For the clueless party DJ: Songs that haven't been played to death

and farther afield...
Orchestra Baobab
Latin Jazz

I have had these work GREAT, but depending on the lameness of your dance/wedding/mitzvah, you may just have to suck it up and play the lowest common denominator.

haha.

What surprises me is how many people haven't listened to anything new since high school or early college. Le Tigre's 1st album is the cutting edge.

I personally love "Steal my sunshine," but have come to understand that people absolutely hate it. It's not so "dancey" anyway. But I'd love to hear it more often. Also, "Danger" by Blahzay Blahzay. Also, anything by Nice and Smooth.

'Now that we found love' by Heavy D & The Boyz is blowing my mind lately, stick that on but late when everyone's drunk and have just been whooping it up to Rockwell 'Somebody's watching me'. Oh and you *must* play 'In my house' by the Mary Jane Girls. And people really grrind to 'Shake it' by JC Chasez, f'real. Some good covers always work, 'Physical' by Queen of Japan, 'Some guys have all the luck' by Robert Palmer, 'Desire' by Roni Griffiths (this song is just 'Passion' by the Flirts in all but name) and 'Boys' (the Sabrina track) by Midnight Mike. I'm jealous actually, it sounds like you've got a good crowd to play with here. Just mix up the pop standards with a few unjustly obscure tracks with fat basslines and you'll be treated like a god.

-- jake b. (Jacob.Becke...), April 18th, 2005.

At some clubs in Atlanta they play this a lot, not that that's a bad thing!!

I vote for Can "I Want More". This song is so good it should be in a VW commercial.

xpost - yeah white lines is overplayed in certain circles, but on a more general level i think it falls outside the madonna/prince dance party paradigm

Sheila E., "The Belle of St. Mark"

Anita Ward: Ring My Bell (one of the housiest disco tracks ever)

Max Romeo and the Upsetters: Chase the Devil (sampled by both The Prodigy [on "Out of Space"] and Jay-Z [on "Lucifer"])

Herbie Hancock: Rockit (this should work if the majority of your audience is born pre-eighties)

Amparanoia: Buen Rollito (the song title and the artist are not instantly recognizable, but the tune should be)

Glenn Miller: In the Mood (again, this depends on what kind of audience you have, and it works best during the late hours, but amazingly enough "In the Mood" has been the most sure-fire floor filler on my recent DJ gigs)

[To be continued...]

I forgot about that song and never knew who it was by, but I think that's a good one. (I'm not sure it really make me want to dance though, but at a wedding reception: maybe.)

New Edition - Candy Girl
Stevie Wonder - Do I Do
Modern Romance - Best Years of Our Lives
Barry White - Lady Sweet Lady
Captain Sensible - Wot
KC & The Sunshine band - Give It Up

Dimples D: Sucker DJs

Sugarhill Gang: 9th Wonder
(both of the above are catchy, recognizable old school rap songs that haven't been played to death)

Pras feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard and Mya: Ghetto Superstar (this is a very good rap single that got played a lot when it was a hit, but for some reason hasn't since made it to the DJ canon)

Buggles: Video Killed the Radio Star (most people remember the chorus, but I don't think the whole song is played that often, even though it's much better than what the chorus implies)

Apollo Four Forty: Krupa (I'm not sure why, but most people seem to recognize this track [was it in a commercial or something?], even though "Ain't Talking 'Bout Dub" was a much bigger hit; anyway, "Krupa" is much better)

For the clueless party DJ: Songs that have been played to death

Surely?

LENNY WHITE Uno Dos Adios
ORCHESTRA BAOBAB El Son de Llama
AFRICANDO Gombo
LOS HOMBRES CALIENTES Roy’s Groove
GRANT GREEN Besame Mucho
LOU DONALDSON South of the Border
ERNEST RANGLIN Undecided
TOSCA Chocolate Elvis
JASON HEINRICHS Sidewalk’s End
COOLBONE Nothin’ But Strife
DESMOND WILLIAMS First Touch
GROOVE THING Binwa
ST. GERMAIN So Flute
ROY AYERS Don’t Stop The Feeling
FATBACK Gotta Get My Hands On Some Money
CHAKA KHAN Do You Love What You Feel
BEATS INTERNATIONAL Dub Be Good To Me
THE SYSTEM You Are In My System
GRACE JONES My Jamaican Guy
DEEELITE Apple Juice Kissin’
WANDA SA Meditacao (Bossa Cuca Nova remix)
ASTRUD GILBERTO Desafinado
BEBEL GILBERTO August Day Song
THIEVERY CORP. Glass Bead Game
KRUDER & DORFMEISTER Black Baby
MONTY ALEXANDER W/ SLY & ROBBIE Monty’s Groove
MILES DAVIS Doo Bop Song
US3 Cantaloop (instrumental)
MASS PRODUCTION Firecracker
LAKESIDE Fantastic Voyage
EARTH WIND & FIRE Let’s Groove
MELVIN SPARKS Get Down Tonight
MONIE LOVE Ring My Bell
KURTIS BLOW The Breaks
STETSASONIC Talkin’ All That Jazz (Dimitri From Paris remix)

"Black on Black" is a great suggestion, though--familiar enough that a lot of people will recognize it, but not so familiar or overplayed that people are sick of it, strong enough beat that if a few people get up and dance others will almost surely follow. Another good one along those lines: George Baker Selection's "Little Green Bag" (Reservoir Dogs recognition factor?), which I've had good luck with, particularly coming out of slow sets...also "Let Your Love Flow" by Bellamy Brothers (unless you have an uptight country-hatin' crowd).

And though it's an extremely tiny step forward, lately I just try and steer away from the way-too-obvious songs by the obvious unavoidable artists...remove "Dancing Queen," add "Take a Chance on Me" or "Voulez-Vouz" (like I said, tiny steps)...remove "Sweet Child O' Mine" add "Paradise City" (which I play a lot, and which generally works great)...remove "Shook Me All Night Long" add "Thunderstruck" (mixes amazing out of "Devil Went Down to Georgia")...remove "Satisfaction" and "Start Me Up" add "Let's Spend the Night Together"...remove "Let's Dance" add "Rebel Rebel"...remove "Kiss" or "When Doves Cry" add "Raspberry Beret"--etc. Not particularly mind-blowing, any of this, hopefully somewhat practical.

classics, IMHO.

I'd really appreciate it if someone can please tell me the name of this song and who sings it? Anyone who has seen the movie can you please tell me who sings this song?

(I don't mind when just sometime in the future if someone knows and can please tell me) as I really like the song and have been looking for it for ages now, so if someone can tell me also, where I can get the song that be great.

I have it on DVD the movie however, it doesn't have the whole credits so unfortunately, I don't have the list of songs from the movie anyway, please let me know if you have it.

* Onyx - Slam
* Rolling Stones - Under My Thumb
* Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breakin' My Heart
* ELO - Don't Bring Me Down
* Mariah Carey - Sweet Fantasy
* virtually any G-Funk, with "Nothin' But A G Thing" probably performing the best
* ANY chart hip-hop and pop hits from at least two and no more than five years ago - Top 40 radio has given up these and they haven't yet gotten absorbed into any other formats. This probably wouldn't work if you've got a lot of DJs around who haven't updated their material since 2002, but I don't know anybody who wouldn't be excited to hear, for example, "Stand Up" (although I think "What's Your Fantasy?" is a safer bet for parties) or "Rock Your Body."

All familiar and much-loved, and in many cases kept alive by semi-regular radio rotation.....but somehow NOT being used regularly by party DJs! Of course, we in Athens are provincial and these may be overplayed duds elsewhere. I think the advice upthread to replace the overplayed staple with another well-known song by the same artist is the right idea, you'll get a whole lot of people who are just boosted and excited to know that you're playing "Take A Chance" in and of itself....

I was somewhat disappointed by the lackluster reception to Coolio.

95.5 THE BEAT

Who am I kidding, "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" was definitely the best-received jam at that party. I think my friend was really stoked to hear "Electric Barbarella," and she later taught me the downward facing dog position to try and fix up my lower back after all the dancing.

Here's a two hour or so playlist I played at a party recently... the crowd didn't seem to recognize almost any of these but they danced to it either way. The Nicolas Jaar, Toy Selectah, and Nuno Dos Santos got several people asking a song id. I'm not sure this was the exact same order that I played them in but it's close.

Nicolas Jaar - And I Say (Xinobi edit)
Bell X1 - Flame (Chicken Lipps mix)
Candido - Thousand Finger Man
Nuno Dos Santos & TJ Kong - Something Happened (Pitto instrumental remix)
Todd Terje - Inspector Norse
Blondie - Heart of Glass (Oliver and Thee Mike B remix)
Shook - Summer Heat
Daft Punk - Get Lucky
Jackson Five - Shake Your Body
Titan - Corazón
Toy Selectah - Blue Jeans (Lana del MONTE Rey refix)
Los Ribereños - Silbando (GRC remix)
Jenny and the Mexicats - Me Voy a Ir
Misun - Hills and Trails
Shock Bukara - Play Something Smooth
Chris Read - Disco Cumbia
Seelenluft - Manila (Ewan Pearson remix)
Chris Malinchak - So Good to Me
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere (Psychemagik remix)
Young Galaxy - Fall for You
The Dream Academy - Life in a Northern Town

Heart of glass, get lucky, everywhere, corazon are not in the spirit of this thread, sorry about those.

(I could listen to everywhere every week and I wouldnt get tired of itt)

Bohannon's Disco Stomp could have mixed great before Nuno Dos Santos and Todd Terje. It would also mix well with New York Groove, they sound very similar, is one of them inspired by the other?

The Trampps: Disco Inferno (this is the track whose chorus goes "Burn baby burn...")
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, April 19, 2005 2:08 PM (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I think a good general rule is that the more unknown a track is, the more "fun" it should be. E.g. I this as a party trick because it's kinda silly but still has a tight groove:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I30Fnr5J8Wo

Noone answered me but I answered myself:

http://www.whosampled.com/sample/68440/Hello-New-York-Groove-Hamilton-Bohannon-Disco-Stomp/

Digging that song, Hurting!

I DJd a wedding recently where the couple burned me a boatload of CDs to pick from. Their first/second songs ("Stand by Me" and some Van Morrison ballad) were followed by "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes." Man, did that song work! Just the right lilty African groove to get the party started. There wasn't an empty spot on the dance floor. I'd never even considered that one before, don't own a copy, but I'm remembering it for future use.

erykah badu - bag lady (dre remix)