I have a confession to make.
As a professional DJ, I don’t particularly like playlists.
There. I’ve said it.
That’s not because I don’t want to know what music you like. Quite the opposite. Knowing your musical tastes is enormously helpful when I’m preparing for a wedding, birthday party or special celebration.
But there’s a difference between giving your DJ some musical direction and handing them a six-hour running order.
Your Playlist Should Be a Clue, Not an Instruction Manual
My usual advice to clients is simple:
Give me around 20 songs you genuinely love.
Your First Dance and any other important ceremonial songs don’t count towards that. They’re obviously going to be played.
Those 20 choices, however, tell me an enormous amount.
Perhaps there’s some Motown, 80s soul, a couple of current tracks, Oasis, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac and something gloriously embarrassing from 1997.
Excellent. Now I know you.
What I don’t necessarily need is 147 songs arranged in chronological order with instructions to play track 38 at precisely 9.17pm.
At that point I’m no longer really your DJ. I’m Spotify with a shirt on.
Why Not Just Choose Every Song Yourself?
Because the people attending your party haven’t read your playlist.
A good wedding DJ or party DJ spends the evening watching what’s happening on the dancefloor. If a particular style of music is working, I’ll explore it. If it isn’t, I’ll change direction.
Sometimes the song I was convinced would work doesn’t.
Sometimes something completely unexpected fills the floor.
That’s part of professional DJing – reading the room and reacting to the people actually standing in it.
A rigid playlist removes much of that flexibility.
The ‘Do Not Play’ List Can Be Even More Useful
Interestingly, knowing what you hate can be just as valuable.
If you can’t stand ABBA, tell me. If Come On Eileen causes you to develop a nervous twitch, I need to know. (It’s ok, it gives me a twitch too…)
A short Do Not Play list prevents an enthusiastic guest requesting the one song guaranteed to ruin your evening.
And yes, guests will make requests.
Lots of them.
Trust Your DJ
When you’re choosing a DJ for your wedding or party, you’re not simply hiring somebody who owns some speakers and knows where the Play button is.
You’re paying for their music knowledge, experience, judgement and ability to read a dancefloor.
So by all means, give your DJ a playlist.
Just don’t give them the playlist.
Twenty carefully chosen songs will tell me far more about you than 200 tracks copied from a streaming account – and still leave me enough freedom to do the job you’ve booked me to do.
After all, if you’ve chosen your DJ carefully, hopefully there’s a reason you trusted them with the music in the first place.
