By Keeva Stratton
When friends or family are set to gather, to make the occasion play out as planned, we suggest spending some time planning your playlist. For those lost in a music maze, try these songs to set the scene for your next social.
The Dinner Party
Elegant, intimate and warm, dinner parties are all about interesting conversation, good company, and great food and wine – and to achieve this, one also needs the perfect mood setting music.
To create the desired ambience, it’s time to dust off your jazz collection. For its time, jazz was considered to be quite outrageous – underground clubs with live bands that were both experimental and edgy. But while jazz has mellowed to modern ears, it still has the complexity and all the essential elements of horns, piano, bass, and drums to create a musical cacophony that will keep the conversation flowing.
Miles Davis, Grant Green, Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk are names to get familiar with. These Jazz legends helped carve out the sensual yet sassy sound that jazz imbues. Albums to get you started include Miles Davis – Kind of Blue, Bill Evans – Waltz for Debby, Grant Green – Idle Moments, or Thelonious Monk – Monk’s Music.
Jazz should be played in an album form as a jazz album is designed to take you places, and builds upon each track along the listening journey – for this reason, compilations should really be avoided.
The Relaxed Outdoor Affair
Quintessentially Australian, outdoor get togethers, from barbeques to pool parties, are the social embodiment of collective casual relaxation. To maintain this chilled atmosphere, your musical selections should be upbeat and unpretentious.
For a true Aussie affair, the list is endless – start with artists such as: the John Butler Trio, You Am I, Katie Noonan, Dan Sultan, Powderfinger, or the more classic Cold Chisel (just make sure the crowd won’t turn into a mangy mob at the first chords of Khe Sanh).
If the crowd is less about thongs and a touch more soulful, you can’t go past the annals of classic singles from the Motown or Stax Records labels, to create a relaxed-yet-resplendent outdoor vibe.
Singles compilations are a welcome choice here and to get you started, think Papa was a Rollin’ Stone –The Temptations, Heard it Through The Grape Vine – Marvin Gaye, You Can’t Hurry Love – The Supremes, Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder, Dancing in the Street – Martha and the Vandellas, My Girl – The Temptations, My Guy – Mary Wells, I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) – the Four Tops, Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding, Soul Man – Sam and Dave, and I’ll Take you There – The Staple Singers.
The Dance Floor
The dance floor is all about the beat. While I would argue that no dance floor is complete without Groove is in the Heart from Dee-Lite, a great way to get a party moving is by setting a theme that resonates with your guests, and building your playlist around it.
Take them back to their childhood and teens with an 80s theme, through a mixtape brimming with Kim Wilde, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, and Madonna. For a 90s dance take, try Daft Punk, Fat Boy Slim, or Massive Attack.
Or to get an old school groove on, why not try dusting off your disco and funk collection to create a playlist which includes Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, The Bee Gees, James Brown, Parliament/Funkadelic, Rick James, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Earth Wind and Fire.
If modern is more your feel then it is time to get a little diva-licious with Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Ke$ha, and Lily Allen.
With these suggestions to get you started, when it comes to your musical backdrop, your next party should be right on beat.
