Sports DJ Sound Off: Halloween Theme Night Playlist
At 3 Point Productions, we believe the soundtrack to any event is extremely important in providing a first-class fan experience. Our Sports DJ Sound Off series is designed to help you better soundtrack your theme nights and understand the impact canned music from a DJ can have when building on in-game momentum and developing a true home court advantage.
When producing a Halloween theme night (or entertaining friends at a Halloween party), it's important to have a fun and spooky soundtrack to go along with it. Here are some great Halloween themed songs to add to your music library along with recommended uses.
Player Warm-Up Songs
Typically player warm-up songs are songs selected or requested by players, however, it's alright stray from the norm when soundtracking a one-off theme night or a holiday like Halloween. Keep in mind that player warm-up music should still remain upbeat with some attitude. Here are songs to add to your Halloween playlist:
1. "Monster" - Eminem feat. Rihanna (edited version)
2. "Black Widow" - Iggy Azalea feat. Rita Ora (edited version)
3. "The Potion" - Ludacris (edited version)
4. "Get Your Freak On" - Missy Elliot (edited version)
5. "Cereal Killer" - Method Man & Redman (edited version)
6. "Monster" - Kanye West feat. Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z & Bon Iver (edited version)
7. "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
Hot Songs
Hot songs should carry momentum for the duration of a timeout and build on fan excitement. Typically these songs are feel good or celebratory type of songs - nearly all of these can be used as Fan Dance songs. Here are examples that should be added to your music library when producing a Halloween game:
1. "I'm Your Boogie Man" - KC & the Sunshine Band
2. "Super Freak" - Rick James
3. "Big Bad Wolf" - Duck Sauce
4. "Howlin' for You" - The Black Keys
5. "Wooly Bully" - Sam the Sham
6 "Le Freak" - Chic
7. "Ghosts N Stuff" - Deadmau5
Fan Cams
With a theme night like Halloween, there are plenty of opportunities to install new themed Fan Cams. Some great examples include "Costume Cam", "Boogie Cam", "Thriller Cam" and "Scare Cam". Another fun idea is to replace t-shirt tosses with candy tosses or to roll small pieces of candy into your t-shirts. These songs can help theme your Halloween fan cams and t-shirt tosses:
1. "Somebody's Watching Me" - Maxwell
2. "This is Halloween" - The Citizens of Halloween
3. "Boogie Nights" - Heat Wave
4. "Monster Mash" - Boris
5. "I Want Candy" - Bow Wow Wow
6. "Candy Girl" - New Edition
7. "Boogie Shoes" - KC & the Sunshine Band
8. "Do You Believe in Magic" - Lovin' Spoonful
9. "Thriller" - Michael Jackson
10. "Ghostbusters" - Ray Parker Jr.
Themed Songs
Find ways to incorporate miscellaneous Halloween tracks into your game presentation. There are various uses for these songs, like music beds, situational in-game sound effects, sponsorship activations or even walk-in and walk-out tunes. It's your turn to get creative:
1. "One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater" - Sheb Wolley
2. "Is There a Ghost" - Band of Horses
3. "Walking with a Ghost" - Tegan and Sara
4. "Peanuts" - TV Theme Song
5. "Little Red Riding Hood" - Sam the Sham
6. "The Addams Family" - TV Theme Song
7. "I Put a Spell on You" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. "Hellraiser" - Movie Theme Song
9. "Evil Son" - The Willowz
10. "Love Potion #9" - The Searchers
11. "Little Ghost" - The White Stripes
A well soundtracked theme night is sure to improve your overall fan experience. Outside of the songs I've highlighted here, there are plenty of opportunities to be creative in theming your presentation. Take a good look at how you're currently theming your in-game prompts, promos and sponsor activations and look for small ways to tweak them and theme for Halloween. Game presentation is an art form and the beauty is in each detail.
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