How to Make a Playlist for A Party: The Easy Way
Noah Feasey-Kemp
It's party time! Having your own custom playlist for a party is a great way to keep your party guests entertained all night.
You might think that setting one up might give you more of a headache than the one in the morning after...
But there's no need to worry because after you read this guide you'll be able to get your party playlist ready quicker than ever before!
TL;DR - Making Party Playlists#
Make your party more memorable with a custom party playlist!
It's much easier to make a party playlist than you think.
DJ.Studio is the best tool for quickly making seamless party playlists.
Here is a Demo Party Playlist Mix that was made 100% in DJ.Studio, mixing music from YouTube.
How to Make a Party Playlist: The Basics#
The following steps explain the basic process behind making a party playlist. After this I'll go into more detail, and give you some extra handy tips! (Make sure you check out my other guide on How to Make the Perfect Playlist!)
1) Pick a Playlist Platform#
First, you need to decide what platform you will use to create and play your playlist at the house party.
There are loads of platforms out there - Spotify and YouTube have the largest music library so I'd recommend starting with one of those. Although you could use Google Play Music, Amazon Music or Soundcloud. If you already have a subscription for one service - it's probably best to stick with that.
You also need to consider what kind of features you need for the mix. If you want to create a seamless mix with faded transitions and no silent gaps, you'll need to pick something like DJ.Studio which has a transition creator. Otherwise, you can use a basic playlist creator like YouTube or Spotify.
2) Select Your Songs#
After you've chosen the platform, it's time to pick the songs you want to include in your party mix.
You can start to think a little bit about the song order too, although we'll leave the main decisions for the next stage.
The best choice of music depends on what kind of party atmosphere you want to create, and what kind of guests you are expecting. You probably don't want to play a lot of house music if you are inviting the whole punk rock scene from your town!
I recommend making a mix of new music and a few nostalgic tunes thrown in for good measure. You could also consider making multiple playlists for different stages of the party. For example, make one lift the energy up and another when it's time for people to go home!
Create a playlist in your platform, called something like "My Party Playlist", and start adding all the songs to it.
You can also get AI to help you! Find out more here - How To Create A Playlist Using ChatGPT.
3) Arrange the Playlist#
After you've added all the songs to your playlist, it's time to start ordering it.
I think the order of songs in a playlist is one of those make-or-break factors when it comes to a party. Burn the candle too bright at the start, and your guests might get tired early. But if you have too many slow songs, people might get bored. It's a bit of an art form!
You should think about the flow of energy of the party, and how long you want the mix to be.
One good idea is to divide the first few hours into themes, with a rough time of when the party starts.
7pm = Chill hip hop
8pm = Mellow house
9pm = Upbeat house and disco
10pm = Techno
11pm = Dubstep
12am = Drum and bass
1am = Britney Spears and Spice Girls?
Ultimately it's up to you - how long you want the party to go on for, and how you want the vibe to change through the night. Of course, the above order is just my suggestion!
Most platforms make it easy to order your playlists, although if you want to add transitions and seamless fades, you'll need to use DJ.Studio.
4) Party Time!#
It's usually a good idea to skim through the playlist before the party starts, just to make sure its going to work. After that, it's time to get the party started!
How to Make a Seamless Party Mix with DJ.Studio#
DJ.Studio gives you more control over your party playlist and is packed with other tools to make it sound better.
You can make seamless mixes simply from YouTube videos or Spotify, which can then be shared anywhere with a web link.
Unlike other playlist platforms, DJ.Studio beat-matches your tracks and also has a transition editor for making smooth fades. This means the groove keeps rolling all night long - no gaps!
Follow these steps to make a party mix in DJ.Studio:
Create a DJ.Studio account and open the app.
Start a new project. For speed, I recommend using the YouTube mode.
Add songs to the mix using the YouTube browser (or import downloaded files in the Local File mode)
Use the Automix tool to automatically arrange the mix and make seamless transitions. It even beat-matches and harmonically mixes your tracks!
Adjust the order of songs if needed.
Refine track placements and transitions.
Share your mix! DJ.Studio has a handy online player. This means you can copy a URL to share and play your mix online from a web browser. (Even from a smartphone!)
As you can see, DJ.Studio makes it super quick and easy to create a party mix!
Extra Tips for Making Party Playlists#
Here are some general tips for making party playlists.
Make Multiple Playlists - Not One#
Rather than making one massive party playlist, it's a good idea to make multiple smaller, themed playlists. This way you can instantly switch up the vibe - so you can enjoy the party and don't have to spend all night hovering around on Spotify.
I like to make a bunch of ~1-hour playlists of my favorite tunes for each genre.
Ask For Requests Ahead of Time#
To save people from hijacking the speaker system, I recommend that you send messages to people before you make your playlist asking for their song requests. This way you can make sure that everybody hears some of their favorite tunes in the mix, and nobody has to fight over the aux cable - we've all been there before!
Show Musical Variety#
Keep the party alive, and not stale. Play a good mix of music. If people have a more limited taste, you can sandwich lesser-known songs between the floor fillers to keep a more democratic groove!
Summary#
Now you know how to make a great party playlist - all you need to do is put one together and have a fun night! Partygoers will remember your classic playlist, and keep wanting you to throw more parties.
Make sure you listen through the playlist before the party to check that it's got the right vibe.
Enjoy making your groovy new party playlist using DJ.Studio!
FAQs About Making a Perfect Party Playlist
- How many songs should be on a party playlist?
- How do you make a party DJ mix playlist?
- How do you make a party playlist on Spotify?