How To Make The Best Cocktail Party Playlist

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Music has an instrumental impact on our moods and the music that we play at parties can have a major effect on the atmosphere of the room. Rather than just setting your ipod to shuffle and letting an app choose the music that you’re playing, take a little time before-hand and choose some songs that you know your guests will enjoy. Creating the right playlist will make your event seem more polished and you’ll avoid all the guilty pleasure music that’s hiding in your iTunes (Spice Girls, anyone?).

Picking the right music for your party can help your guests get started on their way to having a fun evening. This article from apartmenttherapy.com has a few great tips to get you started to creating mood music for your next cocktail party. Keep reading to learn more!

A few things to keep in mind for a cocktail party are to keep the music up-tempo, mix instrumental pieces with some classics or fan favorites that will help guests relax (doesn't everyone love to hear a favorite song playing on someone else's speakers?), and keep the tunes moving. Think about the type of music you would like to hear at a party: what songs make you feel good, feel like dancing, feel energized? If you put a playlist together from that angle, it's much more exciting than pressing "shuffle" and hoping for the best, or using some generic "lounge" mix that has no personal meaning to you or your friends. Have fun digging through your real and virtual stacks to mix up your own perfect playlist that will keep the mood bright and encourage spontaneous dancing.

Here's a mix I put together. You can access the full playlist on Spotify or check out links to individual songs below:

1. Koop - Come to Me

2. Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 - Day Tripper (Beatles cover)

3. Prince - Raspberry Beret

4. Javelin - Vibrationz

5. The Beach Boys - Heroes and Villains

6. J Dilla - Two Can Win

7. Jacqueline Taieb - Le Coeur au bout des doigts

8. Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love

9. Pulp - Disco 2000

10. Pretty Purdie - Soul Bossa Nova

11. Marlena Shaw - California Soul

12. The Jacksons - Blame it on the Boogie

13. Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce

14. Calexico - Alone Again Or (Love cover)

15. Nicola Conte - La Coda del Diavolo

16. Nina Simone - Real Real

17. Bibio - Jealous of Roses

18. Serge Gainsbourg - Couleur Cafe

19. Van Morrison - Spanish Rose

20. Jorge Ben - O Telefone Tocou Novamente

21. Bonobo - Kong

22. Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim - I Concentrate on You