2017 Gen.T lister Justin Sweeting, co-founder of the Clockenflap and music enthusiast, shares five tips on building the perfect playlist
If there's anyone who knows how to get the party started, it's 2017 Gen.T lister Justin Sweeting, co-founder of the Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival, which has just announced its full line-up.
The 10th edition of the festival returns on November 17-19, 2017 at the Central Harbourfront Event Space with Massive Attack, Kaiser Chiefs, Feist and The Prodigy as headliners. While we wait in anticipation for the best outdoor musical festival of the year, we asked Justin to share his five tips on building the perfect playlist:
1. When putting together a party playlist, stick with the classics. They’re classics for a reason. If listening to music by Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson doesn’t make you have a reaction in your body, then I think there’s something wrong.
2. The more eclectic a playlist, the better. There’s so much great music out there that there’s no reason to be bound by genres or generations. That mix and cross-pollination is when interesting things start to happen.
3. Think about what you want people to feel and when. The best playlists are the ones that take listeners on a journey; you can have highs and then places where the songs have more space in them to allow conversations.
4. Never play anything ironically. If you want to play cheesy pop, play cheesy pop and be proud of that. Great pop music is amazing. Commit to it and be authentic about it. Don’t play anything for any ironic reason.
5. Five of my favourite dancefloor fillers are Superstition by Stevie Wonder, Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson, Give Me A Reason by Ibibio Sound Machine, Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield, and All Night Long by Lionel Richie.
Follow Justin Sweeting on Instagram: @justinsweeting