How To Create the Perfect Playlist

Halloween is tomorrow and you are hosting an AWESOME PARTY!! You already have the food, decorations, costumes, and games. But in order to have the BEST party, you need to have the right music.

Here are 6 tips to have the best playlist at your Halloween party:

Know Your Audience

Consider the guest list. Is this party for your old college friends, or are you entertaining the family? Be thoughtful and customize accordingly. Choose songs that are recognizable enough for your guests to enjoy but are still surprising.

Be Mindful Of Time

 Your playlist should reflect – and enhance – the party's vibe. You should also estimate the length of your shindig, then create one long playlist or a few short ones that traverse genres. You don’t want to have to play the same songs twice.

Employ The Hamburger Method

An impactful playlist has flow and layers. Begin with the top bun, songs that will set the mood like Rick James’s Mary Jane or Will Smith’sSummertime. Next, the toppings: These are songs that create cohesion – Hall & Oates is great for this. You can get creative here and throw one or two curveballs, like an onion ring or a fried egg (read: Chuck Berry or Grandmaster Flash). Then there is the meat, the star of the show: This section of the playlist should be a handful of back-to-back crowd-pleasers that leave people wanting the recipe. Finally, the bottom bun consists of songs that bring the party to a slow, satisfying conclusion.

DON’T

Underestimate The Music

Sure, a Halloween party  is about spending time with friends, drinking, and dressing up but it’s still just as important to set the tone. The right playlist should make your guests feel welcome and comfortable and, in some cases, even be a conversation starter. The volume is also important; it needs to balance being present without being overbearing.

Stick To One Genre

Like your guests, the playlist should be an eclectic mix of music’s most-loved genres, from 1960s surf rock and blues to soul and disco. But be careful, because mixing eras is tricky business.

If you decide to jump from Kool and the Gang to Guns N’ Roses, do so carefully and gradually. Nothing sets cohesion on a collision course with chaos faster than sudden and violent genre-jumping.

Offend

Make sure that everyone at your party doesn't mind "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus before you start to play a song about drugs. Or if there are a lot of "F" bombs in that rap song you like, be sure to know your audience.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!