{"id":35467,"date":"2015-02-04T00:58:49","date_gmt":"2015-02-03T13:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.easyweddings.com\/au\/articles\/modern-wedding-music\/"},"modified":"2021-11-10T03:46:38","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T16:46:38","slug":"modern-wedding-music","status":"publish","type":"au-article","link":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/articles\/modern-wedding-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern wedding music for party couples"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Give<\/a>Creating the perfect wedding playlist is a delicate balancing act.\u00a0Get it right and guests will dance until they drop. Get it wrong and you\u2019ll be hard pressed to get them out of their seats.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s for this very reason brides and grooms often look to the classics, to vintage gems such as December 1963 <\/i><\/a>that cover the full spectrum of ages and tastes.<\/p>\n

But while they\u2019re a guaranteed crowd pleaser \u2013 and will always have a place \u2013 James from One Fun Band<\/a> encourages couples to mix it up, with a dash of the fresh and modern.<\/p>\n

The experienced and versatile musician says couples increasingly want a bespoke approach to music. They don\u2019t want to have the same setlist as every other couple. And this means looking to wider possibilities, and to songs made this century, from the Black Eyed Peas\u2019 I Gotta Feeling <\/i><\/a>to Ed Sheeran’s Sing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Give<\/a><\/p>\n

He offered 20 other great song suggestions for curating a modern-flavoured set list, bearing in mind all of them can be adapted to suit either a male or female performer.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Bruno Mars Just The Way You Are<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Ceelo Green Forget You<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Gnarls Barkley <\/span>Crazy<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Jamiroquai Canned Heat<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  5. John Legend Ordinary People<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Outkast <\/span>Hey Ya<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Tao Cruz Dynamite<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Justin Timberlake Senorita<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  9. <\/i>Kings of Leon Sex on Fire<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  10. <\/i>Taylor Swift Shake It Off<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  11. <\/i>Maroon 5 Moves Like Jagger<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  12. <\/i>Vance Joy Riptide<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  13. <\/i>Mumford & Sons I Will Wait<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  14. <\/i>Sheppard Geronimo<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  15. <\/i>Jason Mraz I\u2019m Yours<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  16. <\/i>Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse Valerie<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  17. <\/i>Jack Johnson Better Together<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  18. <\/i>Usher DJ<\/em> Got Us Falling In Love Again<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  19. <\/i>Nathaniel Live Louder<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n
  20. The Black Keys Gold On The Ceiling<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Most of these songs, many of them recognisable chart toppers, are part of the repertoire offered by One Fun Band<\/a>, which plays everywhere from Hobart to Alice Springs and Perth to Sydney. As James explains, the concept is to offer a \u201clive big band sound for the price of a DJ\u201d.[ew-supplier-carousel]<\/p>\n

    Designed as an affordable alternative to hiring a full band, the act puts a singer\/guitarist on stage to perform alongside backing tracks that have been recorded live with real instruments.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s almost like the real thing,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you close your eyes it\u2019s just like having a seven-piece band in the room. It\u2019s for people who love that live energy, who want someone who will entertain their guests, engage with them and maybe even get one of them up on the microphone to sing along.\u201d<\/p>\n

    As an added bonus, it creates the perfect climate for the performer to read the crowd, read the mood and react appropriately with just the right songs.<\/p>\n

    But that doesn\u2019t mean every tune has to be danceable. It\u2019s about creating a seamless flow, from classical accompaniment during the ceremony to background music during dinner.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt really is like creating a wedding soundtrack,\u201d says James, who offers free P&A and lighting and a complimentary microphone for speeches. It\u2019s about setting the scene for the main event to come.<\/p>\n

    \u201cFor example, with the background music during dinner, we\u2019ll keep it lowkey, but as the time for dancing gets closer, we\u2019ll start to throw in some funk, so people’s feet start tapping. And then, when it\u2019s time to hit the floor, we\u2019ll throw in the old classics straight away to get everyone up.<\/p>\n

    \u201cAs the night moves on, we\u2019ll introduce more and more modern music as the younger crowd gets up to dance and the bride and groom really settle in to make the most of their night.\u201d<\/p>\n

    With this versatility in mind, James says there are several key things to look for in a good reception tune.<\/p>\n

    1. Lots of brass is always good, because even with one person it adds a lot of energy. A good example of this is Uptown Funk<\/i><\/a> by Mark Ronson, which features Bruno Mars. It\u2019s everywhere at the moment and, even if people haven\u2019t heard it before, it just draws them to the dancefloor. It also brings kudos to the bride and groom when guests see their band is playing something so contemporary.<\/p>\n

    2. Look for songs that were designed to get people to dance. An example of this is Get<\/em>\u00a0Lucky<\/i><\/a> by Daft Punk. Not only does it have Pharrell Williams, it\u2019s also got an incredibly danceable beat that\u2019s very hard to resist. Put something like this on and you put everyone in a party mood straight away.<\/p>\n

    3. From a classic point of view, things that are rock\/swing are always a popular way to get older guests moving. Something like Johnny B. Goode<\/i><\/a> or Route 66<\/i><\/a>, but done in a Nat King Cole kind of way.<\/p>\n

    \"Give<\/a><\/p>\n

    James says surprise is also another useful tool in a playlist compilation, something a live performer is perfectly placed to provide.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe always ask the bride for her top 10 songs she loves and the top 10 songs she doesn\u2019t. So we\u2019ll play the ones she loves, but it will also give us ideas for songs she may not have thought of,\u201d he says. That can mean some unexpected inclusions.<\/p>\n

    For example, a ballad such as Your Body is a Wonderland<\/i><\/a> by John Mayer may not be an obvious choice for a wedding, but if you insert it into a medley of tunes with a similar beat and feel, the lilting arrangement and evocative lyrics can make it a really pleasant surprise.<\/p>\n

    At the end of the night, though, James says people aren\u2019t even looking for songs they can dance to.<\/p>\n

    \u201cAt the death, you\u2019ll always find people want the anthems,\u201d he says. \u201cThose songs they can sing along to and belt out. Things like You\u2019re the Voice<\/i><\/a>, which isn\u2019t a dance tune, but definitely gets people excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"Give<\/a><\/p>\n

    Other ideas to consider\u2026<\/p>\n