This weekend, a select few of you readers will be tasked with making a party playlist. You control the sound of a setting that will lead to misguided make-out sessions and fast friendships. If you are a college radio DJ, you are accustomed to compiling a two-hour set. For everyone else, I have six tips that will guide you to goth glory:

1) Play what you want to hear

DJs should always play their favorite tracks. Pay no attention to judgmental party-goers. If you genuinely love your playlist, the crowd will notice and let you spin. There will always be “haters,‰” but the truth of the matter is, they are probably just jealous. Keep vibin‰’ and attendees will follow your lead.

2) Do your homework

You need to prepare and research songs that will make it onto your party playlist. Go through your library and pick tracks you have to include. Also, look for new and happening albums on music blogs. If you are into indie music, there are tons of blogs out there. Some indie music blogs include: Tiny Mixtapes, Noisey, Pitchfork, Stereogum and Gorilla Vs. Bear. If you are into hip hop/rap, check out XXL magazine, Fakeshoredrive and Complex magazine. As for electronic music, I know loads of listeners who read Hype Machine and Discobelle. If you are partial to mainstream or pop hits, check out the Billboard charts. Make sure you listen to an array of new songs and discover those gems. Then, you should include them intermittently to make people curious about your choices. If you want to be super-cutting-edge, then follow artists you like on Twitter, and they will likely release songs before the blogs have reviewed them.

3) Try to connect songs

Connecting songs means that each track should have a similar theme or sound to the one that played before. Coupling songs that share similar sounds in the drums, guitar or synthesizer will allow for a smooth transition. That said, you don‰’t always need a fluid transition because people at parties love hearing air horns after a slow jam. An example of a segue I used recently was between the songs “She Don‰’t Care‰” by Ty Segall and “On Blue Mountain‰” by Foxygen. The tail end of “She Don‰’t Care‰” resembles the distorted low male voice on the Foxygen track. It is “next level‰” to connect disparate tracks with similar lyrics. If you are at a rager, lyrics may go unnoticed due to bacchanalian fun, but you can have musical high ground.

4) Don‰’t be afraid to be hypocritical

You should revisit artists that you may have loathed in the past. Artists change over time and it is important to change with them. It is easy to discredit musicians and say “After X album, I just can‰’t listen to them!‰” But that‰’s ridiculous. Think of Kanye West, 808‰’s and Heartbreak is a departure from Late Registration, which is separate from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Keep up with your artists, even if you think they betrayed you. This ties in to tip #1 – do not be embarrassed to change your opinion about music. I assure you, everyone has different attitudes about art and there is not one version of “cool.‰Û

5) Play some remixes

It’s the year 2013, most music lovers can get down to a good remix. There are purists, but they‰’re wrong. Party-goers enjoy dancing to DJ mixes, so make sure to dive deep into SoundCloud. Lately, I’ve been listening to Chicago-based production duo, “The Drum.‰” They have a remix of Wise Blood‰’s song “Alarm‰” that would fit well at an indie-centered bash. If you have a more mainstream crowd, the Cyril Hahn version of “Say My Name‰” is fantastic. Make sure to check out my autumn favorite, which is the Jacques Greene remix of the Autre Ne Veut track “Play by Play.‰Û

6) Take requests

Lastly, just take requests. If you were asked to make the party playlist then you are definitely a music snob. To avoid becoming insufferable you should slip in requests. You are not an island! A party is a group experience. Share the spotlight and be a good friend!