🛟 POOL 👙 PARTY 🍹 PLAYLIST 🛟
DJ Louie XIV talks about setting the mood
I’m back in the land of the living :)
After ten days up at school (Bennington) (yes like the Secret History) (I’m getting an MFA) (I have one more year), I’ve emerged from my pedagogical k-hole and returned to “real life”. Which means I’m back to work! For Dwell, I wrote about the evolving and never-ending (?) trend of food decor, which was a lot of fun, though I will admit that the pancake table stresses me out. A regular table is just fine for me! Somehow this piece warmed me to whatever is going on a Gohar World, which I have long been wary of. (They famously wouldn’t talk to me for the egg piece, in which lightly mocked their $300+ egg chandelier, but then reposted the lead image that included an illustration of it…..I just find it funny!)
Are we having fun yet during this pool party month that has recently taken on a decidedly swampy feel? If you missed our previous installments, we’ve got a vegan green goddess dip, and a big crunchy wedge-y salad, both applicable to any and all summer meals, pool or not. If all goes according to plan next week we’ll have a DRINK. But today we are talking about the background to all that, the vibe—we are talking POOL PARTY PLAYLISTS.
I’m a lazy playlist maker; Jackson recently asked if I listen to anything other than girlie pop (it’s SUMMER). So I turned to DJ Louie1, my beloved friend, podcast host, DJ, musical genius, and sartorial savant, for some advice. Read on for our convo about SETTING THE VIBE, girlie pop (it’s SUMMER), and the empathic requirements of a DJ 😎 — plus !!!! get Louie’s never-fail pool playlist.
Louie! When you think POOL PARTY PLAYLIST, what types of music come to mind?
I really like it to feel smooth and chill. Early in my DJ career, I did a lot of hotel pool gigs in NYC during the height of the EDM era, so the format would be super loud and dance heavy and inside [my head] I would just be like AHHH this is way too intense for the middle of the day in the blaring sun. What I personally enjoy is music that feels buoyant and transportive, but also can recede into the background. I want the option to read a book or fall asleep without the music intruding too much—but if I catch a glimpse, I’m excited by what I’m hearing and the vibes feel up and positive. So light disco, smooth R&B, A/C 80s and 90s stuff, psychedelic minded things, things that feel upbeat and pleasant without getting in the way of relaxing.
Right, I feel like your pool vibe is different from your DJ sets — it’s more about a nostalgia-tinged feeling of luxe relaxation than loading up on bangers.
I really see being by the pool as an activity that is first and foremost about relaxing. IF you’re with friends, even better. I do not want to feel like the music is dominating as much as unobtruively soundtracking. Even if it’s dancey, it should feel light and airy—Espresso is a great example of that.
That song makes me want to be on one of those overpriced rainbow floaties they have at every Fire Island house.
VERY that. I think “retro”-ness is generally good for pool parties. Kitsch works well. I see pool and I immediately think mid-century Hollywood.
Are there any vintage divas you think are especially suited for the pool?
Great question. My first thought is Janet’s 90s / 2000s output. I feel like everything from like “That’s the Way Love Goes” to “Doesn’t Really Matter” to “Runaway” to “Someone to Call My Lover” would all work well at the pool. Even “When I Think of You”, “All for You”. Because Janet is VERY smooth and VERY bright.
Can you tell me the story of how your much-requested and beloved playlist (coauthored by your wonderful boyfriend Jack) came together?
Yes. Rachel said “make a playlist for the pool party” and when Jewish women give me orders, I am deeply conditioned to obey. Jack has better taste in music in me and we had been dating for like 2 months at that point—I would say that was one of our earliest collaborations, and we really shared the POV I just laid out. Jack is hyper sensitive to vibes and moods and people’s feelings, which is good for any music curator. I really think that 50 percent of being a good DJ is knowing music well, and 50 percent is being deeply empathic.
Tell me more about this…
When you’re in a club especially, there is a collective emotional experience that you are both creating and responding to, and it’s a very very fragile organism. The more you are able to tap deeply into and exist within that organism, the more responsive you will be to its needs and the often slight, nearly imperceptible mutations. The faster you can pick up on something that’s not working or something that is, the more you can know what the organism needs to feed its joy and keep it together and united, the better you will be at DJing. Reading the room is really huge. The music knowledge is the tool you have once your emotional body is registering what’s happening more deeply. It’s honestly sometimes painful to be that tuned in but also incredibly rewarding and makes me good at my job. And it’s why people requesting shit is such a pain in the ass because its like “girlie, I’m in deep here and you are not understanding the complexities of this situation.”
Wow I am learning so much. Last question….Are there any other new songs that you WILL be playing at the pool this summer?
Normani’s “Take My Time.” “Good Luck, Babe!” obviously. Tommy Richman, “Devil Is a Lie.” Charli’s “Talk Talk.” Tinashe’s “Nasty.” “Birds of a Feather.” “End of an Era.” Honestly, the only reason the entire Dua Lipa album has to exist is for a pool party. “Watcha Doing.” And of course, Jojo Siwa’s “Karma.” JK!
Thank you Louie! Everyone subscribe to Pop Pantheon!
Louie is also the one advocating for MH readers to be called “Messy Bitches”……sound off in the comments if u agree