle Works
Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Cruel to be Kind by Nick Lowe
Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo
Head Over Heels by the the Go-Gos (people usually go for We Got the Beat for a Go-Gos dance track, but I think this is more fun)
Dominatrix – who the heck did this one? It’s hard to google for. It’s techno, but that cute early pop techno.
New World Man by, Rush, I think.
The Future’s So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)
Theme From Miami Vice
Centerfold by J. Geils
Saint Elmo’s Fire
Gotta have Prince! also …
The Time (and Morris Day solo)
Billy Ocean
2Live Crew
Beastie Boys
Run DMC
Midnite Star
SOS Band
Sade
Adam Ant
Gap Band
Kool and the Gang
George Clinton
Jonzun Crew
Art of Noise
Egyptian Lover
Kraftwerk
Miami Sound Machine
Michael Jackson
Culture Club
Hall & Oats
Lionel Richie
Phil Collins
Soft Cell
Kenny Loggins
Talk Talk
Atlantic Starr
Falco
Talking Heads
ZZ Top
Cameo
Sheila E
Kurtis Blow
Hashim
Soul Sonic Force
Eric B and Rakim
MC Shy D
Bobbie Brown
Club Nouveau
The System
Afrika Bambaataa
Force MDs
off the top of my head anyways… I’ll check my old DJ lists if you still need more artists
Those are all artists, btw. For individual song choices (what was popular, etc…) google the artist for a discography or for hits.
Im not a fan of most of her stuff, but the remix of Madonna’s “Holiday” is a great song to dance to.
I’d also add:
Venus - Bananarama
Come on Eileen - Dexy’s Midnight Runners
You Spin Me Round - Dead or Alive
You Keep Me Hangin’ On - Kim Wilde
Super Freak - Rick James
Throw in a little:
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Run DMC
NWA (might want to stick with more radio friendly tracks like Express Yourself)
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
Here are a few that I don’t think have been mentioned which aren’t necessarily all dance but could be fun to dance to:
Loverboy - Turn Me Loose
Corey Hart - Sunglasses at Night
Blondie - Heart of Glass
Queen - Another One Bites the Dust
INXS - Need You Tonight
Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker
Kool & the Gang - Celebrate
Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I Love Rock and Roll
David Bowie - Let’s Dance
Men Without Hats - Safety Dance, Pop Goes the World
Tears for Fears - Shout
Bananarama - Venus
Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer
U2 - Where the Streets Have no Name
George Michael - I Want Your Sex; Faith
Sway - Hands Up
Man, does this cause a re-living of my teens and early 20s.
This kept the dance floor busy back in the day:
2 Unlimited - No Limit, Tribal Dance, Twilight Zone
Bel Biv Devoe - Do Me Baby, Poison
Bizarre Inc. - I’m Gonna Get You
Black Box - Ride On Time, Strike It Up
Bomb the Bass - Beat Dis
C & C Music Factore - Everybody Dance Now
Captain Hollywood Project - More and More
Cathy Denis - Touch Me (All Night Long)
Ce Ce Penniston - Finally
Dee Lite - Groove Is In The Heart
Expose - Point of No Return
La Bouche - Be My Lover
Maestro Fresh Wes - Let Your Backbone Slide
Man to Man - Male Stripper
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations
MARRS - Pump Up The Volume
S-Express - Theme From S-Express
Snap - I’ve Got The Power, Rythm Is A Dancer
Technotronic - Move This, Pump Up the Jam
These are all very danceable, and you probably have quite a few of them. (Or can get them quickly on compilations.)
Information Society - What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)
Missing Persons - Words
M - Pop Musik
Men At Work - Who Can It Be Now or Down Under
Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
Was (Not Was) - Walk the Dinosaur
Devo - Whip It
The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star
Cars - Gary Numan
The Cars - Hello Again, Magic, Shake It Up
Billy Idol - Dancing With Myself
Taco - Puttin on the Ritz
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) or any number of other songs
Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize
Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart
Styx - Mr. Roboto
Corey Hart - Sunglasses at Night
Nena - 99 Luftballoons
General Public - Tenderness
Laid Back - White Horse
Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters
Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F
Madonna - Lucky Star
Prince - When Doves Cry
The Bangles - Manic Monday
The Go Gos - Vacation, Our Lips are Sealed, We Got the Beat
The B52s - Roam and Loveshack
Bananarama - Venus
Timbuk 3 - The Future’s So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)
Several of the artists that Dante names are from the early to mid '90s.
Tom Tom Club - “Genius of Love” is always a hit
If you are going to play some Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams” is fine but “Missionary Man” is quite tasty too!
Oingo Boingo. You’d be surprised how many songs of theirs you know, that maybe you don’t know you know. Ya know?
Dead Man’ Party
Only a Lad
Little Girls
Weird Science
Wild Sex (the song the Geek danced to at the dance in Sixteen Candles)
Goodbye (from Fast Times at Ridgemont High)
Gray Matter
Aint this the Life
Oy, the list goes on and on…