Halloween’s Hottest Tracks: 20 Must-Play Dance Anthems for Spooky Parties | PCDJ

George Marco

Your may be wondering why you should even read this list with the picture to the left. My name is George Marco and my favorite time of year is Halloween. I’ve been a DJ for over 25 years in clubs, on the radio etc. I hosted a Gothic/Industrial/Electronic radio show in Tampa, FL known as Dark Horizons from 1992 – 2008 on WMNF 88.5 FM Community Radio in Tampa, FL.

Here’s my list with comments. These are not in any particular order. I am trying to avoid the usual list that you see everywhere so some of these may not be as familiar as others. If you want to keep the vibe haunting and play Halloween themed tunes that will make people dance and aren’t the boring usual’s, you should consider adding these tracks to your DJ playlist.

Top 20 Most Danceable Halloween Songs

1) Ministry – Everyday is Halloween (Remix) (10:31) – This is the ultimate Halloween dance song from 1984. There is a shorter version that came out on a single earlier but this is the version that you want. Notice the length of time. 10:31 get it? This is a really good one if you need a refill/break in the booth.

2) Grendel – Zombie Nation – Somehow this song became really popular and is now played in every major sporting event in America. I remember the first time I heard this at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game I thought I was hallucinating. How did this get in the mainstream?

3) Aqua – Halloween – This one is a little goofy but it has a good techno/electronic groove to it and will get the dance floor moving.

4) Phoebe Carter – Spooky Sexy – I found out about this one from a show that used to come on after mine (it’s still on the air). It’s called Zentripcidize and DJ Tom came in and let us play it for the first time on WMNF. It has some hilarious lyrics about how being spooky sexy on Halloween night is all important. It’s the only night that she can dress like a hussy!

5) Frank Sinatra – Witchcraft – This is a great song for when you want to slow the floor down. It’s classic, “Oh its Witchcraft!”

6) Book Of Love – Witchcraft (Remix) – The original version of this song is a little flat, the remix really picks up the beat and adds some great Halloween sound effects to it. It’s a classic electronic “new wave” song from the 80’s.

7) Depeche Mode – Black Celebration – What more needs to be said? This one is slower, slow dancing zombies I think of for this, but it has all the “spirit” of the season. Heavy on keys and a good slow beat that sings about having a Black Celebration tonight!

8) The Cure – The Blood – This song is an odd one for the dance floor but it works as it blends a flamenco sounding guitar with whaling vocals from Robert Smith and it has an odd beat but it still makes people want to dance. The lyrics fit the mood of Halloween as well. There’s something a little haunting about it.

9) Siouxsie and the Banshees – Cities in Dust (Remix) – If you have the ability to show videos this video really works great on Halloween. It has skeletons and blood all throughout the video (it’s not gory). Even without the video it has a great beat for the dance floor especially if you are doing a more retro 80’s Halloween night.

10) Alien Sex Fiend – Now I’m Feeling Zombiefied – This British band was known for their song, “I Walk the Line” but that’s always played on Halloween. This song has almost the same droning beat but offers up a little more dance floor momentum. It’s overly long so I usually use it to mix in and out of during an all-night party.

11) Bauhaus – Bela Lugosi’s Dead – Haunting echoing vocals, a minimal musical background and just the perfect thing to scare up some traffic on the floor. The opening of the movie The Hunger really packs them in.

12) Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Cryptkeeper Five – Transylvania Twist – Enough with the Monster Mash, although it’s a classic. This one is always overlooked and it’s even mentioned in the Monster Mash, “Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?” This tune is just like the Monster Mash, kind of rockabilly but a really fun beat to it.

13) Voltaire – Vampire’s Club – This is actually a parody song making fun of goth clubs. It’s got a great beat and goes well with the Bobby Pickett song above. It’s all about hanging (get it) out at the vampire’s club.

14) New Order – Confusion – This is a club pounder. People will recognize this from the club scene in the movie “The Blade” when they are about to have a blood orgy. It’s a real floor stomper and will get people out of their seats to dance.

15) Gothminister – Monsters – This song is not very well known but it has a great electro beat with screaming guitars and dark vocals. The title says it all and while this is a little reminiscent of the Sisters of Mercy it has a great edge and dramatic keyboard effects to really push the floor into a frenzy (not a violent frenzy).

16) Nebula H – Twilight Zone (Remix) – The intro is a sample from the TV series The Twilight Zone and then it just goes into some really hard techno/electronic dance beats. The Twilight Zone samples give it a nice Halloween edge. I like the remix as it runs longer and has more samples in it.

17) Severed Heads – Dead Eyes Opened (Remix) – This is another song from the mid-80’s it includes some Exorcist samples and talks about the dead eyes opening. It’s mostly an electronic dance song with few lyrics but some of the keyboard hooks are a little haunting and really set a nice atmospheric scene for a Halloween night.

18) Rob Zombie – Dragula (Remix) – I know that a lot of people already know this one but it’s perfect for a Halloween night as it has the right groove to get people up and moving. If you have video capabilities the video plays off of the old Munsters TV show and is great to show in a club. The remix includes a more club worthy version of the song.

19) Xymox – A Stranger (Remix) – This song is in the realm of a Depeche Mode song and came out in the early 80’s but it has a great dance beat and has some interesting keyboard hits during the song. The voice is mixed into the song so it’s not overbearing but the music is reminiscent of New Order. It’s a great song to mix in and out of.

20) Apotheosis – O Fortuna – This is a must if you can find it. The band was sued for using Carmina Burana without permission so they released another version of this song without the samples from that symphony. Find the one with the symphony samples, it’s a techno classic and really brings the crowd out on a haunting night.

Of course, this is not all of the great Halloween songs out there and I excluded the ones that you usually hear, so by no means is this an all-inclusive list. These are just some suggestions that you might not have heard that you might want to add to your playlist this Halloween! What are your favorites?

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