Blog Posts by Robert of the Radish

This Hip-Hop Halloween playlist starts and ends with the act that embraces Halloween more than any other, Insane Clown Posse.

Horror-based rap music can be traced back as far as the mid 1980s when artists like Insane Poetry, Esham and Ganxsta Nip began to combine the dark side with hip-hop. The term "Horrorcore" was brought into the public view in the 1990s when acts like Gravediggaz, Insane Clown Posse and Flatlinerz gained wider acceptance. It has since expanded and merged with other genres. Horrorcore bands like Necro and Twiztid combine hip-hop, metal and horror themes into the latest incarnation of evil-tinged music to be labeled the "music of Satan".

In addition to the essential horrorcore, you'll find both old skool and new skool tracks by Ice Cube, Quasimoto, Brand Nubian, Public Enemy, Whodini, Buck 65, Madvillain, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Kool Moe Dee, Cypress Hill and The Geto Boys.

The Playlist:

1. Every Halloween - Insane Clown Posse

2. Do You Like Scary Movies?

If you prefer alternative rock, this may be the Halloween playlist for you. It includes 13 shuddersome modern rock tracks that span the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

Subjects covered in the playlist include vampires, bats, bones, zombies, voodoo, serial killers, ghosts, devils and death. Just what Dr. Jekyll ordered for your All Hallows Eve celebration.

I'm a fan of alternative rock from back when you could only hear it on college radio. The genre has since split into numerous sub genres, and today has become what it initially set out to counter. I tried to ignore the current state of alternative rock (ie: Adult Alternative, Alt Metal) and have instead focused on tracks that I feel are worthy and diverse.

The first song, the vampire classic "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" by Concrete Blonde, sets the mood for this hour-long ghoulfest. Other artists include Ween, The B-52's, Talking Heads, INXS, The Cranberries, Alice in Chains, Oingo Boingo and more.

The Playlist:

1. Bloodletting (The

My obvious first choice for an Indie music Halloween playlist was "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" by the indie supergroup the North American Halloween Prevention Initiative.  The song was co-created by Islands and ex-Unicorns member Nicholas Diamonds, and was recorded using an ensemble that includes members of Arcade Fire, Rilo Kiley, Wolf Parade, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beck, Sonic Youth, Les Savy Fav, Buck 65, Peaches and more. Profits from the single go to UNICEF, so you should really consider buying it if you have not already. Unfortunately, the song is no longer available on subscription music services, but you can check out the quirky video on YouTube.

You might think that when putting together a Halloween playlist based on genre, indie music would be difficult. Well, it really wasn't. There's a lot more darkness under the surface of the sensitive indie artist than you would think. This Halloween compilation starts with the Sufjan Stevens track "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are

Our latest Halloween playlist  features 13 of the best classic rock songs to explore Halloween themes like magic, witchcraft, werewolves, Frankenstein, spiders, monsters and other spooky subjects.

These tracks will go great with beer and cigarettes, and they're good selections for a Halloween party if you're not sure what kind of music your guests are into. After all, classic rock is loved by the old and the young, the hip, and the hopeless. Many of the songs selected are certified AOR hits, but a couple are excellent deep tracks that you won't hear on your local classic rock radio station very often.

The playlist includes no-brainers by Warren Zevon, Blue Oyster Cult, Edgar Winter, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne and Santana, as well as overlooked picks by Rush, John Fogerty, Donovan, The Doors, The Who, The Rolling Stones and the Steve Miller Band.

The Playlist:

1. Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band

2. Werewolves Of London - Warren Zevon

3. Wicked Old Witch - John Fogerty

4. Black Magic

Gothic music fans celebrate Halloween 365 days a year; make-up, costumes and all. Why not join them for just one day? Jump into these 13 classic Goth tracks about vampires, monsters, the undead, Halloween and magic.

"Goth" is one of the few surviving and expanding subcultures to be born of the 1890s when bands like Bauhaus, The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees and The Sisters of Mercy attracted legions of fans with a new darkened post-punk sound and image. Today there are many offshoots within the culture, but if you like to wear white face make-up, dark eyeliner, Victorian clothing, skull jewelry and black clothes, you're probably a goth.

The obsession with death and brooding mood of gothic music makes it the perfect accompaniment for Halloween.

This playlist clocks in at 1 hour and 10 minutes, and includes Bauhaus, The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Nosferatu, Type O Negative, Two Witches, Skinny Puppy, Cabaret Voltaire, Velvet Acid Christ and more.

The Playlist:

1. Bela Lugosi's

As much as this playlist made me feel dirty as I put it together, I fought the urge to throw in the towel and forged ahead. It includes a good deal of songs that you'll hear over - and over - and over - and over again this Halloween. But it's only once a year, so we can all bite the bullet and re-live these songs without any real damage, right?

The playlist contains 13 novelty Halloween-themed songs and is is where you'll find "The Monster Mash", "The Munster's Theme", "The Mummy", "Purple People Eater", "Witch Doctor", "Redneck Dracula" and more.

On April 25th, 2007 the world lost Bobby "Boris" Pickett who is best know for co-writing and performing "The Monster Mash", which is the undisputed most popular Halloween song of all time. The tune was passed up by every major label in existence at the time, but was finally produced and released Gary S. Paxton, who had a previous hit with his novelty song "Alley Oop" 

"Monster Mash" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold over a

If you use just one Halloween playlist this year, it should be this one. Hide your speakers in the bushes and put this one on repeat to freak out not just the little kiddies coming to your door, but their parents as well.

It kicks off with the classic pipe organ composition "Toccata & Fugue In D Minor" then continues with some of the most disturbing, chill-inducing background music known to man. 

Guaranteed to reduce your candy output by 50%.

The playlist includes a good hour+ of the standard Haunted House sound effect music from some particularly good novelty records, but it also includes some seriously eerie ambient tracks that were not done specifically for Halloween, by artists like Brian Eno, Throbbing Gristle, Peter Gabriel, Robert Rich and Tangerine Dream.

The Playlist:

1. Toccata & Fugue In D Minor - The Hit Crew

2. Halloween - Main Theme - Mark Ayres

3. A Flock Of Metal Creatures Fleeing The Onslaught Of Rust - Robert Rich

4. Gethsemane - Peter Gabriel 

5. Shadow - Brian Eno

This playlist kicks off with the original version of "Genius of Love", which is a song by the Tom Tom Club from their eponymous debut, Tom Tom Club, circa 1981.

The band was started as a side project by Talking Head members Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz and their first album spawned a dance club hit in Europe with "Genius of Love". This prompted the record company to release it in America, where it also became a hit.

The electronic bleeps heard on this track are well known and easily recognizable. The song's signature beeps and beats became very popular for hip-hop artists to sample and can be found on the remaining 10 songs in this playlist. Pay special attention to how the tempo of the original is slowed down, sped up, and tweaked to create a completely different musical signature on each track.

The original animated music video, based on the drawings of New York Pop Artist James Rizzi is also worth revisiting.

The Playlist:

1. Genius Of Love - Tom Tom Club

2. It's Nasty - The