Megamix - 80

Not all mixes are created equal. A poorly made 80 megamix sounds like a radio being thrown down a flight of stairs. A great one feels like a rollercoaster. Here is what separates the gold from the garbage:

You can’t sprint for 60 minutes. A professional megamix will drop the tempo for 90 seconds of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" or "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" to let the crowd catch their breath (and sing loudly).

In the dimly lit basement of William Ocean High School, Corey Palmer 80 megamix

stared at a stack of cassette tapes, his mind a blur of neon lights and hairspray. It was his senior year, and the annual "Back to the 80s" musical was looming—a story of heartbreak and growing up that he would one day look back on as a 30-something . He needed something to anchor the final act, a definitive "80s Megamix" that captured the chaos and color of the decade. Corey reached for a dusty mixtape from DJ Spinbad

, a trailblazer whose influential transitions once defined the mixtape format. He thought about how a single mix could change a person's day—like the gym-goer who found their workout "zoomed right by" when they popped an 80s mix into their discman. Not all mixes are created equal

He started piecing the tracks together, drawing inspiration from the masters. He recalled Ben Liebrand

, whose legendary "Grandmixes" were so perfectly stitched that fans could never hear a 1986 hit on the radio without anticipating the exact transition that followed. Corey wanted that same magic—a "Mega Monster Mix" that could span hours and hundreds of records. The tracklist began to form in his head: There is constant debate over the "canon" of the 80 megamix

Here’s a helpful guide to understanding “80 Megamix” — a term that can refer to several different things depending on the context (music, retro gaming, or DJ mixes).

There is constant debate over the "canon" of the 80 megamix. Including these is safe; excluding them is a crime against humanity:

Avoid: Songs with long ambient intros (Pink Floyd), ultra-obscure B-sides, or anything that relies heavily on guitar solos longer than 15 seconds.