New York DJ

When dj nyc performs at weddings, it's Manhattan where we often find ourselves. However, we’ve spun extensively throughout other parts of the city (and beyond – a list of our choices for best venues outside the city will be posted soon). In our years of performing weddings, we’ve seen that there’s a lot of outstanding venues located in the other four boroughs, and the three biggest advantages of spaces within New York City yet outside Manhattan is 1) their eclecticism, 2) their intimacy, and 3) great city or nature views.

As for eclecticism, these are mainly venues that have been renovated from old factories into rustic lounges, or, in the case of one, are temporarily re-purposed from an indie-rock concert hall on your wedding night to transform the space into one that make your marriage the “headliner.” In terms of intimacy, these venues don't usually feature multiple weddings in different areas of the venue at the same time (a common practice in the high-volume “wedding factories” in Long Island and Manhattan), which dilutes the feeling of uniqueness that most couples want on their wedding day. I don’t think any couple wants to hear House of Pain’s “Jump Around” blaring through the wall from some other reception when you’re playing Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” as your ceremony begins. And finally, when it comes to city and nature views, a venue in Brooklyn or Queens can give you a spectacular view of not just the skyline looking North or South like a Manhattan venue can, but the whole skyline, from Battery Park to beyond the Upper East Side. And having a summer ceremony surrounded by lush, sprawling botanical garden can make you feel like you’re hundreds of miles away from the city, while still allowing you to quickly get back to a bar or a club in Manhattan to continue the wedding celebration.

The venues mentioned here feature these advantages, but I am also recommending them because of another factor that djnyc rates highly in choosing our opinions of event spaces – professionalism of staff. I wrote about this in a previous post from May in which I recommended djnyc’s Top 5 Manhattan wedding venues, but I will emphasize it again, as I think this is something many couples don’t realize they should consider.

By staff professionalism, I don't only mean how everyone is dressed, or if they are prompt in bringing out the food, or are always available when requested. I also mean the demeanor of a staff, and unfortunately, this is something a couple can't observe during a walk-through of a venue.

A staff headed by a maitre'd or a captain that is able to keep things moving smoothly throughout the night while also treating guests and vendors with politeness and consideration and even some humor is something truly special. This kind of demeanor is important not only to ensure the guests feel good, but also to ensure the party is able to get rockin' a little during the moments it wants to – moments that might not have been foreseen on the night's master schedule. I've found that the best maitre'd or captain is one who realizes this and are the furthest thing from "drill sergeants." For example, he or she will treat everyone in the room with respect despite any stresses going on, or will let guests continue their conversation at the end of cocktail hour for a few minutes before telling them to sit for dinner, or will be okay with guests dancing a bit longer despite the fact that the next course is ready to be brought out. This ability to remain pleasant while under pressure and a willingness to bend a schedule so a party can be more fun often indicates not just a top-notch staff, but also people who are happy to be there with the guests.

So, in no particular order of preference, here’s 5 venues in the city outside of Manhattan that excel in being eclectic, intimate, view-friendly (or feature a mix of these qualities), but also have an outstanding staff as well:

1) New York Botanical Gardens – This Bronx venue, located amongst seemingly endless greenery, features a bright cocktail bar area and a beautiful, high-celinged grand ballroom. A perfect late spring or summer wedding choice. Here’s some photos of a recent wedding we performed there.

2) The Foundry – This Long Island City, Queens, location (pictured at right) is the place for you if you want not your wedding to feel like a hip cocktail party or lounge. A lot of couples who come to us are looking for just that, a wedding that dispenses with all the cheesy, hammy clichés of a wedding that make people roll their eyes. As an added bonus, Alison, the owner, and her staff are 100% attitude free. Photos of a recent wedding we performed there.

3) Williamsburg Music Hall – A new-ish venue in Willimasburg, Brooklyn that’s a hipster couple’s dream. With a DJ in the sound booth, the dance floor the whole unreserved seating area in front of the stage, the ceremony on the stage, and your names on the marquee as if you’re the headlining band, this is the place if you want your wedding to have the feel of an indie rock show – minus the stale beer smell on the floor. Photos of a recent wedding we performed there.

4) The Metropolitan Building – Another eclectic space in Long Island City, Queens, the venue is located on a large factory floor that has been lovingly renovated to make things feel rustic and cozy. Photos of a wedding we performed there.

5) Giando on the Water – While this Williamsburg, Brooklyn space (pictured at right) is the most traditional of the venues here – it’s not a renovated factory or a converted rock club – but with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline and the city’s most famous bridges, it will likely make even the most hardened hipster couple start to hum Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” There is space outside and inside for weddings, and the look of the venue inside is classic, yet it never feels stiff or stodgy. Did I mention the gorgeous views? Photos of a wedding we performed there.

On a pleasantly breezy night last Thursday, DJ NYC performed a marathon six-hour set at a huge rooftop party for a new real estate development in Long Island City. Though many genres of music were spun, including soul, Motown, disco, reggeaton, salsa, merengue, bhangra, and a few ‘80s one-hit wonders, the constant we kept coming back to was hip-hop. And we didn’t just play new school or old school – we managed to cover the whole damn school district.

There were throwback party classics from the ‘80s (Rob Base, Biz Markie), the 90’s (West Coast G-funk from Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, along with East Coast giants Biggie Smalls & Jay-Z), but also making an appearance was the new-ish genre of Southern hip-hop (Chamillionaire) and recent hits by Kanye West, Timbaland, and Soulja Boy.

Performing at a party like this – in which there were not many volume restrictions, few small kids, and no sensitive family members to offend – is always fun because the DJ can let loose a bit, turning up the bass and playing uncensored versions of great hip-hop songs. And anyone who knows hip-hop even a little knows it usually sounds better loud and with the, um, real words. And anyone who knows hip-hop even a little knows what I mean by the real words – yes, these young rappin’ men and women can get a little naughty with their language once in a while.

More often than not, however, events are not so free of restrictions to allow for playing hip-hop completely loud and uncensored. Events like corporate parties or weddings are usually partially indoors, and therefore there’s porobably and rightfully a volume limit, and these events also usually come with an expectation from the boss or the family or to keep the songs – or at least the song lyrics – a bit more safe for all ears.

That said, many clients that I meet with – whether it be a corporate client or a couple planning a wedding – also want the possibility of being able to have their events to get a little more wild toward the end, if the bosses loosen up or the little kids leave early. And occasionally, a client is equally adamant about keeping songs “clean” for most of the event, then making things “dirty” toward the end.

If you’re planning an event that involves hip-hop and you anticipate your guests might get a bit wild with it later on, always make sure to ask the DJ if he or she has the censored (clean) and uncensored (explicit) versions of the songs (both versions are usually commercially released and easy to find). That way you’re covered either way. Of course, if the client has to choose between clean and explicit, most clients will find it acceptable if the DJ only has the clean versions of the songs, since often even when a party does get wild, a few scrambled words in place of profanity are preferable to only having the explicit versions, which might not be able to be played at all if the kids don’t leave the wedding, or the boss wants to keep things 100% clean the whole night.

Now, it might seem obvious that your DJ will have the clean versions of popular hip-hop songs, but you don’t want to take the chance of not asking if he or she does. Your DJ might come highly recommended, but he or she might have never had to play hip-hop for more sensitive event, and therefore might have never needed to get the clean versions of popular songs. And imagine how you’ll feel in front of your guests when the F-bomb is dropped several times in a three-minute song as the dancing starts.

Also, when asking your prospective DJ about which versions of the songs he or she can bring, make sure to tell the DJ about how you see the night – when you want what type of hip- hop played, when you expect that the songs can get more explicit, when the volume should be quieter, when it can be turned up a bit more. That way, the DJ will get an idea of what you expect during the event, and everyone will have a better time when they start to (cue Biggie Smalls) party…and bulls–t…and party…and bulls–t…and party…and bulls–t…

At DJNYC, we seek out – and are usually sought out – by clients who want their weddings or corporate events to not be that kind of wedding or corporate party. You know, the kind where the DJ is constantly playing cheesy songs and/or can’t seem to stop being a ham on the mic (see my recent post below on DJ cheesiness and hamminess for more detailed descriptions of these unfortunately all-too common mobile DJ qualities).

After years of research, we’ve developed an easy-to-use method to determine if we’re the appropriate DJ company for you, and if you’re right for us. We call it "The Chicken Dance Test." Here’s how to do it: 1) Decide if you would like the Chicken Dance played at your event. 2) If you decided that you would, you have just determined, most likely, that DJNYC is not the company for you. 3) If you decided that you would not like this song played under any circumstances, we’ll probably be a good match. It’s that simple.

If, for some reason, you are a client who would like the Chicken Dance played, yet you insist that this is the ONLY cheesball component of your event, we will still unfortunately have to charge you our customary $300 Chicken Dance Fee, to compensate us for our being quite embarrassed while the song is playing.

First there was a three-day blistering heatwave, then last night a rather violent windy thunderstorm. It seems that in New York City, summer is defintely here. It’s always at this time – as soon as the spring gives way to more sun and the short sleeves begin come out more regularly – that I resume spinning one of my favorite Frank Sinatra tunes, “Summer Wind.”

I spun it for the first time this year at a wedding last weekend. Whenever I put it on for the first time after several months I’m amazed by how pleasant and versatile of a song it is. Like most of the best upbeat Sinatra, the song is bouncy, light, leisurely, and shows a hint of humor. What’s impressive is that all these elements feel mixed in at just the right amounts, like a well-made gin and tonic. Plus, the song fits in nicely at almost any kind of event – and at almost any part of an event, be it guest arrivals, cocktail hour, or dinner.

“Summer Wind” got me thinking about some of my other favorite upbeat Sinatra songs that I’ve found consistently prove themselves at many kinds of events and with many age groups, from those in their 20s to those in their 80s. Like many hugely popular and enduring artists, Sinatra has his share of upbeat songs that I (and I’m sure many others) think are worn out, such as “Strangers in the Night” and “Love and Marriage,” though he seems to have many more tunes that you’d think should feel worn out, but, when played at the right time, absolutely don’t, like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “New York, New York.”

Here, in no particular order of importance, are several Sinatra songs – like “Summer Wind” – that I’ve found work best:

“You Make Me Feel So Young” – In this lean, brassy tune, Frank shows how convincing of a vocalist he is by taking its occasional silly lyrics such as “a wonderful fling to be flung” and making them seem heartfelt and true. One of the most rewarding moments I’ve had as a DJ was when I played this song at a party for a visiting nurse service, and one of the nurses danced to it with a very elderly man who was one of her patients.

“Hey Jealous Lover” – With its bouncy rhythm, catchy melody, background singers supporting Frank’s vocal in near doo-wop fashion, and a topic of romantic jealousy, everything about this song is fun!

“ New York, New York” – When played during the right moment at events (especially weddings) anywhere near the city, this song often results in guests forming impromptu Rockettes-style kick-lines.

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” – Upon hearing the first few seconds of this classic, I’ve seen couples of all ages stroll out to the dance floor with out hesitation, unable to resist its intimate romantic sweep.

“Nice ‘n’ Easy” – A truly excellent lounge song – it’s sly, relaxed, romantic, and never slides into kitsch – a hard thing to pull off.

“The Way You Look Tonight” – Frank’s smooth-as-silk vocal coupled with a mid-tempo arrangement makes his version of the often-covered classic about appreciating an evening with a loved one the gold standard for this pop standard.

“I’ve Got the World on a String” – In this effervescent tune, Frank’s vocal magic manages to perfectly capture the exuberance of falling head over heels in just nine words: “What a world, what a life, I’m in love.”