The Wedding DJ Playlist Variety--and The Secret Weapon!

While working on your wedding DJ playlist, it is important to keep variety in mind. I touched on this earlier when discussing the number one rule, so now I would like to expand on this particular subject. Whenever people talk about dance music, they think, well, it’s got to be all dance music. But you would be surprised at what people will “dance” to nowadays. And in just a few moments, I am going to share with you the secret weapon that always gets people up and onto your dance floor.

It doesn’t have to be Usher, Lady GaGa, and House Music all night long to keep your dance floor moving and grooving. As you have already learned, that is the last thing you want to do, which is to play the same genre of music all night. Remember? Play only 3 songs from the same genre in a row! Got it? Okay then, let’s talk about how to mix it up for your guests!

Starting off your wedding DJ playlist for dancing with a hard-hitting hip hop song will usually prove disastrous. Most people are either eating cake, getting another drink, or wrapping up a long dinner conversation, so they aren’t ready to PARTY!!! You need to ease your people onto the dance floor. And the best way to do that, is to break out the secret weapon: The romantic slow song!

I’m sure you’re shaking your head—again—and saying—again—“Really? That’s it? But it’s so easy!” Yes, it is simple, but very effective. Think about it. Guys don’t dance, usually. So, if you start off with a slow dance, their significant other will most likely drag him out to the dance floor and he will go. Begrudgingly, yes, but still, how can he say no? And once one couple gets up another usually follows and so on and so on.

Now that you have your dance floor full, you can start to walk them a little further down the party-road by picking up the tempo. Maybe a classic Motown hit like My Girl or Mustang Sally. You could even move into some slower disco like Brickhouse. And if you pulled this weapon out later in the evening, when you should start getting into more of the Top 40 and Hip Hop, you could play Blame It or Luv In This Club next.

Moving on to the genres that people dance to, it has changed drastically over the years. It used to be, “All Disco, All Night Long!” but now, the good news is this: It’s ALL dance music. Just about every single genre has at least a few danceable titles in it’s group. Of course, the old staples of Disco, Dance, and Hip Hop will always be there but here are some other genres you can add to your wedding DJ playlist that people are getting up and dancing to:

Rock and Classic rock, like Journey, Bon Jovi, and Def Leppard
Oldies and Motown like The Beatles, Elvis, and the Four Tops
Adult Alternative/Contemporary like Jack Johnson, John Mayer and Colbie Caillat
Country (yes, country) like Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, and Taylor Swift
Alternative 80’s like Depeche Mode, New Order, and Soft Cell
Reggae, mon, like Bob Marley, Big Mountain and Lucky Dube
Rap like Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Kanye West
And Latin (especially western and southern US) like Elvis Crespo, Limi-T 21, and Shakira
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These are only a few and as you can see, there are so many different styles to choose from. It makes no sense getting pigeon-holed into one or two genres. There are so many specialized genres like Jewish, Polkas, Big Band and Swing, and ethnic tunes from specific regions around the world, like Croatian, Armenian, African, and so on to choose from if it fits in with your needs and wants.

Just know, the more variety you have, the more people you will reach and touch and make happy. And when it comes to your wedding DJ playlist, don’t be afraid to broaden your horizons and try something new—or old for that matter!