Wedding DJs spend most of their working hours playing the music that other people want to hear. And they have a great time doing it! But when they’re off the clock, they’re not usually in a rush to listen to the same music that they play on the dance floor every weekend.
With so many Spotify recaps being shared over the past month, we were curious about what’s on the Maryland’s DJ crew’s current playlists. So we asked some of the Baltimore wedding DJs on our team to share their Spotify music recaps for 2020 to answer the question — what do DJs listen to in their downtime?
Here’s what we found.
DJ Jordan
Baltimore wedding DJ, founder of Maryland’s DJ, and new dad(!) Jordan Solender has had an ear for a variety of styles in 2020.
From folk rock like Mumford & Sons to pop singer-songwriter George Ezra to some upbeat Tiësto remixes, Jordan has been enjoying a good mix of tunes.
While rock might be his most listened to genre with Mumford and Sons and The Beatles at the top of the list, his most-played songs of the year skew toward pop. Top song RITMO by J Balvin and the Black Eyed Peas has a reggaeton vibe. And the Tiësto remixes of This Town by Niall Horan and You Should Be Sad by Halsey give these tunes a dance flavor.
2020 release Funny Thing by Thundercat was another top listen this year, with its updated-yet-vintage vibe and fantastic bass line. Check out the video.
DJ Ebi
While Jordan’s list crossed genres, Baltimore wedding DJ Ebi stayed firmly in the rap scene this year. We often play rap at our events throughout the year, but Ebi’s favorite young artists are less mainstream, like Caskey, Russ, and Phora.
Top songs in Ebi’s year included Khaled Siddiq’s Still On Deen and Caskey’s Thought I Told Ya — pretty impressive, since Thought I Told Ya was only released in September of 2020.
DJ Brian
DJ Brian isn’t a huge Spotify user, with just under 1,400 minutes of playtime this year. When he is using the app, he’s listening to rappers like Cam’Ron, Drake, and Kanye West.
As for the individual songs? Daft Punk’s Get Lucky tops the list, which isn’t a surprise since even 7 years later that song is catchy AF. Then there’s How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You). We suppose Brian just doesn’t get enough of this one at weddings?
Hey Ma by Cam’ron and Like a Pimp by David Banner bring the songs back into 2009 hip hop territory.
DJ Steven
Baltimore wedding DJ Steven Hartka tops out the “minutes listened” among the team at just over 123,000 minutes. That’s over 2,000 hours of music on Spotify alone!
But in fact, Steven doesn’t listen to much music on Spotify. He prefers to buy music, and only use Spotify to access some rare jazz and play music for sleeping. That’s why you’ll see top artists like Marconi Union and Rest You Sleeping Giant on the list. These musicians experiment with sound to make soothing, chill music that helps Steven rest.
Marconi Union’s song Weightless, which you’ll see in top song slots 1 - 3, was actually written in conjunction with neuroscientists to help reduce stress and lower heart rate, hoping to help people sleep. Want to see if it works? Here it is on a 10 hour loop.
So when he’s not hunting for jazz or playing ambient sleep music, what does Steven listen to? This year, it’s been strong female vocalists like Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Megan Thee Stallion, and Ariana Grande.
What were your top songs for 2020? The year may have been tough, but there’s always music to get us through it!
If you’d like to chat with Maryland’s DJ about your wedding in Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington DC, or the rest of the DMV area, fill out our online form or call us at 301-968-0965.
Published on:
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
