Let's picture this scenario: you're at a frat party, probably getting hit on by a man too drunk to realize that you are also a man, when the DJ plays some hardstyle. What do you do? If you're like most, this is when you complain about the music choice and leave, conveniently forgetting about your 3/4's full beer (shame on you). I've seen otherwise fantastic parties get ruined by nothing more than one ill thought out song selection. Playing some 3 Doors Down or Nickelback is equivalent to covering yourself in catnip while feeding Bolivian Jaguars.
Song selection can be particularly tricky when playing EDM (Electronic Dance Music). Due to the extreme diversity of EDM, as it encompasses multiple genres, each of which has countless sub-genres, knowing what to play, when to play it and for whom can be confusing too say the least. As someone who has spent the last three years of his life almost exclusively listening to EDM, with occasional bouts of rap, country, and Elvis of course, I've come to the conclusion there is one cardinal rule to follow when considering showing your friends electronic music:
Timing and place is EVERYTHING
One of the first things you learn about EDM is that a lot of electronic music, unlike other genres, can only be played in certain atmospheres or at specific times if you want people to truly get into it. The truth is, unless the person is very into electronic music, trap and hardstyle simply will not appeal to someone at 7:37 AM. Flosstradamus and Yellow Claw cannot be played throughout the day like, say, Johnny Cash or RHCP can, because Floss and Claw simply aren't easy listening. On the flip side, if you're about to go workout or go out clubbing, you're going to want someone more along the lines of Part Favor rather than Sara McLachland. Of course, there are certain DJ's that you could argue can be played at any point in the day, such as Odesza or Flume, but as a whole you should be careful when bangin' out that rave s***. Here, I'll make it simple:
Morning- Genres: Tropical House, Chillwave and Indietronica. Artists: Headphone Activist, Odesza, Flume, and Tipper
Working Out- Genres: Drum & Bass, Trap, Dubstep, Progressive House, Drum & Bass and Moonbahton. Artists: Party Favor, Bear Grillz, Psychic Type, Snails, Hucci, and Bassnectar.
Zoning Out/ Late Night- Genres: Chillwave, Chillstep, Minimalist Trap and Moonbahton. Artists: Viscoe, Tipper, CoMa and Kygo
Going Out- Genres: Trance, Deep House, Progressive House, Festival Trap, Techno and Electropop. Artists: Daft Punk, Porter Robinson, NGHTMRE, DJ Sneak, Dillon Francis, Diplo and Bro Safari
This list is not exhaustive, and always realize you should tailor your playlists according to your own personal tastes and not some random Internet list. If you're just getting into EDM, however, or are attempting to get your friends over to the dark side, this list should be a good outline for you to experiment with. If you're one of those who has fallen into the delusion that you hate all electronic music, you simply haven't found the style that suits you. EDM is far too diverse to be hated as a whole, so keep on listening my friend.
