DJ the playlist
The music you play has the power to make or break a party. Don’t dare fall into the convenient lure of shuffle and let the fates take control of the set list. Soon enough, a single from your Pavarotti Forever box set will take over the speakers and everyone will be confused, and bewildered, and generally unappreciative of his operatic chops when they’re just minding their own business trying to play a round of laidback bucket beer pong. Consider the theme of your party and curate the soundtrack accordingly while taking into account that the music should still incite people to get up and party. Find inspiration at 8tracks.com and ask for input from your party-goers. In the end, regardless of theme, be lax about song change if someone has the sudden urge to “Party in the USA” a bit, for instance (#MileyForev).
As for speakers, it’s a common misconception that the bigger the party, the bigger the speakers need be. To the contrary, your party will feel more intimate if you break up the area you’re using into smaller music “regions,” if you will, using a simpler and more compact sound system for each spot. Furthermore, you’ll avoid getting slapped with a neighborhood noise complaint because at 2 a.m. you blew the bass trying to get Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” to reach every corner of your multi-story suburban home. Ask several friends to borrow their portable desk speakers for the night. Set up several music points throughout your place and skip the expensive logistics of renting some massive speaker system that threatens to blow the neighborhood down when someone puts on a little dubstep.
Your partying days may have reached an early high, but they’ll probably peak somewhere along the journey of your college years; so throw a killer party now, collegiettes, while you still have summer vacation and a sleep schedule that doesn’t really exist. Be all “No regrets!” and go wild while you still have the excuse of youth to account for your indiscretions. You won’t be sorry.
