Dance
Check out the ultimate street dance song playlist for every style of dance
Mumbai-based DJ The Spindoctor lists 20 songs that are perfect for any Indian street dancer looking for a groove and a little bit of a challenge.
The Spindoctor is one of Mumbai’s best known DJs who also excels in skills as a Turntablist and Producer.
He’s been Djing in the Indian hip-hop space for over 14 years and has had his finger on the pulse of some of India’s greatest dance parties.
“When I was in college, I watched the music video for the song ‘Bebot’ by The Black Eyed Peas. Towards the end of the track, there's a turntablist scratching – that was what got me hooked,” says The Spindoctor.
“Back then hip-hop was just getting big in India. A lot of big international artists were coming to India. Akon came for the Channel V BigV concert. Sean Paul came down. Good hip-hop DJs like DJ Whoo Kid (50 Cent’s DJ) and DJ Green Lantern also came down. It was popping in the hip-hop scene, and I was a total hip-hop head,” he adds.
The Spindoctor has performed on several stages since he started as a DJ in 2007. And he holds a special place in his heart for one memorable show.
“Best concert I’ve performed was Red Bull Tour Bus with DIVINE; hands down! I think it was the craziest show I played in my life. There were over 10,000 people in Ahmedabad, and it was mad. I was touring with DIVINE from 2015 to 2019, and then I went full solo after that,” he says.
And now The Spindoctor has performed at the Red Bull Dance Your Style 2021 India Finals, the first time the event has ever been held in India.
“Red Bull Dance Your Style is a one-of-a-kind event where the dancers don’t have time to rehearse and they have no idea what kind of music is gonna hit them. You can’t afford to make mistakes, and it’s very challenging. It’s all about inner instinct and that’s what I love about it,” says The Spindoctor.
So we asked the ace DJ to make a playlist of his favourite tracks that could get street dancers of all styles grooving. Check out the full playlist on JioSaavn.
“I’ve included some Latino sensations, dance hall and house music. I’ve also tried to add some tracks with an Indian flavour since it's for Red Bull Dance Your Style in India. It has to have that Indian masala,” he says.
“So here’s my playlist. It has every aspect of dance. Basically I wanted to make it a party mixtape. They're all so danceable, you can’t avoid it!”
01
WizKid – ‘Essence’ ft Justin Bieber, Tems
“This track is booming in the Afro scene and dancers love to dance to these beats. This song really captures the spirit of the Afro genre.”
02
The Black Eyed Peas – ‘Don't Phunk With My Heart’
“It is one of my favourite dance anthems as a DJ. Whenever I want to lift the energy in a club, I drop this track. It starts with a sample taken from a Bollywood song and has a great vibe to it.”
03
Rihanna – ‘Pon de Replay’
“Rihanna is all about that female power, and that’s why I chose this track. It’s from Rihanna’s early days in the limelight and the song is a definite club banger.”
04
Wande Coal, DJ Tunez – ‘Iskaba’
“It’s a Soca song, with Afro beats and all. I’d come across this track while I was touring in Tanzania. The people there loved this track; it’s got that great Soca vibe. So I had to add it to my playlist.”
05
Crazy Town – ‘Butterfly’
“This song is simply about nostalgia for me. It brings me back to my school days when I wanted to be a dancer.”
06
Raghav – ‘Let's Work It out’ (feat. Jahaziel)
“It's an Indian pop track with English lyrics and hip-hop beats. The beats have an Indian flavour, and the song has a very dance-y kinda vibe. It works really well for popping and hip-hop dance.”
07
Lou Bega – ‘Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)’
“I don’t have to say anything about this track; it’s been a part of everybody’s childhood.”
08
Britney Spears – ‘Toxic’
“It is one of the top tracks of all time. It also has beats sampled from an Indian track.”
09
Michael Jackson – ‘Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
“You can’t have a dance playlist without a track from the king!”
10
Flo Rida – ‘Right Round’ (feat. Ke$ha)
“This is one of the biggest party anthems I know. It is one of my favourite tracks to lift the energy in a club. I always play this track when I’m performing at a club.”
11
Will Smith – ‘Party Starter’
“One of my favourite party songs! When you are on the floor and this song plays, you can’t help but move to the beats.”
12
Ed Sheeran – ‘Shape of You’
“This one’s for the Gen-Z crowd; they can’t seem to get enough of Ed Sheeran. They love him, and this is a great track as well. I also love this track because it is beautiful.”
13
Sean Paul – ‘Give It Up To Me’ (feat. Keyshia Cole)
“It’s a great dancehall track. I remember the video of the song shows a dance rehearsal in progress and the dancers are amazing. The beats of this song are great. Sean Paul is the god of dancehall.”
14
J Balvin, Willy William – ‘Mi Gente’
“Latino music has been taking over the music scene across the globe. ‘Mi Gente’ is a reggaeton track. When I started Djing, Daddy Yankee and Wisin & Yandel were the kings of the genre. Their songs gave rise to the whole Latino flavour internationally. I picked this song to bring some Spanish flavour to the playlist.”
15
Technotronic – ‘Pump Up The Jam’
“It’s a proper OG house-electro kinda track. It has a constant groove and constant energy.”
16
Usher – ‘Yeah!’ ft. Lil Jon, Ludacris
“I don’t need to say anything about this track. You just have to listen to the beginning of the song and that’s it – no words! You will hear applause and cheering every time this song starts. There’s not a single person in the world who doesn’t know this song.”
17
Papa Roach – ‘Last Resort’
“I wanted to add this song because it’s danceable rock. It’s got a retro-rock feel with heavy guitar, bass and drums.”
18
Lady Gaga – ‘Just Dance’ ft. Colby O'Donis
“One of the top tracks of all time, and one of my favourite songs. Lady Gaga is like a goddess. Her style, her elegance – everything is represented in this track.”
19
Jason Derulo – ‘Swalla’ (feat. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign)
“It’s the No 1 club banger of the last few years. Everyone goes nuts when I play this song. It’s been a trending track since it released.”
20
Daft Punk – ‘One More Time’
“I had to add this song to the playlist to pay homage to Daft Punk. As DJs, we all look up to them. They're complete geniuses in what they do. So I had to include this track.”