Many of Halloween’s costume-bedecked spectacles on Saturday will be fueled by electronic dance music, so Local Spins asked a Grand Rapids DJ to concoct a mesmerizing EDM playlist to get the party started early.
Lighting Up an EDM Playlist for Halloween: Todd Ernst offers up his Top 10. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
During Saturday’s Halloween on Ionia street party in Grand Rapids, more than a dozen DJs and electronic dance music stars will stoke the embers, fire up the lights and drop the bass for dance-happy, costumed revelers.
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Local Spins Guest Playlist: Todd Ernst
Just down the street for the Silver Screen Scream Halloween at The B.O.B., several more DJs will do much the same for another throng of colorfully bedecked characters, partyers who’ll also groove to the music of Vox Vidorra and The Go Rounds.
And in Walker, one of EDM’s biggest stars, Bassnectar, will rev up a sold-out crowd at the DeltaPlex Arena for what’s billed as a “Halloween Masquerade,” with G Jones, Yehti and SuperDre aiding the cause. (Check out Local Spins’ complete guide to 13 West Michigan Halloween parties taking place on Saturday.)
Clearly, Halloween is the perfect holiday for EDM enthusiasts.
So, to help heat things up early, Local Spins asked Grand Rapids DJ Todd Ernst — who’s booked the talent for Halloween on Ionia the past three years — to whip up his own Top 10 list of EDM classics for a Guest Playlist.
Todd Ernst
Ernst has been an electronic music DJ and promoter for more than 25 years. His company, EXSIGN, is the creative and marketing team behind some notable area events, including Halloween on Ionia, Irish on Ionia, and the auto show and Spectrum Health galas. Todd also is one of the founding team members for TEDxGrandRapids. As a DJ, he performs these days as a duo with Michael Sayaw under the name #discobrunch. Check out their “Summer 2015” mix at mixcloud.com here.
For those unfamiliar with this mega-genre, his Guest Playlist is a terrific introduction. For those already immersed in EDM, it’s an intriguing slice of electronic wizardry, from Norway’s Royksopp to Gettoblaster, which features Grand Rapids native Zach Bletz.
As Ernst puts it, “While it was challenging to condense things down to 10 tracks, this was a great exercise for me.” Check out his selections while assembling your Halloween wardrobe, with a Spotify version below.
TODD ERNST: THE LOCAL SPINS GUEST PLAYLIST
1. Framewerk, “Electric Religion” (Original Mix) – I’ve always been drawn to piano-driven house music, especially ones that have a spoken word element. This one hits me on so many different levels, it ended up
being the intro track on the #discoBrunch “Summer 2015” mix.
2. Late Night Alumni, “Another Word for Love” – Perhaps electronic music’s finest live music collaboration, I’ve always had a thing for Becky Jean Williams’ squeaky soft vocals. Their ‘Live From the Great Hall’ performance with Kaskade is something every music lover should watch.
3. Jay C, “Fab Freddy Said” (Peter Horrevorts Remix) – So much disco, so much funk. A clever interpretation of Blondie’s seminal track, ‘Rapture.’ Efforts like this are driving the Nu Disco sound, and consistently gets a dance floor active.
4. Róisín Murphy, “Evil Eyes” (Claptone Remix) – I’ve always loved Róisín’s efforts as she works with some of the better electronic music producers. Super infectious bassline, a lot of texture. Hard to sit still to this track.
5. Gettoblaster, “Moon People” (Original Mix) – Gettoblaster is a collaboration between Grand Rapids native Zach Bletz and Denver’s Paul Anthony. A great throwback to the classic Chicago house sound with a contemporary structure, this track wins every single time it is played.
6. Miss Kittin, Dubfire, “Exit” (Original Mix) – Without question Dubfire is my favorite DJ, going back to his Grammy Award-winning days with Deep Dish. His sound just grabs hold and is relentless. Adding Miss Kitten darkened things a touch and made this track a bunch of fun.
7. Luke Solomon feat. Terry Grant, “Sinners Blood” (Terry Grant Remix) – If Depeche Mode and New Order had a 21-year-old kid, I imagine this is what it would sound like. The past three times Michael and I have played out as #discoBrunch, this is the track that turned the room on its head.
8. GusGus, “Crossfade” (Maceo Plex Mix) – I first heard this in 2014 at Movement in Detroit and has been a mainstay in my sets since then. One of those tracks that has an amazing swagger to it, with powerful drops and builds without overdoing it.
9. Faithless, “Bombs 2.0” (Claptone Remix) – In many ways, Faithless have been the spiritual leaders of electronic music, going back to the mid-’90s with their hits, “God Is a DJ” and “Salva Mea.” The juxtaposition in their newest effort is pretty intense, but entirely relevant.
10. Röyksopp, “Sordid Affair” (Maceo Plex Remix) – This could very well be my favorite track of all time. So many layers and textures, there is just so much going on here… and just when you think it is done, it sneaks in a little more delight.
TODD ERNST: THE LOCAL SPINS GUEST PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
