New York DJ

Unfortunately, too many people have a very low opinion of the mobile DJ/MC. People always seem to expect something lame or offensive. The mobile DJ/MC is often considered to be either cheesy, obnoxious, coarse, unfunny, unresponsive, sloppy-looking (wearing jeans to a formal event), schmaltzy-looking (wearing a sparkly suit to any event) or even an unenviable combination of all these bad qualities. For the past few months I have written about this negative image and how to sniff it out and avoid it in a series of posts called “Overcoming DJ Fear,” which you can read here.

But in our mission to make sure you always get a non-cheesy DJ for your event, this post is going to reveal to you a few other things that mobile DJ companies do which you should shy away from, but that you probably didn’t know many regularly do. Yes, most of us fear the aforementioned tacky sparkly suit, or the 8-minute Richard Marx remix played at the height of the wedding reception, or enduring the tired jokes of the MC all night at a corporate event. But there are also certain business policies that many DJ companies have that are quite lame as well. They tend to straddle that line between very shrewd and slightly sneaky. And from what we’ve heard from our clients who’ve sniffed out some of these policies in DJ companies, the DJs aren’t exactly eagerly bringing them up, so maybe they even feel a bit guilty about them. These policies are not of the obvious variety, such as just the adding of extra fees for bringing additional equipment or performing overtime. No, these policies that are a little more insidious; they’re not as automatically thought about by a potential client, but they can adversely affect your event unless you are aware of them and therefore can bring them into the discussion with your DJ, and react accordingly.

(Non-hypocrite alert: Our company doesn’t engage in either of the three practices mentioned below, so we feel comfortable exposing them, in the Obama-esque hope that one day enough clients will demand a higher-quality product from mobile DJs, and that the business as a whole will get some well-needed respect. Okay, end of plug.)

So, here we go:

1) The DJ You Meet With Might Not Be Your DJ – Often, DJ companies, especially the larger ones, will send the company owners – who tend to be the most confident, well-spoken, experienced DJs they have – to an initial prospective client meeting, to impress the customer. This is Business 101, of course. And this may win you over. But, this impressive DJ might not mention that they won’t be there the day of your event. They might give you a phone consultation, take note of your requests, answer all your emails promptly, and then pass all of it on to some other guy in the company. To be fair, this other DJ you get for your event might not be a bad DJ, but if he is going to be doing your event, wouldn’t you feel more comfortable meeting with him instead of having a go-between, where important details could get lost or miscommunicated, such as song requests, or pronunciations of the names of guests to be introduced? So, if you like the DJ you meet with initially during the “sales pitch,” make sure to ask if he will be the one doing the event. If not, ask to meet – in person – the DJ who will. If this offer is refused, I’d move on.

2) The DJ May Have Another Gig That Day – Many clients, in focusing on arranging your event, may forget that a DJ business succeeds on booking as many events as the company thinks they can handle well. Again, to be fair, that’s understandable for a business owner. But the problem comes in when a DJ company misjudges what they can handle well, or has a different idea from you of what being able to “handle well” means. To some DJ companies, this might mean just showing up with some generic playlist for your event, since they put all their effort into the event before or after yours. You should be sure to ask if your DJ already has another event on the day of yours, or if they do not, if they do multiple events in a day. It tends to be the larger companies that have the resources (many DJs, some “roadies,” a lot of equipment, several vans or trucks) to do multiple-day events, so if you’re meeting with these companies, they’re the ones to flesh out a ” line of questioning” on how this may affect your event. If they’re assigning the DJ for your event another event that day, I’d be a little nervous, since it brings in some other potential complications – most importantly travel time to or from the other gig will now be an issue. If the DJ is doing multiple events, make sure that the reassurances of the company satisfy you to the fullest, and think of getting some guarantees of prompt arrival in writing. And make sure to remember that even the most experienced DJ companies can’t predict what the weather, traffic, or highway conditions will be like that day.

3) Free or Easy DJ Consultations May Not Be Guaranteed – Part of the peace of mind of having a DJ for your event is having access to them, of being able to ask them a question or being able to have a responsive line of communication, such as knowing quickly if they found that obscure first-dance song, or what they think about changing the style of music for cocktail hour. This not to say that every element revolving around music needs to be discussed in detail, but it is nice to know that the DJ is regularly available to you if it is needed. Some DJs know they need to be available a lot to clients, and they could charge for it, like some wedding planners do. You may get one free consultation after you hire the DJ, but any others may cost you. Just make sure to ask. If they do charge, this is probably a sign to move on to ne where you can get unlimited commuinication included in your original contract price. If you have a DJ who doesn’t charge, great, but then make sure to ask about their availability, and when is the best time to contact them. This answer, right there, might give you an idea of their schedule, and how open it is. But most importantly, make sure to gently but firmly emphasize that you expect to have a relatively quick line of communication with your DJ. This is not to expect a lightning-quick, 15-minute response to all emails, but at least a 24-hour response is reasonable and should be expected.

(If you’ve experienced a rather shrewd or sneaky policy from a DJ company that annoyed you and that you’d like to mention to help those needing a DJ for any sort of event – from weddings to corporate parties to fashion shows to art gallery openings – feel free to leave a comment below. Let your frustration known, so others won’t have to share it!)

Fans of indie pop, alt-country, singer-songwriters, or all three have probably heard the music of M. Ward, a singer-songwriter who for about a decade has been releasing albums of moody, otherworldly-sounding, yet often warm folk and pop that stitches together vintage sounds – from genres, like folk or bluegrass, to actual old sounds, like vocal effects that make it seem his voice is emanating from a 1930s radio. A couple years ago, Ward began a side project called She & Him with the increasingly popular actress Zooey Deschanel (known for her supporting roles in Elf, Yes Man, and as a lead in an underrated indie film featuring some great music called All the Real Girls).

Last year the pair released their debut album, Volume One, a well-crafted collection of songs that blends retro styles like vintage country twang, ’60s girl group harmonizing, and a touch of classic torch song jazz into an enchanting mix. But the real surprise here is Deschanel, who sings lead vocals and wrote most of the songs. Her vocals, usually delivered crisply but with a sweet, slight country-ish drawl, quite beautifully convey a range of emotion throughout the album, from the exuberance of celebrating a new love to late-night, tear-in-your-beer, honky-tonk heartache. And what’s also impressive is that you can tell – not just from the strength of the songs, but also from the choice of the radio-unfriendly musical styles themselves – that Deschanel and Ward have made music they care about, and that Deschanel is not simply a pretty young face trying to pull a Jennifer Love Hewitt and cash in on her growing stardom. Though the album may not be thematically deep, and though at times it sounds too derivative of its retro influences, Volume One is of the quality and integrity that that most actors with musical side projects think they’re making but rarely do.

“I Was Made for You” is one of the songs here where Deschanel and Ward are at the their best. While on some of the more twangy tunes on the album, Deschanel leans a bit too hard on the country drawl (she was born in L.A. and went to high school in Santa Monica, so she’s no coal miner’s daughter), on “I Was Made for You” she keeps just enough of the drawl to make things warm, but also channels the breezy sweetness of the ’60s girl group sound. From the opening lyrics about taking a walk and seeing a boy pass by to the backup “ooh, uh-huh” female vocals, this song seems like it could be the prequel to innocent “teenager-in-love” girl-group classics like “My Boyfriend’s Back” or “He’s So Fine.”

Why is this tune a great first dance song? Mostly for one important reason – it manages to flawlessly create a tricky mood to pull off, but one that’s perfect for a couple’s initial foray alone onto the dancefloor for their guests and photographers. In the song, the solid foundation of lush retro production, a bouncy melody, and Deschanel’s joyful vocals all come together to convincingly capture the pure, teenager-y thrill of falling for someone, and from my experience as a DJ at weddings, few things could be better than feeling that during a first dance. Plus, like most simple pop tunes should, the song doesn’t overstay its welcome, being only two-and-a-half minutes long. The one caveat is that the song isn’t gender neutral like many first dance songs – twice in the song, Deschanel sings “I have been waitin’ for a long long time/for a boy like you” – but come on, guys, the wedding should be more about your bride anyway, right?

Have a listen…

She & Him – “I Was Made for You”

When people think of music played at fashion shows, the thumping bass and dreamy melodies of intense house grooves likely come to mind. It’s no surprise that house seems to be present a lot when we see models strutting down runways, be it during the city’s Fashion Week, or at fashion shows at shopping malls. Intense musical energy boosts the drama in witnessing the debut of a designer's creations, but this energy has to be somewhat airy and unobtrusive to not interfere with observing the designs. For this, house works well – it's often fast, has a stylish sheen, and because it doesn't often reach mainstream radio, it’s rather anonymous and never competes for your attention more than the clothes.

But when it comes to the music before the runway music – the mix of songs played during the arrival of guests – many of the same background music rules don’t apply. Sure, the goal of fashion show arrival music is to be in the background while guests chat, grab a drink or a snack, and make their way to their seats, so it need not initiate any dancing. However, unlike the more sedate arrival music played at other events – like art receptions, corporate events or wedding ceremonies – at fashion shows, the mix needs to be "amped up" a bit more. Why? Simple: The mood in the room before the start of  fashion shows we’ve performed at (the photos above and below are from a recent show we spun at in the West Village) has more of a fun, exciting air of anticipation than almost any other kind of event, and that feeling of rising action should be reflected in the songs played.

So what kind of music goes best with this sense of anticipation? Hip-hop? Indie rock? House music grooves? Glam rock from the ‘70s? A more internationally-flavored mix of festive meringue, or sensual Indian Bhangra? Well, almost any genre of music can do it, as long as there’s an intensity to the music and it’s compelling in some way. People don’t want to walk in and be overpowered by the music's mood (or volume) so it interferes with their conversations, but the songs also shouldn’t ever be constantly familiar or predictable. The arrival music should add palpably to the anticipation and excitement, not lessen it. Overall, the best arrival music seems to have a bit of an unexpected, even mysterious (but usually at the same time playful and fun) quality about it, with, of course, little sexiness thrown in.

We're able to establish a mix like this in many ways. For example, we might spin a classic rock song  done in French, or pull out out a song by some obscure vintage jazz vocal artist with a clever lyrical hook, or simply ride the killer melodies and rhythms of a pair of spicy, gritty Latin soul tunes that you don’t need to have heard before to start bobbing you head along.

But the most important element to creating a tight mix of arrival music often simply depends on the fashion show organizer (or the DJ themselves, if the organizer desires) taking the first step – consulting with the designers to brainstorm about what the right “feel” of the arrival music should be. The designers might have many ideas of what kind of music they would like to get the audience most pumped up for the show, and this way they can be discussed and integrated. When the designers are picking their own songs for their collections, then the organizer (or DJ) should look at what overall mood all of their selected music will likely create during the show, and think how to complement it. For example, if most of the designers’ songs are more ethereal and airy, it might be more appropriate to play a more ambient mix of songs as guests arrive. If many of the designs have a provocative and edgy look, a bit of indie rock, glam, or punk might be the best choice. Or, if there doesn’t seem to be a consistent mood to the designers’ works, then at least this will be known, and the DJ can create an eclectic but smooth mix based on the genres that will be included in the show.

This might all seem like a lot of fuss over what is not even the main section of the show. But because the arrivals often can last an hour,or even, at times, more than that, doing a little homework to put the guests (many of whom are buyers, of course!) in a positive, intrigued, loosened-up mood from the start the first model takes the runway (and giving the guests the sense that the start, middle and end of the event all fit together seamlessly) will only make your show more successful.