Wednesday, October 19, 2016
by Tat
The nights are drawing in and with it comes one of the best times of the year with Halloween. It is a time where Halloween themed parties kick into action over the period where people dress up as ghouls, monsters and maniacs. Club nights put on specially themed nights and house parties are hosted by suitably attired witches and vampires. So for any DJ wanting to drop a killer tune or two into their set list we've come up with our own ghostly selection to help the freaks get out on the dance floor.
We have saved you the effort of tracking down these killer monster party tracks yourself and created our own Trackhunter Spotify playlist which you can find at the end of this article.
There are lots of tracks out there with a Halloween spooky feel to them but not too many that would make for a great party, after all we want you to enjoy your party and not feel depressed by two hours of dark dungeon-based music.
We start by bringing a bit of funk to the part with RJDJ's "The Horror" a creepy entrance into the mellow dubbed vibes of Gorillaz's Dracula before going old school hip hop and Will Smith AKA The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff with A Nightmare on my Street. The subtle creepiness continues to crawl like a dismembered hand across the floor as DJ Format presents The Mayor of a Ghost Town. Rihanna backed up by Eminem tells the tale of the Monster, although they talking about their own psychological monsters but you get the drift. A monster of another kind is brought to the party via Kanye West and friends before Jay Z opens the party's front door to the king of darkness and Lucifer. Another collaboration is brought to life from beyond the grave as Outkast and Kelis tell us about Dracula's Wedding. The vibe starts to build as more guests arrive and Gnarls Barkley sings about the coolest of the nighttime creatures with the Boogie Monster.
aotaro CC BY 2.0 http://bit.ly/2dnAaDTWe start to take the party up a notch as RJDJ returns with the seminal classic Ghostwriter with haunting and epic horns and withered guitars over an awesome breakbeat. The hip hop vibes continue as we go back to the old school and Whodini tells of the freaks that come out at night. A classic and truly haunted tune drops next with The Specials and the brilliant number one hit Ghost Town. For the first time in the party we get a visit from the undead with the superb The Herbaliser and their March of the Dead Things, spooky, relentless and pure haunted funk. Washington Go Go themed track Ghost Feeder by Arcadion is up next with all kinds of eerie sounds and bleeps to bring a chill to the dancefloor along with some heavy bass.
The tempo kicks up as a few heavyweights hit the dance floor with the sound of Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) by the out of this world David Bowie. Then it's time to lock the doors and watch your backs as David Bryne and his Talking Heads brings a Psycho Killer as his plus one to the party. Lucifer gets another chance to entertain the dancefloor as The Rolling Stones seek Sympathy for the Devil. After the rhythm and blues we get a taste of Africa's finest and Fela Kuti's tribute to the undead with Zombie. Finally this section of the party makes way for another of the big players and the man who took music videos to a whole new level with Michael Jackson and his seminal Thriller.
By now the ghostly party should be in full motion as we step back in time to A Guy Called Gerald and his Voodoo Ray before the bass heavy Exorcist by Shades of Rhythm. The trio of acid house, rave classics are made complete with The Outlander and their dance floor stomper The Vamp. OK we put this one in based on title alone, but you can't blame us, it's a monster tune of a different kind.
silversolo CC BY 2.0 http://bit.ly/2dnChHTWe move forward a few years for the final segment of the party as Metronomy knock on the front door and demand Trick or Treatz. Whilst we succumb to deep and heavy vibes with the Ghosties track by Sleeplab before Justice bring us ever closer to the witching hour with One Minute to Midnight. As the clock chimes midnight to officially welcome in the ghouls, Higherself steps up with some new school vocal house and their track Ghosts. We get even more Ghosts lurking in the shadows courtesy of Ladytron, whilst the penultimate track by Black Devil Disco Club and The Devil In Us finally opens up the gates to the underworld. For those feeling a little fragile at this point the party ends on a high, if not an unnerving one with Rockwell's classic Somebody's Watching Me. Guests leave the party looking behind each and every bush for potential spooks and creatures.
For any DJs wanting to put together their perfect spooky party mix and looking for something a little special you could track down the many horror special effects compilations out there to help spice up the night. As an aside, some of the original disco DJs of the early 1970s used sound effects records to mix or build up momentum of tracks and drive dancers into a frenzy. Using an old BBC horror sound effects compilation might just do something as effective, although it may also clear the floor and building if it gets too scary. BOO!
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