Sports DJ Sound Off: 2015 College Football 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 game producers and directors understand the impact canned music from a DJ can have when developing a theme night, building on in-game momentum or creating a true home field advantage.
Traditionally, college football production hasn't included a sports DJ or only featured a limited amount of music cues. Universities often rely on the school band, cheer team and student section to provide the gameday soundtrack. As production in collegiate athletics continues to evolve, we continue to see a rise in popularity of a hybrid style which includes using a sports DJ to complement the school band. Athletic departments have noticed the impact canned music from a DJ can have when building on in-game momentum, so I'm confident this trend will soon become a standard practice.
Here are some songs and concepts to share with your Sports DJ and incorporate into your 2015 College Football Game Days:
Player Warm-Up Songs
Player warm-up songs are songs that should be played during formal player warm-ups. I deem this time as theirs. The mood of the music should be game face and songs should be played with the intent of getting players game ready. If possible, field requests from your team to better cater to their liking. Here are some examples to add to your library:
1. "Choices" - E-40 (edited version)
2. "3500" - Travi$ Scott feat. Future & 2 Chainz (edited version)
3. "Repetition" - The Willowz
4. "Energy" - Drake (edited version)
5. "Who Needs You" - The Orwells
6. "Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)" - Rich Homie Quan (edited version)
7. "Blessings" - Big Sean feat. Drake (edited version)
8. "I Love My Squad" - Iamsu! (edited version)
9. "Jungle" - X Ambassadors
10. "Gas Pedal" - Sage The Gemini (edited version)
11. "Rotation" - Wale feat. 2 Chainz & Wiz Khalifa (edited version)
12. "Flicka Da Wrist" - Chedda Da Connect (edited version)
13. "I Gotta Rokk" - DJ Shadow
14. "Night Riders" - Major Lazer feat. Travi$ Scott, 2 Chainz, Pusha T & Mad Cobra (edited version)
Oldies but goodies:
1. "Victory" - Puff Daddy & The Family feat. The Notorious B.I.G & Busta Rhymes (edited version)
2. "Put On" - Young Jeezy feat. Kanye West (edited version)
3. "Jump" - Mystikal (edited version)
4. "Dead Wrong" - The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Eminem (edited version)
5. "Super Bon Bon" - Soul Coughing
6. "Shoulder Lean" - Young Dro (edited version)
One challenge I've come across year after year is player music requests that are too explicit (even the edited versions) to play in-stadium. So, rather than playing those songs, I download instrumental versions and play them as music beds during PA reads that fall into the formal player warm-up period. Here are a couple examples:
1. "Truffle Butter" - Nicki Minaj feat. Drake & Lil Wayne
2. "Levels" - Meek Mill
3. "Who Do You Love?" - YG feat. Drake
4. "Hot Boy" - Bobby Shmurda
5. "My Hitta" - YG feat. Lil Wayne, Rich Homie Quan, Meek Mill & Nicki Minaj
6. "They Don't Love You No More" - DJ Khaled feat. Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Rick Ross & French Montana
Hot Songs
Hot songs are intended to carry momentum for the duration of a timeout and help build on fan excitement. Typically these songs are feel good and celebratory or songs that your crowd will respond to. Cue each track to a high energy portion of the song like the drop or hook. Here are a few examples to add to your library:
1. "Go" - Chemical Brothers (edited version)
2. "Feel Right" - Mark Ronson feat. Mystikal (edited version)
3. "Booyah" - Showtek
4. "Don't Owe You a Thang" - Gary Clark Jr.
5. "Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" - Silento
Oldies but goodies:
1. "Tequila" - The Champs
2. "Let Me Clear My Throat" - DJ Kool (edited version)
3. "Pump It" - Black Eyed Peas (edited version)
4. "Hip Hop Hooray" - Naughty By Nature (edited version)
5. "Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand
Bumps
Bumps are songs cued at the end of a timeout, intended to take crowd and player energy to the next level for a big moment or upcoming play. Similar to hot songs, these should be cued to a high energy point. Here are some good examples:
1. "Watch Out For This (Bumaye)" - Major Lazer (edited version)
2. "Incredible" - Carnage & Borgore (Original Mix)
3. "Chimes" - Hudson Mohawke
4. "Turn Up" - Gent & Jawns (Kill the Noise Remix)
5. "Swoopin" - Baauer
Oldies but goodies:
1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
2. "Where's Your Head At" - Basement Jaxx
3. "Boom" - P.O.D.
4. "Immigrant Song" - Led Zeppelin
5. "What's My Name" - DMX (edited version)
A well soundtracked game is sure to improve your overall fan experience. Outside of the songs highlighted here, there are plenty of opportunities to be creative in theming your presentation. Take a good look at how you're currently theming in-game prompts, promos and sponsor activations to ensure the soundtrack is fresh and fits the brand(s) you're working with. A great audio experience is built in pre-production - not on game day. Build cues for every possible in-game scenario, so when the time comes, your DJ is a click away from responding with the perfect song or sound effect. Game presentation is an art form and the beauty is in each detail.
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