Spotify can play DJ at your next party

A new feature called Spotify Party plays a lineup of professionally picked tunes and lets you choose your music based on the mood you’re hoping to set. Spotify is getting into the DJ business.

Starting Wednesday, the streaming music service is releasing a feature for its iOS and Android apps known as Spotify Party.

Party is designed to serve up mixed playlists of music that can get your guests to wind up or wind down at your next soiree, reception or blowout.

The feature is Spotify’s effort to demonstrate that it’s more than just a music app for lone listeners. With more than 75 million active listeners, Spotify is still playing catch-up with rival Pandora, which has more than 80 million users. Spotify also now competes with Apple Music, which counts around 15 million users since launching in June.

Where will you find Spotify Party? The feature is nestled in the Genres & Moods area within the Browse section on an iPhone or Android phone, according to a Spotify spokeswoman.

And how does Spotify Party act as your virtual DJ?

The feature offers a range of “expert-made” party playlists, including not just popular genres but one lineup created by DJ and music producer Diplo. In a blog post-Wednesday, Spotify said it worked with Diplo to create an exclusive playlist of more than 120 curated songs, all of which can be tuned to create the right mood.

Spotify Party tries to act like an actual DJ, which means each song smoothly segues into the next, with no interruptions. You can tweak your music based on the mood you wish to set. The app offers a “mood tuner” for music right for hot and heavy dancing or something more mellow to help the crowd relax. The app also includes a queue of all the songs due to play, so you can remove and reorganize tunes in the playlist.

You can already create your own playlists in Spotify; the Party feature is just more automated.

“When it comes to throwing parties you simply have to have the right playlists — or everyone will leave,” Diplo said in a statement. “And while researching and picking out music is fun, it also takes a lot of time and effort. With Spotify Party, you’re served with loads of beat-matched music that transitions perfectly, which you can easily adapt to whatever your current vibe is.”

Spotify said Party will hit its iOS and Android apps sometime Wednesday. So if you don’t see it just yet, you can check again later in the day. A version for the desktop is also coming soon.