The big football game and the omnipresent display of school pride are staples of homecoming that any college can brag about. But what makes Dartmouth's homecoming so unique? Besides the gargantuan bonfire that freshmen are encouraged to touch (no, really, touch it), it has to be the banging dance parties. As a college that incorporates music and dance into every activity possible and that can incite over 4,000 students to perform the same set of synchronized moves by simply blaring "Blame It On the Boogie" or " The Salty Dog Rag," it wouldn't be a Dartmouth homecoming without dance parties.
Unfortunately, dance parties typically do not serve as outlets for good music. The Pixies don't always get the place "jumping," and Mew doesn't quite "raise the roof" (see, I'm cool; I know the lingo). However, if Rihanna's "Umbrella" were played ten times in a row, partygoers would not cease their gyrating. The lyrics could be a nonsensical string of words, but if the song has a wicked bass, you can be sure everyone will be shouting that nonsensical string of words at the top of their lungs. For dance parties, the music doesn't have to be good; it just has to be good to dance to.
Hip-hop hits are, without a doubt, going to be in high rotation. You will be claiming you brought "SexyBack" (quite possibly the most pretentious, unfounded assertion this decade), and you will be doing the Soulja Boy dance; I'd bet money on it.
However, if you want to mix up your track listing, try looking beyond the top spots on MTV's TRL. For the most part, you can't go wrong with electronica and funk. Hip-hop artists are learning this lesson and are sampling more and more from electronica artists like Daft Punk. Busta Rhymes used Daft Punk's "Technologic" in his song "Touch It," while Kanye West sampled "Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger" for his latest hit, "Stronger." Both the original and hip-hop versions successfully inspire repeated pelvic thrusting. LCD Soundsystem, though more mellow than the electronic wet dream that is Daft Punk, still brings the funk. Tracks like "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" (the song is about a house party with Daft Punk; how could it not work?) and "Tribulations" are worth a listen. Young Love is an artist that came into the scene only about two years ago, but catchy, pulsating tracks like "Discotech" and "Find a New Way" have dance party written all over them. Another hit to add to your party playlist is "Le Disko" by Shiny Toy Guns, as most recently heard in the Motorola Razr2 commercial. You know the song is a good dance hit when you're dancing in front of your television while Motorola takes the opportunity to brainwash you.
If you want to stray even further from the standard dance tracks, there are songs that qualify as both danceable and legitimately good pieces of music (though I should add the disclaimer that my idea of dancing is head-banging and flailing spastically on the floor). Bloc Party, the lyrically poetic post-punk outfit from the U.K., has fast beats and gripping riffs that spur listeners to the dance floor. The advantage here is that you get to dance to songs with a unique style and lyrics that actually have meaning. If you'd rather shake your booty as you sing "skeet skeet" with Lil Jon, that's your call.
At the raunchier, heavier end of the spectrum is Mindless Self Indulgence. With music they describe as "industrial jungle pussy punk," Mindless Self Indulgence have the electronic sounds often found in dance hits, but with edgy guitars, vocals that slip in and out of falsetto and bold, funny lyrics that project an in-your-face attitude. The band has reached the top of the Billboard dance charts, and you only need to follow lead singer Jimmy Urine's example to understand how the group made it there.
For your dance party, you can stick to the same songs that play incessantly on the radio, or you can surprise people with something entirely differently and see what drunken moves they bust out. I think a change might be in order.
