Club Party Reviews - Rhapsody Music Service Free Trial

"Without music life would be a mistake."

~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche







This review is part of a series based on the nightclub-themed birthday party I held on 02/26/11. Over the next week or so I'll be posting several of the ideas and items that really helped make it a success!



What would a dance party be without great music? While planning out what we wanted to play for the night club party, we ran into a bit of a blockade: if we bought all of the songs we wanted, we'd have to pay a lot, which we'd rather not do. We didn't want to download them illegally. We also didn't want to use a dance radio service (even though I love Pandora) because of any commercials or songs we didn't want.

What to do? The answer: Rhapsody online music service. The cost? Zero (they offer a 14 day free trial), but we had such a good experience we might keep it if we throw more parties like this.

Rhapsody lets you create playlists and play music from their HUGE database. We were able to get every song we wanted, make multiple playlists, and even edit them on the spot or change songs.

We hooked up a computer to our sound system and Rhapsody worked like a dream. The songs buffered well and the music kept everyone dancing all night long!

Rhapsody is now on my must-have list for any party, and it should be on yours too!



I am not being compensated in any way for this; I simply want to let you all know about how great Rhapsody was for party music.

What a Weekend!

"I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends."
~Nancie J. Carmody






Remember that big chalkboard I made for under $10? This is what it looked like after the party. We hung it on the wall, put out chalk and let people draw/write on it. I think I'll hang it in my office/music room.

The party was a complete success. It was high-energy but nothing was damaged, it was rowdy but not too loud (no cops!), people were dancing all night long and we never ran out of food/drinks/ice.

Since I worked full days both the day of and the day after the party I didn't get a lot of before/during/after shots, but over the next week or so I'll be posting some of the things that turned out really well.

Club Albee

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."

~ Japanese Proverb

Last night we went out to celebrate before a friend leaves on a last-minute deployment. Club Albee has a nice little VIP area that’s pretty darn cheap (highly recommended if you’re with a group, both for seating and for the fact that it’s a bit cooler than the dance floor) and military is always free. I’d been there before but never with S.

The club has been open for a little over a year and is on the smaller side compared to some of the other OKC dance hot-spots. This could be good or bad depending on your tastes; I personally like the intimacy. The staff is quick, friendly and entertaining - lots of bartender tricks and drink specials. There are hookahs and cigars for those interested, but the club isn’t swamped in smoke.

DJ Saad (the owner) works with videos as well as music, and one of the best ambiance aspects of the club is the video setup on the walls that feels like it almost surrounds the dance floor. I would have preferred a little more techno and old dance favorites peppered in among the top 40, but overall the music was great.

S is the type that needs a few beers in him before he’s comfortable enough to dance in public, so we spent the first bit talking with the other people there to see our friend off. After a while we found our way onto the dance floor and time flew by. One of the best compliments I can give a place like this is that I had absolutely no idea how late it was when it was time to go.







The club itself obviously enjoyed last night too, and I like to think we were a cornerstone of the party. They posted this picture on their facebook page, and we’ve been playing “Where’s Waldo” to spot several of our friends in the shot. We ourselves eluded detection . . .