The Animal Show Rocks You Into 2009: Part III
OBLIGATORY NEW YEAR'S IMAGE
Let me tell you a little something about making a party mix: the first priority should always be finding recognizable songs. Party-goers get much more excited by songs they’ve known forever than by some new material you’ve found and really want to try out. If you’re trying out new material, it had better be from one of any number of instantly-recognizable artists. Or have lyrics so repetitive that everyone can sing along by the 3rd chorus.
To be honest, though, your best bet is to think back to the roller-rink birthday parties and middle-school dances of those halcyon days of youth, and snipe the soundtrack from those. Then throw that in a blender with some overplayed hits of today (preferably remixed or mashed up) and maybe add a garnish of new material. Serve hot, and maybe throw some glitter on the top for good measure.
I’ll give you two key components:
Hello Brooklyn – Jay-Z and Marvin Gaye (A Mick Boogie Production)
The guys over at Mick Boogie have been responsible for a few really sweet mash-up mixtapes (Adele 1988 (Adele + Old-School Hip-Hop), Viva La Hova (Jay-Z+Coldplay)), and this one is a gem, fer shure. You can download it for free, like the others. Give them a look.
My taste in music probably now seems to you to be half guilty pleasure, half well-informed interest, but at least this one is legitimized by the support of every person I know. Literally. This has some serious middle-school cred, and the moment where you realize what the lyrics mean is a crucial moment of blossoming into quasi-adulthood.
