Local hits for the nightclub

I couldn't find an existing thread for this, so I'll start one. Here’s the situation: I’m opening a nightclub in Canada. It’s going to be something entirely different from anything I’ve seen in the local scene. People are tired of the same old repetitive tracks that play in every club around here; frankly, I'm not a fan either. My plan is to keep the early hours strictly international—techno, house, and foreign hits—before transitioning to local classics later in the night. I’ve already hired a DJ who will curate a custom mix for us.

I need your help. Send me song suggestions. Think Pitbull, Tom Jones, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, Madonna, ABBA, or Barry Manilow. I'm looking for any songs from our region that aren't just typical wedding-style tunes but actually work in a club setting. My DJ already has a list, but I don't want to miss out on any gems.

Bring back the real production quality from ten years ago
You just don't see that level of polish anymore—not in the mainstream. Nowadays, it's all either low-budget indie stuff, local garage acts, or just pure commercial pop

Calvin Harris always brings the heat:

Adam Newman12 said:Bring back the real gear they used ten years ago.
You don't see that anywhere anymore. It's all just cheap local stuff or this mindless pop commercialism.

Music eventually trends toward the old school anyway. Even the recent domestic tracks don't grab me, which is why I'm looking here—I wasn't out on the scene 20 or 30 years ago. I want something fresh, something you can't find anywhere else. Every time I mention my plans, people get excited; most people opening a new nightclub just renovate the interior while everything else stays stuck in the past.

Carl Rivera43 - Thanks, I can't listen right now, but I hope it's the good stuff. Feel free to send a mixed bag to make the DJ's job easier. I won't mix everything; most will stay standard, but I'll mix the hits that need extra bass to really land.

If you ask me, the smartest move is to start by playing exactly what the crowd is looking for, because once you've built up a solid enough nest egg, then—and only then—can you afford to play whatever your heart desires... If you walk in on day one trying to force some obscure tracks that nobody cares about, you might find yourself facing a serious financial crunch, and before you know it, you'll be forced to take those low-paying gigs just to stay afloat.
So, the strategy should really be to secure the bag first, and then gradually introduce something a bit more unique into the mix.

It seems you are planning a Studio 54 for the older crowd.
The music selection feels like a classic American New Wave 80s party.
As someone who has spent quite a bit of time working as a DJ Diane at international 80s parties over in Europe, I want to tell you that while the concept isn't bad, I think you'll find it difficult to fill a Nightclub consistently enough to keep it running more than two days a week.

Despite all the excitement, you have to realize that the clientele visiting your Nightclub will likely be at least 35+. This means they have kids, careers, and other responsibilities; unlike the 20-year-olds, hitting the town every single weekend isn't their top priority—they might only come out once every month or two. However, when this crowd does go out, they naturally spend more, and they tend to be more appreciative of the music because they love hearing something from their "glory days"!

But honestly, I’m not sure what you plan to do with all those remixes of old tracks that sound like modern songs?
In my opinion, that hits neither mark. There are very few actually good remixes of old classics, and instead of getting excited, your older crowd will probably just wonder how the original was ruined.

I would personally suggest that you don't mix so many different styles together, like

and I want the repertoire before midnight to be foreign techno, house, and such, and then switch to local stuff after.

Why not try themed nights such as:
New Wave 80s
80s American hits
80s American and international hits
90s American and international hits
Eurodance
Eurodance Crossover
and so on. (Each night could have its own theme, allowing the audience to choose. You could run stronger themes on the weekends and lighter ones during the week; even if you want to stay open every day, maybe throw in some alternative music on a Monday or something similar.)

If you mix too many genres and create a hard shift in the middle of the night, you're going to lose the people who were dancing before midnight! Meanwhile, the other group will just be bored waiting until late to finally hear "their music."

Just imagine going to a concert where the opening act is The Prodigy and the headliner is Pitbull. How many people in the front row do you think would flee immediately after The Prodigy finished? And how many Pitbull fans would say the next day, "Man, after all that noise, my head hurt so much I couldn't even enjoy Pitbull anymore"!

Kudos to you for the idea and the idealistic vision, but I suspect you'll eventually see that your personal taste might not align with the majority of your patrons. Just because you enjoy that kind of Crossover doesn't mean the masses will.

I truly wish you lots of luck and success in making your dreams a reality.
But it’s always wise to have a Plan B!

You seriously can't mess with DJ Jazzy Jeff, man. Like, just look at his set for example:

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What do you mean, older people? I see what happens at the biggest nightclub in my city when they play something like The Beach Boys - A i ti me iznevjeri, or Mick Jagger - Sinoc sam pola kafane popio. Or even when you mentioned DJ Jazzy Jeff's tracks, like Ti si mi u mislama. It’s simple: people lose their minds to those songs way more than they do to any modern pop trash. This isn't some massive arena; we're talking a venue with 200 or 300 people that could stay busy on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays. This isn't exactly Chicago or NYC where you can scale things up indefinitely.

So, I'm asking for some advice 😁

Patrick Martin said:you can't mess with the hall monitor—take his set for example:

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Good grief, Ajutokintumi just took me quite literally, didn't they? 🙏 I suppose you simply cannot argue with the boss. Also, if I may offer a suggestion, perhaps you should dig up some of his older material from the Great Wall of China—his most famous one, I believe, is: I Want You To Know.

That classic American wave—pop-rock, 80s dance—it’s a formula that stays pretty much timeless.

If you happen to be interested in slightly different takes on certain American hits—those massive chart-toppers where you feel like adding a bit more flavor—you might try hunting down those versions on the Levi's red Tab cassettes that used to be given away with jeans and other gear back in the day. Sadly, they're quite hard to find now, but there were some truly clever and high-quality versions out there. The same goes for the remixes of that era, or even the old demo recordings (though today's versions tend to be a bit too "polished" and over-produced).

Best of luck, buddy. Thumbs up! 👍