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One of the hardest parts of DIY playlists is making it flow. Whether you’re planning on creating a playlist to have on in the background at a casual get-together or the main focus of a wedding or other big party or event, making a playlist that flows it essential.
We’ve put together the best tips to making a playlist that flows that you can play at your next party or event, no matter what vibe you’re going for. So if you’re looking for to create chilled lounge mix, or get your guests up on their feet and on the dancefloor, you’ll be able to create a playlist that flows perfectly from start to finish.
Best Platform for Making a Playlist that Flows
Apple Music is the perfect way to create a party playlist. It’s intelligent recommendation feature makes it really quick to add songs to create the perfect track list and it’s cross fade feature makes seamless song transitions. It’s only $9.99/ £9.99 per month and you can get a free 3 month trial to check it out. And don’t worry, you can use it on Android devices too!
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One of the other great things about Apple Music for making playlists is that the app version is equally as good as the desktop version. So you can make changes or even create your entire playlist when you’re out and about.
There are plenty of platforms that are great for making party playlists, but the one we wouldn’t recommend is YouTube. Unless you’ve got ads turned off, they can be a constant interruption to the flow of your playlist. There also aren’t many handy features to create smooth transitions between songs.
One thing that’s worth mentioning though is that whatever platform you choose, TURN SHUFFLE OFF! It’s the main way of preventing you from making a playlist that flows.
Crossfade: Your New Best Friend
The number one way to improve any Apple Music playlist is by turning crossfade on. Crossfade does exactly what it says on the tin. It just decreases the volume of the previous song whilst simultaneously increasing the volume of the next. Simple but very effective!
So how long should crossfade be on for? There’s no hard and fast rule, but we think around 4-6 seconds is usually about right for making your playlist flow. The crossfade length can be anywhere from 1-12 seconds so there’s plenty of options. Having said that, anywhere under 3 seconds is unlikely to make any difference.
If your playlist is predominantly EDM or music with a lot of bass, cranking the crossfade up to 10-12 seconds can work well. This is particularly useful when there’s not an exact match between the beats. But what if you’ve gone for mainly pop music or tracks with lots of singing? In this case, a long crossfade can sound messy as you’ll hear the artists singing over each other. That’s why you might be better off without about 4-5 seconds of crossfading. So have a play about with the length to see what best suits your style of playlist.
Themes Make Playlists Flow
So before you get carried away creating the ultimate party playlist, you need to get specific with the theme. Think about what age group your audience is and what style of music they’re into. It’s not impossible to create a playlist which flows that also caters for a range of age groups, but it’s much harder if the style of music is very varied. If that’s the case, it might be easier to section your playlist to cater for each specific audience at your party. Although this isn’t ideal, it’s better to do this than play a heavy EDM track followed by a glitzy pop song.
So try and stick to a particular style of music when choosing your songs. You don’t have to be super restrictive, it can be good to stick to a general mood. If you want a feel good playlist, it can actually be really easy to mix songs from different decades to keep everyone happy.
Tempo is Key
The tempo of your playlist is an essential factor to consider when making your playlist flow. Of course, if you’re going for a casual background playlist, it’s fine to keep a fairly relaxed tempo the entire way through. But what if you’re planning on packing your dancefloor? Then it’s always a good idea to start with a slow tempo and then build up. But that doesn’t mean you need to start with weak tracks. Kicking off your playlist with songs that everyone knows is a good way to start with a lower relaxed tempo without it being flat.
If you want to get technical, there are plenty of websites that tell you the bpm (beats per minute) of pretty much every song. Songbpm.com is a good option for this. Just type in the name of the song and it’ll give you the duration and the bpm. But don’t worry, it’s not essential to get this in depth when choosing your songs. Although it can be a good tool to gauge the tempo of your playlist.
Keep Things Interesting
Building a playlist that has gradually increasing tempo is great for making it flow. That said, you don’t have to make a playlist that goes up a few bpm per song with no dips at all. It might make your playlist a bit predicable and although it flows well, it can get stale quickly. Switching up the tempo can be a good way of keeping your guests on their toes and keep things interesting. Using this method of peaks and troughs can be great for longer playlists where your guests might get tired of dancing.
So what’s the key to changing the tempo without ruining the flow of your playlist and killing the atmosphere? Just use well-known classic songs that you are sure your guests will love when making the dip to a lower bpm.
For example, if you’re going for an 80’s themed party playlist, you might be building the tempo and peak it with a song like You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead of Alive which has a bpm of 128. But then you want to dip the tempo without making your guests evacuate the dancefloor. So a song like Africa by Toto would be a great choice. Plenty of your guests will know the words and want to stay on their feet, but it dips the tempo to just 93 bpm so you can slowly build it back up again.
Side note: if you do happen to be planning an 80’s themed party, check out our 80’s party guide, tips and ideas packed with plenty of advice to make it great!
Listen Back to the Flow of your Playlist
So you’ve put all your songs in a precise order, carefully considered the theme and thought about the tempo. Now what? Well it’s time to have a listen through your masterpiece!
Of course, it’s a great idea to listen to your entire party playlist to check it’s perfect. But if you’ve got 3 hours worth of songs, it’s probably not practical. So just listen to the start and end of each song. This way you can check that the crossfade fits and there’s no obviously mismatched beats that could ruin the flow of your playlist.
It’s very unlikely that every song transitions smoothly, but congrats if it did! It might well be worth quitting your day job and becoming a professional DJ! But don’t worry if you need to make changes to the order. You might also think of some great songs to add in whilst you’re having a listen through. So definitely don’t skip this step!
Once you’ve made the edits, that’s it! You’ve created the ultimate party playlist that flows perfectly. So go ahead and let your guests enjoy it!
If you need more advice on creating the perfect party playlist, check out our party playlist tips you need to know!
Now you’ve got your party music sorted, remember to have a look at our ultimate party planning checklist. Like our Facebook Page and follow us on Pinterest!