Next weekend I will be at a large gathering of family and friends and I was chosen to play all the music for the picnic, I’m the DJ.
This would be really easy if this party was for one of my friends because I know exactly what music I would play but in this case it will be a lot of people of different ages and tastes…any suggestions on what to play and what to avoid.
Think a mixed crowd with all ages, lots of kids and their parents, also throw in a handful of people from church.
Since no one else is stepping up:
General DJ advice: Don’t play Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” at a wedding. I know someone this happened to. Worse yet, it was suggested by another wedding-goer who didn’t understand what the song was about.
I’d try to find some sample playlists on the internet and you should be able to piece together from those what’s expected.
I’ve done this at several parties thrown by friends, including one pre-wedding rehearsal dinner party. Situation was similar: mixed crowds, not everyone knowing each other, wide age spread. Do it right, and everyone’ll have a great time, most of all yourself.
Just keep it upbeat, mix it up style-wise and decade-wise, avoiding anything that would be offensive or off-putting (either lyrically or musically – like club techno or gansta rap, obviously). Aim for “accessible but interesting”. Don’t be afraid to use some lesser-known songs by better-known artists and even really good new and recent material that no one’s ever heard of. Worthy (but obscure) covers of better-known songs are a good option sometimes, in moderation. It’s not a bad thing to group songs in mini-sets of two or three (tops) in a row that have something in common, but then you need to make a definite shift to something else – different decade, or going from, say, rootsy to pop, or male singers to female, poppy to acoustic, or from a simpler sound to the more-lushly orchestrated. The male/female thing is very important to keep varying and I’ve always gone out of my way to break up singers with instrumental tracks.
Keep in mind the overall length of the party, people’s energy levels, the conversational flow, and heat and weather conditions. Too much of the same kind of loud, pounding beats will just make people irritable, especially after they’ve been in the sun for a few hours. When in doubt, pick the quieter, smoother, less obtrusive sound – and that goes for overall volume levels, too.
Forget preparing full song lists. Just go through your collection prior to the party and reacquaint yourself with what you’ve got. Start with a few great songs you know would work really well, and then think about what would likely sound good right after those, giving yourself a couple of different styles to choose from. If your collection is lacking, borrow what you need from friends, but keep a list of what you borrow from whom – don’t piss off your friends. Keep your music organized alphabetically. What you need to do is observe people’s reactions and just play it by ear. I wouldn’t discourage taking requests categorically, but never bind yourself to playing whatever any one person wants to hear. If it comes up, just promise to try to work it in, or work in something along the lines of a requested musical style or artist. Don’t hesitate to finesse a duff request – you’ve already got a bunch of stuff lined up, you’re juggling other requests already, or you don’t have it on hand. And have fun!
One more thing – I assume you’re just going to be playing tracks, and not trying to do the announcing/patter/scratching records sort of DJ tricks, yes? (Please say yes.)
Do you feel you need specific recommendations re. labels, artists, songs?
Tell you what, why don’t you post a list of stuff you’re thinking about playing, in the kind of order that you might gravitate towards, and let us give you some feedback?