Comments on: Need some popular dance music recommendations.

Question: Need some popular dance music recommendations.

Bahro — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:40:22 -0800

I have been enlisted to DJ a high school dance. I need some cool, danceable music that I won't feel ashamed for playing. Now, I myself am a high school student, but my musical tastes deviate a little from what most of my compatriots would consider danceable. Whereas they listen to Basshunter, I listen to Selected Ambient Works 85-92, for example. However, I cannot play music that people will not like. Some suggestions?

These are some songs from what I have right now (I have about 70 acceptable songs, but want some more):

M.I.A. — Paper Planes. This is pretty much perfect. Both mainstream and indie appeal (though we are starting to get annoyed at its popularity), and fun to dance to.

MGMT — Electric Feel (Justice Remix). Same thing. Perfect.

Crystal Castles — Black Panther

Chromeo — Fancy Footwork

Soulwax — NY Excuse (Justice Remix). This is the kind of thing that my friends and I really dig, but I'm not sure how danceable it is, or how much the general population would like it.

Rihanna — Don't Stop the Music. See, I'm not above playing what's popular! But, this and Lady GaGa pretty much sum up my entire knowledge of popular dance music.

MSTRKRFT — Easy Love

Ian van Dahl — Castles in the Sky. If this song wasn't so damn catchy I wouldn't play it. This is the kind of thing I want to avoid, cheesy McTrance, as Ishkur might say.

Hercules and Love Affair — Blind. I like this. Not so sure how it will go over.

Cut Copy — Out There On the Ice. This is good, but a little too synthpoppy for me.

The Evolution Control Committee — Rocked by Rape. Alright, maybe I won't play this one.

By: battlebison

battlebison — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:54:00 -0800

To go with the songs you've listed above:
Try anything off the Fool's Gold record label, any of the Fabric Live releases (I'm assuming based on the choices above that your audience might react well to the Simian Mobile Disco, Cut Copy and Spank Rock ones. Stay tuned for Justice's), for some more rock styled maybe the Rapture, for more hiphop maybe Spank Rock (his new EP with Benny Blanco), Diplo and the Hollertronix crowd.

That's all I can think of for now. Most singles come with remixes that would be universally playable at a high school dance. Before you finalize your setlist though, remember that people will think you did a better job DJ-ing if they like what you play, whether or not what they like sucks. It's all about pleasing to public (you can listen to good music on your own time) so things like Rihanna (listed above) are probably a good choice. Maybe throw in some slowjams? Just stay away from the Chris Brown on this one.

By: idiotfactory

idiotfactory — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:55:02 -0800

Billboard top 200 is a good place to start. They also have charts based on genre as well.
You'll probably want to mix up the types of music a bit. While energetic and popular music is good, mix in a few slow sentimental songs so the kids can do that fake swaying slow dance thing. Also add in a few rock songs, maybe an emo tune or two (yuck), and certainly remixes. I'm sure there are a lot of other students that don't listen to mainstream very much, and they'd appreciate something a bit obscure.

By: Chionophilia

Chionophilia — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:58:47 -0800

Take things from the mixtapes in this post! the Kanye mixtape will probably be the most recognizable to your audience, but there's a goldmine of danceable, good music there.

By: cosmonaught

cosmonaught — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:02:25 -0800

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC!
Throw it on, go grab a smoke.

I'm kidding, kind of, but not really. Getting kids (and people, in general) to dance can be hard, and familiarity goes a long way. Current Top 40, Top 40 from a few years ago (when you were in middle school), popular old school hip-hop, Michael Jackson, Sir Mix-A-Lot, the Cha-Cha Slide, Soldier Boy-- these are your friends. "Good" dance music (the stuff that doesn't make you cringe) will clear the floor faster then you could ever imagine.

I can't tell where you are, but if this is a US high school, think lowest common, booty-shaking, denominator. The kids that like the stuff that you like probably aren't there.

By: joshmcconaha

joshmcconaha — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:11:50 -0800

If MGMT works, so would Passion Pit - Sleepyhead.

By: Bahro

Bahro — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:18:07 -0800

The kids that like the stuff that you like probably aren't there.

Well, there's going to be at least a few that I'll drag there. But, people at my school do know me, and are expecting something a little different from the norm. For a reference, most of the people at my school are familiar with, or at least have heard and enjoyed, Justice.

By: Bella Sebastian

Bella Sebastian — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:21:19 -0800

If you're doing MIA, consider the Paper Planes remix on the Slumdog soundtrack...
Black Kids - I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You
Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor
Vampire Weekend - most of their album!
Estelle - American Boy
Is hip-hop on the table? Something by The Knux (Bang Bang) or K-os (Flypaper)?
Beck - E-pro
Reverend & the Makers - Heavyweight Champion
The Killers - tons of their songs
Spoon - I Turn My Camera On
I'd want to throw something old-school in there for fun: No Diggity, or Motown Philly, or Rhythm Nation, or any old Michael Jackson
The Cat Empire - Sly
I'm currently loving a cover of A-ha's Take On Me by RAC ft Karl King
Michale Franti- Yell Fire
Mando Diao - Long Before Rock and Roll
Jimmy Eat World - A Praise Chorus

By: caminovereda

caminovereda — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:22:40 -0800

As someone who has done the DJ thing for a couple of high school dances, my general experience is that the more you stretch from the tried-and-true of top 40, the better the odds of turning off a large portion of your crowd. Take, for example, the reaction I got to a couple of songs from the last event I DJed for: James Brown, Dabrye (hip-hop/electronica), and even Michael Jackson and various other funky acts were roundly hated on, with Sugar Hill's "Apache" being the only song that had a generally good reaction. Part of this may have been that the "main event" for the night was playing club techno all night (I mean, who doesn't like to dance to Jacko?). A lot has to do with knowing your crowd, but I think that a decent part of the equation is that the level of awkwardness in the room is already high enough without the DJ making it worse with music they don't know how to enjoy, much less dance to. That said, there is still a lot of room to work with under the general heading of "music familiar enough to a high school crowd." Stick with simple rhythmic patterns ("four on the floor" and the like) the further you are straying from the norm, and it should be all good. Also, assuming you are at the same school said event is occurring, I would highly recommend taking requests in advance as a way to hedge against complete disaster.

By: cosmonaught

cosmonaught — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:29:34 -0800

Well, you didn't mention dress was ravecasual...

I'll withdraw a lot of my comment, you're not as far off as I thought. Though I'll stand by familiarity being really, really helpful. Anything you can do with remixes of popular songs, mash-ups, and that sort of thing would be good.

So maybe instead it's: throw on a Girl Talk CD and go grab a smoke?

By: squorch

squorch — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:35:10 -0800

Play top 40. Play some 80's rock/pop. Play some old hip-hop. Try not to let what you like interfere with what the majority of other people like. When you're being hired to make people dance, your personal tastes are of marginal utility at best unless the event is explicitly "we play nothing on the radio!"-esque.

By: Bahro

Bahro — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:35:35 -0800

cosmonaught: I'm looking for more things like this (a MSTRKRFT remix of Sean Paul's Temperature). You seem to think that direction is the right way to go?

By: radioamy

radioamy — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:13:51 -0800

I would stick mostly to stuff with universal appeal, but right now the dance/pop/house thing is in so at least you won't have to play total crap. I'm in total support of throwing in NY Excuse but it happens to be one of my favorite songs so maybe I'm biased!

darainwa and I DJ'd a few hours of a 24-hr Dance Marathon Fundraiser at Tulane and the students really responded to 80s/early 90's pop. They liked the slightly more obscure tracks that aren't always on the radio. As a rule, anything 15 years back or older usually hits the "nostalgia." Do you think they'd dig MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice kinda stuff or would it be too cheezy?

In terms of current songs:

How about Pussycat Dolls (particularly When I Grow Up)?
The new Britney stuff is pretty good.
Black Eyed Peas (new song Boom Boom Pow is great)
Flo Rida - everyone loves Low, and the new song Right Round is very pouplar
Keri Hilson is new but pretty popular
Beyonce's Single Ladies will get the girls dancing
Soldja Boy (but make sure you have a clean versio)
Beastie Boys are a fun sing-along (you gotta FIGHT for your RIGHT...)
Kevin Rudolf Featuring Lil Wayne - Let It Rock (unusual rap/rock hybrid, really good actually)
If they're into Twilight, the song Supermassive Black Hole by Muse was featured in the movie and is supermassively awesome
Everyone loves a little Kanye

Can you tell us a little about the demographics of the students? What part of the country? Urban/Suburban? Black/White? That might help us get a feel for your crowd.

By: Bahro

Bahro — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:28:44 -0800

I'm not sure if 15 years back would hit the nostalgia, since some of the people there are barely going to be 15 years old...

Demographics:
Rural, small artsy town on the Oregon Coast.
Significant number of people into Portland based indie music.
90% White, 9% Hispanic, 0.5% Black, 0.5% Asian (welcome to Oregon).
Most people here listen to pretty typical music, but are open to new things.

By: moift

moift — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:53:04 -0800

Some electro-house-ish recommendations in the Justice vein:

Sebastian - Walkman (Lots of other Sebastian and assorted Ed Banger tunes if Justice is appreciated... see also Mr. Oizo)

Fake Blood - Mars (Anything Fake Blood, his stuff is obviously very dancefloor oriented but he's got production chops dating back many years as DJ Touche of Wiseguys fame)

Dom Rimini - Let Me Back Up (Crookers rmx) (A lot of Crookers stuff is good, but this track might strike the best balance between dancefloor damage and self-respect)

Assorted:

Cajmere - The Percolator (Everybody loves this tune, no exceptions)

LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum (I chose this basically at random, nearly any LCD Soundsystem track is suitable)

Flying Lotus - Massage Situation (Someone said the quite similar Dabrye wouldn't work, but I think this is different because everybody will recognize it from the Adult Swim intermissions. If you think this kind of stuff will fly check out Dabrye, J Dilla, Bullion, Afta-1l, edIT, Madlib, DOOM, Samiyam)

Burial - Archangel (I don't know... hard to dislike this track though)

Merzbow - 1930 (You need people to leave eventually, right?)

By: bradly

bradly — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:05:30 -0800

I just came across this the other day and couldn't resist the beat when it breaks.

Kanye West- Flashing Lights (hype dnb remix)

There is a bit of dj intro, but you could start things at about 35 seconds and avoid most of it.

By: ryanbryan

ryanbryan — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:07:21 -0800

If they're younger high school students, any deviation from Top 40 will see them leave the dancefloor. Just make sure everything is something they know.... and is danceable.

By: ryanbryan

ryanbryan — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:08:16 -0800

Also, remember that music-that-people-like, and music-that-people-like-to-dance-to are two different things entirely.

By: lhl

lhl — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:10:37 -0800

You mentioned Justice. You'll have a version of D.A.N.C.E. or Dvno in your mix I assume? Some Daft Punk? Nothing wrong w/ some crowd pleasers. If you're looking for a more indie feel, try the new (or old!) Phoenix, or Valerie acts (Anoraak, College, Minitel Rose, etc.) If you're looking for fun French, the Yelle album has some great cuts.

You mentioned Paper Planes as perfect. Do you have some Santogold tracks on there? Someone else mentioned it, but you could do worse than digging through some of Diplo's recent mixes or other Hollertronix stuff. I've been a bit more LA glitch lately. Check out Nosaj Thing, or dig through older edIT or Glitch Mob.

If you're trying to find "popular" stuff, have you checked out the Beatport charts?

Anyway, here are a couple "party friendly" tracks I've been digging lately:

Thunderheist - Jerk It
Copy - This Is Promotional (actually, also check out the DJ Copy mixes for some mainstream + chiptune sounds that are pretty awesome)
Of Montreal - First Time High (Reconstructionist Remix of "An Eluardian Instance")
Kris Menace & Spooky - Stereophonic
Estelle - American Boy
Lykke Li - I'm Good, I'm Gone (Little Bit also good w/ lotsa remixes)
Daedelus - Fair Weather Friends
Huoratron - $$ Troopers (ok, this may be a bit much for your set)

moift: heh, closing it out w/ something chill might go over better.

On second read, cosmonaught might be onto something with throwing on the girl talk and calling it a day...

By: hal_c_on

hal_c_on — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:24:19 -0800

I don't know where you live, or what type of hs you go to. Thats why I suggest you check out the popular local radio stations that most of the kids listen to (no doubt you can find stickers on lockers...or on folders/cars in the parking lots/other property). If you want to be creative, use music that SOUNDS like that music but isn't. If you want to just do your job, just play the same songs they play again and again on the radio.

You want to research hard. If they really are an artsy kind...there must be a local record shop they frequent. They can probably help you out.

By: mezamashii

mezamashii — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 04:03:24 -0800

If it were my high school, i'd throw on Now! Vol. 400 or whatever, and then throw up somewhere.

There's so much good music (much listed by others) that, in the situation of a high school dance, will just never work.

The furthest I would ever go along your suggestions is perhaps an essential mix by MSTRKRFT, Diplo, or Justice. But that's really pushing it, due to the amount of funk/unfamiliar music in these mixes, the lack of alcohol at the party, and potential problems with inappropriate lyrics.

Also with the wrong kind of speakers any of the music listed here will sound terrible and people will forever think it sucks, whether or not it does.

I would personally put on Girl Talk and go to a real rave somewhere. When it comes down to it, most high school students have no taste in music, nor experience really getting down and dancing (instead of grinding their naughty parts into each other in sync with the beat).

By: Juliet Banana

Juliet Banana — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 06:44:34 -0800

I applaud your effort. I'm all about taking a potential party and making it the best you can. If no one is willing to have fun, no one will ever have fun.

Don't let people freak you out. To give you some confidence, I have a club night coming up at a local bar that I've heard the terms "bro," "chachi," and "campus" applied to. Yes, I could just throw a dollar in the jukebox, vomit in a corner, and leave to go hang out in the local underground sleezespot. But instead we're throwing a show with experimental electronica and underground hip-hop. Are the chach kids going to be confused? Maybe. But we're bringing enough people who know what's up and are ready to get down, and we're hoping that energy is infectious. If not, well, hell, at least we had a good time.

Anyway, we have a really similar music taste (right down to me moaning I AM SO FUCKING SICK OF PAPER PLANES a second before I read it, and loving ECC (though I'd recommend THE MIGHTY HAMBURGER for surreality)), so I'll give it a try.

Y'all remember the Fresh Prince of Bel-air, right? Even just from Nick at Nite? (jesus, I feel old) Try the Mustard Pimp Remix of the theme song. (youtube for preview, download link)

AC Slater is undiluted rave-up. He makes me feel like I should be dipping molly in a dirty bathroom and dancing in a warehouse covered in glow paint. That may be a good thing or a bad thing. Here some free downloads.

Everyone always freaks out when the classic Satisfaction by Benny Benassi comes out at parties I go to, but yeah, might be a wee bit too house-y.

AskMefi: What's some good electronic pop?

Maybe they'll recognize Mr. Scruff's most popular song, Get a Move On, from the car commercial it was in. Maybe it's better if they didn't.

Kid Cudi's a wee bit too R+B for me, but probably just right for your crowd, and he's been the recipient of CRAZY hype lately. His single Day'n'Nite is huge right now. Despite the awesome video directed by my hero So-Me (Ed Banger's art director, he does the Justice vids as well) I tend to prefer some of the remixes.*

If seems you've got no shortage of sassy electro-bitches (M.I.A., Santigold, etc) but maybe some Uffie is in order? Her hit, Pop The Glock, is kinda boring but The Party is pretty hot shit. Let's get drunk and freaky fly!

DJ Z-Trip's Motown Breakdown (direct file link) is funky and sort of family-friendly, eh? The idea that Michael Jackson could be hated upon is sort of making me cry, though. Even adorable Jackson 5 MJ? WHAT IS WORLD COMING TO.

*people at work: this video has scantily clad ladies

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:21:23 -0800

No one's mentioned Calabria yet?

By: mannequito

mannequito — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:21:59 -0800

Maybe it's really obvious, but since I didn't see them mentioned here, Daft Punk seems to be enjoying universal appeal currently.

By: Jairus

Jairus — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:38:35 -0800

The Pitchfork 500.

You're welcome!

By: quosimosaur

quosimosaur — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:54:08 -0800

The Go! Team?

By: mykescipark

mykescipark — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 08:53:52 -0800

moift and lhl and juliet banana have you very well-covered in the electro-indie department, I think. Great work, everybody!

A few suggestions/substitutions:

Here in L.A. anyway, "D.A.N.C.E." is so hoary and prehistoric to kids already, you'd run the risk of clearing the floor. The damn thing is in a Coke commercial now, for pete's sake.

I might suggest the Soulwax RMX of MGMT's "Kids" instead of the Justice/Electric Feel. Not only is it more the right tempo for your crowd, but it's huuuuuuuge right now.

I went to see Don Rimini last night and the place was packed with teenagers. A few popular selections: Let Me Back Up/Crookers RMX (mentioned above) | OHOW? | Hardcore Girls/Don Rimini RMX | new tour mix with other good suggestions mixed in.

Tiga: Mind Dimension/Bloody Beetroots RMX. Observe apeshit crowd.

Can you get away with instrumental dance music? If so: Deadmau5. Not Exactly | Faxing Berlin | The Reward is Cheese

And yes, Beyonce's "Single Ladies" is oddly popular even with the hipsters.

By: theraflu

theraflu — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:03:37 -0800

I'll recommend finding what's on the soundtrack for currently popular shows. I heard a Pop Levi song on Friday Night Lights and promptly started dancing in my living room. A lot of fun danceable indie stuff is played on the OC and similar shows, shows with which a lot of the kids might be familiar.

Also, top 40.

By: JenMarie

JenMarie — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:05:30 -0800

Also, assuming you are at the same school said event is occurring, I would highly recommend taking requests in advance as a way to hedge against complete disaster.
posted by caminovereda at 10:22 PM on March 27 [+] [!]

I was going to suggest this also. Can you somehow let your classmates know they can submit requests in advance? People love to request their favorite songs, you can get a feel for what is popular with them, and they will be happy to hear the songs they requested at the dance. You will also help ensure you have the requested songs on hand. I agree with posters up-thread who said familiarity is key to getting people to dance, and also some nostalgia songs are always good (though like you said, for your age group don't go back too far since some of them are only fifteen).

Good luck, and enjoy yourself!

By: abcde

abcde — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:07:30 -0800

For a song that has both indie and commercial appeal, "Human" by The Killers. I can't stand it, but maybe you can. I heard it at my cousin's awful wedding and assumed it was some kind of Eiffel 65-level eurodance, and was surprised to learn it was by a band that I generally think of as making actual music.

So, in summary, it's probably the most obvious thing to try next to the M.I.A. song, but don't.

By: Juliet Banana

Juliet Banana — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:30:29 -0800

Aw, thanks for the shoutout, Mykescipark. I want to second Bloody Beetroots, purveryors of these "bangers" we keep hearing about. Pretty much any Bloody Beetroots song or remix comes with enough electrobloghaus hype to fill a milkshake machine. I avoided them for exactly this reason for a while and soon found that I just.....couldn't.....resist......dancing.....

Searching The Hype Machine (it's down for me today for some reason) for Bloody Beetroots will give you way too much to browse through and pick from.

By: incessant

incessant — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:54:25 -0800

After reading this lengthy conversation, I'm struck by how much it seems like you're DJ'ing this dance for *you* and not for them. Huh? A good DJ plays stuff that gets people dancing, gets people up, keeps the energy going, so while it'll be great to stick that Mustard Pimp remix of the Fresh Prince theme song in your holster, for every one of those, make sure you've got ten sure-fire crown pleasers you can throw on at a moment's notice. Because a third of DJing is making sure you've got all the bullets you'll need for the night, and two thirds is knowing when to change up after something isn't working and move into another track that'll pack 'em on the floor. Because while you might be embarrassed or ashamed if you play something you don't like, this isn't about you -- it's about them.

By: Bahro

Bahro — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:52:56 -0800

incessant: That is true, and something I am trying to change. On the other hand, the gimmick with this particular dance is that the music is something a little different from what most people are used to listening to.

By: solipsophistocracy

solipsophistocracy — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:37:19 -0800

You can never go wrong with Outkast for a dance party. Enough popular appeal that everyone can get down, but enough critical acclaim that even music snobs won't generally turn up their noses.

By: iviken

iviken — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:32:03 -0800

Almost anything by Bob Sinclair or David Guetta.

By: citron

citron — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:35:03 -0800

Cosign on Lykke Li, I think there are some remixes of her that might be even dancier, but in any case.. she played a show here in DC and everyone was dancing. I rec "I'm Good I'm Gone."

You know the late 80s, early 90s stuff is all coming back and they are too young to have heard it 1st time around, of course, but I hear Neneh Cherry "Buffalo Stance" is showing up all over the place.. Zhane "Hey Mr DJ," Another Bad Creation "Iesha," Janet Jackson.. "Miss You Much". Black Box "Strike It Up," "Everybody Everybody".. Cathy Dennis "Just Another Dream".. TLC "No Scrubs" :)

Also current popular artists, really who doesn't like.. Ne-Yo "Closer," Rihanna "Pon de Replay" (this is maybe 4 years old? still awesome), Lady GaGa "Just Dance".. Fergie "Glamorous".. oh, Hollaback Girl, I'm sorry, it's just great, and this is a cool remix of What You Waiting For?

Ladytron are somewhere between dance and indie right now.. What about Hot Chip? Over and Over would prob be a great choice.. I like Boy from School as well. And Cut Copy I'd go with "Lights and Music" or esp "Hearts on Fire" 'cause it has those early 90s breaks in there. The Juan MacLean "Happy House,"

You could always go into American Apparel or Urban Outfitters, hang out for a while, and listen to what they are playing. Not really joking on that. My thought in general is.. I wouldn't worry *too* much about whether something is different, of course that's ideal but nothing wrong with putting on some familiar stuff that you know will get people dancing.. because once you're out there really you just wanna dance.

By: Bahro

Bahro — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:45:56 -0800

Thanks for all of the advice guys! I'll continue looking into your suggestions. I think I've got a good variety of music now — some obscure stuff (but music that people will still be able to enjoy and dance to), balanced with some popular music and some mashups.

I've posted links to the songs that I have in Traktor now, if anyone's interested. They're loosely organized by the vague (and often incorrect) categories of Electronic, Mashup, and Pop.

By: ageispolis

ageispolis — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:10:55 -0800

Here's some surefire stuff that's old+new:
Lil Wayne - A Milli (Flying Lotus Robo Tussin Remix)
Scuba - Twitch (Jamie Vexed Remix)
Caspa & Rusko - Jahova
The Bug - Skeng
Skream - Stagger
Chill it out:
Andre Nickatina - Dice of Life
Darkstar - Need You

By: lhl

lhl — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:51:04 -0800

Along the lines of Bloody Beetroots, you might wanna check out The Toxic Avenger's recent mixes. If Justice is overplayed, there's lots of Ed Banger coming out. Second moift's recco - I'm digging a bunch of the SebastiAn remixes.

Noticing a distinct lack of funky, but thinking about what might fit in the set (beyond the poppier tunes you have)... Just ran across new N.A.S.A. vid. Their new album is great, might have some good tracks in there.

I'm assuming "newness" isn't a huge thing if it's more than a few years old (since your crowd probably was like, err 7 then). Polaris is a great Nortec Collective track from 2001 that still sounds fresh (man, anyone remember Pasilda back in 2000, or am I reminiscing with myself here?). More recently, there are some Goldfrapp tracks (like Ooh La La) that are the right tempo/energy but also a bit less aggro.

By: lhl

lhl — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:18:46 -0800

ageispolis: that flying lotus rmx is hawt.

By: The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:37:19 -0800

If your people are like my people, which it seems like they might be, nothing gets this kind of people people dancing quicker than 80's dance standards. Seriously, think about it. At a place where people are receptive/have heard of Ed Banger and Chromeo and MGMT and Crystal Castles, you're pretty much guaranteed a good reaction by playing songs by the bands that they were influenced by/loved, and you get bonus points because these songs all have solid recognizability.

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence, or pretty much anything on Violator
Madonna - Vogue
Michael Jackson - P.Y.T - Both Chromeo and Justice reference this song, on Tenderoni and D.A.N.C.E, respectively. Alternative: Billie Jean.
M - Pop Musik
New Order - Blue Monday
The Smiths - This Charming Man - not like you need a link to this, i'd imagine, but i just love this video.
Public Image Ltd. - This is not a love song
Afrika Bambaata and The Soul Sonic Force- Planet Rock - Which Common references pretty obviously in his new album, Universal Mind Control, which also has some fucking Danceable tracks, esp. the title track.
Bowie - Let's Dance
Prince - Little Red Corvette
Billy Idol - Dancing with myself
Trust me, man. Almost all of these songs are instant crowd hits.

They're not for your main arsenal, mind you; if you can play nothing but new and obscure stuff and the crowd is digging it, do that. But if you put on a dud (which totally happens), A recognizable 80's track is like a goddamn get out of jail free card- all trespasses will be forgotten the second they hear that "bah-bum bum" of Tainted Love.