The Friday Five: DJ dares

It's easy to rock a crowd if you play nothing but surefire hits. It's also incredibly lazy and the sort of thing a real DJ shies away from: You've got to expand your selection beyond the obvious, or else you just plain aren't doing your job. Throw some curveballs, people!

But what about rocking the party with not-so-good music? Ah, therein lies the challenge. And therein lies the challenge I am posing to my fellow DJs. The dare: Work one or more of these songs into a set without losing the crowd. If you can pull it off, then you win lots of props. And don't worry, I'm not asking you to play funeral dirges or anything like that--I want to issue a challenge, not an impossible task.

So without further ado, I give you this week's DJ dares:


1. The Fat Boys feat. The Beach Boys--"Wipeout"

2. Lucas--"Lucas With the Lid Off"

3. Shinehead--"Chain Gang Rap"

4. Bobby McFerrin--"Don't Worry, Be Happy"

5. Urban Dance Squad--"Deeper Shade of Soul"