Tunes for the Grooviest New Year’s Eve Party in Town
Whether your New Year’s plans consist of all-night ragers or sitting at home with your family, the night of December 31st requires the perfect playlist to get everyone moving into the new year. This 20-track playlist features songs of disco past, present, and future, with songs from pioneers of the genre to those who have changed the game of party music forever. Here are some songs which will absolutely get you dancing into 2025.
“Shadow Dancing” - Andy Gibb
Remnant of his three older brothers, also known as the Bee Gees, Andy Gibbs solidified himself as a disco icon in the late seventies. “Shadow Dancing”, co-written by his three brothers, was the number one single of 1978, according to Billboard. The tune is infectious, the prominent bass line and strings that guide the melody make an easy-listening song that makes anyone want to move to the dance floor. As Gibbs sings, “Shadow dancing, baby you do it right/ Give me more, drag me across the floor/ Shadow dancing, all this and nothing more.”
“Nuclear Seasons” - Charli xcx
BRAT summer may have had the entire world in a chokehold in 2024, but going into 2025, a dive back into the decade-long career of Ms. XCX is essential. The track reigns from her debut album and echoes the sounds of 1980s synth pop alongside its evident 2010s EDM influences. Her experimental use of vocal layering and autotune track back to 2013, have now become a staple in her discography. It is a romantic track, about wanting to spend all the important moments with the one you love, with the chorus singing, “We in the nuclear season
/ In the shelter I'll survive this though / We in the nuclear season / Summer lovin' in the backseat gone.”
"“Keep Moving” - Jungle
Going immensely viral in 2023 for their track “Back on the 74”, the London-based duo have become known for their sound of 70’s-style funk. “Keep Moving” is the leading single from their 2021 album, ‘Loving in Stereo’. The standout use of strings and choir on the chorus make a perfectly motivational dance track, with lyrics singing, “I can hear the alarm / I won't take it much longer / (Keep moving, keep moving) / Ah, you're breaking my heart/ Thanks for making me stronger/ (Keep moving).” The message in tandem with the instrumentals keep an uplifting, mid-tempo energy that is necessary for moving into a new era.
“Disco Heaven” - Lady Gaga
Modern icon Lady Gaga created a unique sound of her own, debuting with “The Fame” in 2008, creating a dark pop sound that soundtracked the early 2010s. The track has a magnetic guitar riff that echos the 90s pop-rock scene, yet the percussion and bass send listeners right to a “disco heaven” of their own, as it echoes classics from that era, such as ABBA and Madonna.
“Groove Is In The Heart” - Deee-Lite
A multi-generational and timeless track, the eclectic sonics and samplings of Deee-Lite create the perfect groovy track to get everyone in the room excited and to the dance floor. Pulling from various artists and tracks such as the bass line from “Bring Down the Birds” by Herbie Hancock, or the percussion and slide whistle from Vernon Burch’s “Get Up”, the group of three was able to create something uniquely their own, and made it the biggest club hit of 1990.
