Last night, we felt a couple more earthquakes (well, some of us anyway).  It remains to be seen if the “big one” will come before Halloween or after.  We’re gonna go for a bit of both today.  The first three songs are going to shake your room a bit if you have a proper subwoofer & the next few weeks will be completely dedicated to music for your Halloween parties, kickbacks and get togethers.  Happy Halloween.  Hopefully, this makes up for your insensitivity to seismic activity.

White Panda – Diamond Thrones

https://soundcloud.com/whitepandamusic/diamond-thrones

White Panda makes some awesome mash-ups and I think mash-ups are a good crowd pleaser at a decent party.  A while back, he made a mash-up I really enjoyed involving Ellie Goulding, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Lumineers.  It’s worth noting I’m not a fan of two of the songs he used in that one, but I liked how they were used in the mash.  In this particular song, he mixes Rihanna’s “Diamonds” with the theme from “Game of Thrones.”  I’m personally considering a “Game of Thrones” get-up this year, so maybe I’m just biased.

Deorro – Bootie in Your Face

This song is incredibly stupid.  I think my IQ dropped just listening to it.  I don’t care, it’s amazingly fun.  This one’s a solid choice for a rager where you want people to get as unclassy as possible… it’ll even help you with the pre-drop “EVERYBODY RAGE!”  If this one doesn’t get people dancing, something’s catastrophically wrong with your party planning or guest list.

Yellow Claw – Kaolo

“IT’S A TRAP.”  Yes, here I am defending trap music again.  This song will pound your subwoofer more than any of the other ones on this list.  I recently gave this song a go at a party when I and everyone else were not quite there and it was a massive hit.  In their most recent releases, Yellow Claw call themselves “Amsterdam Twerking Music” and I’m not sure what the hell that means, but I’m becoming a huge fan of their stuff.

 

Nate Belasco – Kanye West “Black Skinhead” vs. Tame Impala “Elephant”

https://soundcloud.com/natebelasco/kanye-west-black-skinhead-vs

Another mash-up.  This one by Nate Belasco mixes Kanye West and Tame Impala and I can see it working just as well in a rager as at a kickback.  I don’t really know what else to say about this.  Listen for yourselves.  Oh wait, no.  You should watch the Kanye interview on Jimmy Kimmel.  It’s fascinating. Okay, that’s it.

FAROFF – Gangnam Busters (PSY vs. Ghostbusters)

This one’s for the people who like their playlists old school.  I think Monster Mash is a bit overplayed personally, but here’s a monster mash-up.  It’s only been just over a year and people will roll your eyes if you play Gangnam Style, but chances are most people haven’t heard this mash-up with Ghostbusters (a song which is definitely in the top 5 of my Halloween classics).

 

J. Cole – She Knows (ft. Amber Coffman)

https://soundcloud.com/thatstudciara/j-cole-she-knows-feat-amber

This one is not one curated by myself… of all people, it was my film theory professor who began playing this song before my friend Sheila and I had to find out what it was.  It samples Cults, a band whose music I think works in a laid back scenario.  Thank you to Emily Carpenter, you are one of my favorite professors ever (though I doubt she’d ever be reading this).

Dead Man’s Bones – My Body’s a Zombie for You

Let’s slow it down a bit now.  This one’s more for a kickback or a nice little sneak if you want to get a little slow dance in with that person you’re into (yeah, I’m totally still in junior high).  Also, it’s RYAN GOSLING’s band.  And he’s singing the whole album with a children’s choir.  I can hear ovaries exploding.  This one’s for the ladies and gentlemen who love that man (and that’s not the only selling point, it’s a lovely song).

 

I’d like your opinion more than ever! Tell me some of your favorites for Halloween and parties in general.  There’s going to be two more weeks of this.

As usual, please comment or e-mail me with suggestions or feedback. I will also take songs in my Spotify inbox, just search for Ephraim Lee. I’m always up to listen to what you have to offer, and your recommendations may make it here!