DJ Deks said that players sometimes create playlists to suggest their own music, which prompts him to make additions or subtractions to the warm-up mix. He added that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were a popular choice for players in previous years, however, the mix generally stays within high-energy genres such as EDM and hip-hop.
Tailoring these music selections is a collaborative process and one that is adjusted throughout the year. DJ Deks said that Neighbours is a “music guy” and someone he communicates with regularly when organizing the season mix.
“He knows country, rock, EDM, hip hop. And he likes all of it and appreciates all of it, so all the songs kind of come through him and then come to us and then we just go back and forth… Jake is usually the guy,” he said.
This season’s rendition includes artists like John Summit, AC/DC, Imagine Dragons, Eminem, Drake, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more.
“It’s a big puzzle of genres and energy because some songs give different people energy,” DJ Deks said. “So trying to put that all together and have one finished product, it’s like a big mega mix – the story that I’m trying to tell for them through music.”