How do you make a playlist

[Noeliam]

Hello,

I've just started a part-time job where I have to create playlists among other things. I started them  by just following my instinct but I'm noticing some pattern lately that I follow unconsciously, I wonder if any of you has a trick or follows a pattern when it comes to playlists.

Have a nice evening

[Quark]

Mine always start off with grand ideas of a unifying theme, and then descend into whatever comes to mind.

The best format I've found, and apply to my favourites, is to build them slowly rather than trying to do it in one sitting.

So I've got a couple of playlists of 80s and 90s songs that, while not necessarily obscure, tend not to get played on the radio or show up in mixes. They started out with 5 or so songs, and then add to them as I hear, remember or think of suitable additions. Works for me.

[SwedgeAntilles]

 

[Noeliam]

13 hours ago, Quark said:

Mine always start off with grand ideas of a unifying theme, and then descend into whatever comes to mind.

The best format I've found, and apply to my favourites, is to build them slowly rather than trying to do it in one sitting.

So I've got a couple of playlists of 80s and 90s songs that, while not necessarily obscure, tend not to get played on the radio or show up in mixes. They started out with 5 or so songs, and then add to them as I hear, remember or think of suitable additions. Works for me.

Thank you.

If I have to be more precise: the playlists i'm doing are not longer than 8-10 songs so I guess that each song has to deserve to be here.

[payneruk]

Mine usually start off with a random song that I hear. And think....That would make a good playlist. Next comes a funky name and then fleshing it out with songs that fit the theme. 

A playlist can't be rushed. I've got one with only 3 songs in it. The playlist is probably 9 months old now lol.

Some of my names and themes:

Beatles covered up - Beatles covers

Christmas Crackers - Xmas duh

Feels like warm apple pie - American Punk Pop

Ich lieb techno <3 - Techno

My mad fat playlist - Brit pop

Not another Ibeefa album - Ibiza classics

Trippin ma tits off - psychedelic stuff

[mjsell]

I like the fact that after asking how best to create playlists due to needing to do it for his job, the general response has been - 'They take time'. Probably the one thing he hasn't got.

One of my friends is an aspring filmmaker and has sometimes asked me to suggest a short soudtrack that fits with some of his projects. In some cases I think of song immediately for the scenes they are needed for but a lot of the time it really is a slow process of trying various options. I find that ideas come in waves (of multiple songs at once) and that I write them down immediately no matter where I am at the time.

[fatyeti24]

This'll be no help to the OP, but I have a playlist of over 300 tunes now that comes directly from my shazams.  Everytime  I hear I tune I like (surely the best of themes!), I shazam it and it automatically goes into a Spotify play list.  Really handy feature to me is that. 

[Watergirl]

It really depends on the theme. There should be a flow as well in any case. Start and finish with up tempo stuff, with slower songs in between.

And not to play too many things that are alike next to each other. I am very much against these "if you like this, you'll dig that" algorithms. It should be, "if you like this, now try something completely different!".  This is not my own invention by the way. I heard Billy Bragg mention it in a keynote speech once.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Watergirl

[Noeliam]

9 hours ago, payneruk said:

 

Thanks, creative names but I can't really do that

8 hours ago, mjsell said:

I like the fact that after asking how best to create playlists due to needing to do it for his job, the general response has been - 'They take time'. Probably the one thing he hasn't got.

 

Exactly. I have to give 1/day of 8 songs at least (I rarely put more). Tomorrow I'll send the 60th, and while I'm not afraid because I always found something, I feel that I should be prepared for it.

1 hour ago, Watergirl said:

It really depends on the theme. There should be a flow as well in any case. Start and finish with up tempo stuff, with slower songs in between.

And not to play too many things that are alike next to each other. I am very much against these "if you like this, you'll dig that" algorithms. It should be, "if you like this, now try something completely different!".  This is not my own invention by the way. I heard Billy Bragg mention it in a keynote speech once.

I completely agree. I do both actually but I'm fond of the playlists with different genre. One of them was rock-electro with Radiohead and Crystal Castles as the link between the two parts.

Thanks! I'm open to any new input

Have a nice evening

[Anderson19]

I create monthly playlists which then consists of whatever I'm liking at the time plus a few of my favourite tracks from albums released during that month, and then I also add any songs that grabs my attention for one reason or another from years gone by. 

[Quark]

Ah OK, I hadn't picked up on the timescales in the question.  Completely disregard my ideas then.

I like to aim for a mix of the familiar, the rare but "known", and the new.  If it's too much of any one of those then I think you can zone out of a playlist. Too many familiar songs and it's a wedding DJ; all new songs and there's no reference point.

[payneruk]

Noeliam

Would you be able to give us the theme you're working on?

I'm sure we could make a good playlist with suggestions in no time!

[Noeliam]

2 hours ago, Quark said:

Ah OK, I hadn't picked up on the timescales in the question.  Completely disregard my ideas then.

I like to aim for a mix of the familiar, the rare but "known", and the new.  If it's too much of any one of those then I think you can zone out of a playlist. Too many familiar songs and it's a wedding DJ; all new songs and there's no reference point.

Exactly this. I usually start with a song or two I just discovered, then 1-2 familiar songs and for the 4 others it depends on the genre, my mood.

2 hours ago, payneruk said:

Noeliam

Would you be able to give us the theme you're working on?

I'm sure we could make a good playlist with suggestions in no time!

I don't have a theme to follow. He's liking it so far so said "stay in your comfort zone" and that's what i'm doing everyday, without thinking about the next day. More than the genre I was curious about the pattern. Some people had nice answers so thanks everyone!

[CaledonianGonzo]

Making a playlist is like making love to a beautiful woman.

You have to start off slowly, work up speed usings plenty of variations in rhythm, and never, ever introduce Catfish and the Bottlemen into proceedings.

[Mardy]

How about choosing a start somg snd an end song, both quite different in style/genre/mood/whatever and then giving yourself 6 moves to get from one to the other

[CaledonianGonzo]

Start Song: Deeply Dippy

End Song: Freak by Swans

[Quark]

I'm curious @Noeliam, what are you compiling these lists for (if you're allowed to tell us!) ?

[Noeliam]

36 minutes ago, Quark said:

I'm curious @Noeliam, what are you compiling these lists for (if you're allowed to tell us!) ?

Well, I've been hired by a tech company who's working on a music app. For two months I've been sending playlists daily, and when the app will be out I'll have another task that I can really tell now.

25 minutes ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

I let my artists choose my playlists for me and package them as a collection of usually 8 - 13 songs.

Could you reformulate please? I think that 8-13 is good enough. My longest playlist was 17 songs (and it was a best of).

Edited January 27, 2017 by Noeliam

[Noeliam]

1 hour ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Making a playlist is like making love to a beautiful woman.

You have to start off slowly, work up speed usings plenty of variations in rhythm, and never, ever introduce Catfish and the Bottlemen into proceedings.

Thanks for the tips, Catfish never crossed my mind

1 hour ago, Mardy said:

How about choosing a start somg snd an end song, both quite different in style/genre/mood/whatever and then giving yourself 6 moves to get from one to the other

Good trick! I'll try that tomorrow

[Quark]

59 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Start Song: Deeply Dippy

End Song: Freak by Swans

Right Said Fred - Deeply Dippy

Jamiroquai - Deeper Underground

The Jam - Going Underground

Jammin' - Bob Marley

Robert "The Juice" Lenoir - Let's Freak

Swans - Freak

And I claim my five pounds.

[Watergirl]

On 27 January 2017 at 0:32 AM, Anderson19 said:

I create monthly playlists which then consists of whatever I'm liking at the time plus a few of my favourite tracks from albums released during that month, and then I also add any songs that grabs my attention for one reason or another from years gone by. 

I do the exact same.  And at the end of the year I put them altogether and have to whittle them down to my favourite songs of the year-list.

[Noeliam]

Thanks again everyone! I still have my job  and approaching the 100th playlist, I made a special one. It's 29 songs by 26 artists. They influenced me a lot, by their awesomeness, by the memories I have of them, by the ones I've heard live (11), by making me discover a whole genre (I got into electronic music thanks to Strobe) etc.

Let me know if you feel that a song is out of place, or the transitions not good enough etc. 
It's really personal so I'd rather remove-change positions than add a song
Also, another question, do you feel like the three "transition songs" (Gossip, Lisbon OH, My tears are becoming a sea) are necessary?

Enjoy!!

https://goo.gl/qTRfz5