New York DJ

When clients are having events that involve mainly modern lounge music - such as cocktail mixers, corporate meet-and-greets, or new product showcases - they often know the music style they want, but can't exactly describe it. They'll say "chillout” or “ambient” or “background.” But they usually add, right after, that they don’t want it to be boring, as if modern lounge music implies boring.

And while that may not be true, clients are right to be concerned. We’ve all been to places - cocktail parties, restaurants, retail stores - where the background music is a monotonous mid-tempo beat with nothing more to it, so it’s no surprise that when it comes to planning an event that includes new electronic lounge music, many think there’s a thin line between captivating and forgettable.

We've found over the years of DJ-ing at events in and around New York City involving mostly lounge music that the songs should elevate the atmosphere, but at the same time, not take it over. The purpose for these cocktail-driven events is firstly be able to converse comfortably and - with the exception of a head bounce here or a hip shake there - have the music make you want to continue that conversation, not get in the way of it. When we tell this to clients, they say that description is exactly what they were trying to say they wanted from the music. For a lot of DJs who aren't experienced with it, though, lounge music like this - that doesn’t overpower but isn’t anonymous, either - is some of the most difficult to find.

Many DJs, when it comes to spinning ambient music at any kind of cocktail party, play a mix of songs that have the lush, sleek afterparty vibe of CD compilations popular over the past decade, such as the Café Del Mar or Buddha Bar series. While these compilations have some great tunes, they are made mostly for afterparties - meaning when the main party is over. When this music is played as a party is just getting revved up, it often feels too chilled-out, or not upbeat enough. This is where the concern that new lounge music is boring comes in - clients often tell us they’ve been in that situation as a guest a lot, and don’t want it replicated at their party.

The great thing is, there are plenty of songs we have found over the years - and we continue to find every year - that satisfy this “sweet spot”, but it takes a lot of searching to locate it.  You often won’t find much of it on the popular "chill-out" compilations mentioned above. You have to dig deeper into the genre, and sometimes outside of it entirely, to find that perfect lounge tune that elevates the vibe of these type of cocktail-driven parties to create a festive, or sexy, or whimsical mood for a bit, but that doesn’t ever "overdo it" and become the center of everyone's attention.

Below are three modern lounge songs that are great examples of this feel, and that each work because of different elements - showing that even within the narrower range of upbeat yet unobtrusive lounge music, there is a spectrum of sounds and atmospheres. The first, J. Axel’s “Every Part of the World,” uses a subtle but catchy melody and hint of airy vocals to create a sense of sexy rising energy. The second, Gerardo Frisina’s “Gosto De Que E Bom,” features a sly samba vibe that’s festive but never overwhelming. And the last song, a remix by Fort Knox Five of Torpedo Boyz’ “Are You Talking to Me,” takes a vintage-sounding R &B vocal riff, along with some organ and horn riffs, and deftly uses them to energize the song's beats and give the tune a touch of grittiness and warmth.

J. Axel - Every Part of the World

Gerardo Frisina - Gosto De Que E Bom

Torpedo Boyz - Are You Talking to Me??? (Fort Knox Five Remix)

We’ve DJ-ed many events where we’ve spun Arabic pop music – from weddings to corporate parties to recently a celebration involving many guests from the United Nations. At these events we often mix a range of styles and time periods - from the Western-influenced songs of modern performers like Amr Diab, Alabina, or Nancy Ajram, to vintage tunes by older but beloved Arabic pop singers like Fairouz, Dalida, or Hakim. Much of the time at events featuring Arabic pop, we find client requests tend to be either from Egypt or Lebanon - for example, all the artists just mentioned are from or have deep connections to one of those two countries. We’ve featured posts on some of these artists - go here to read one, and here to read another. Also, many Egyptian and Lebanese (as well as Moroccan) performers are also featured here in an Arabic music playlist we compiled.

Some of the reason for Egyptian and Lebansese pop being very prevalent comes from the immense popularity of many Egyptian and Lebanese artists around the Middle East – since in particular Egypt at times has been more permissive than other Arabic countries of pop music expression and its themes and performers, more artists have developed there. Also, those who leave the Middle East to settle in other areas of like New York bring their musical tastes with them, and since Egypt is a large producer of Arabic pop, expatriates will likely have heard it and may recall it fondly.

But in a city as big as New York, with so many cultural backgrounds, we don’t always spin Egyptian or Lebanese pop – sometimes we include (and clients request) Arabic pop from other countries from the Persian Gulf area, and we're grateful for this chance to diversify our Arabic pop selections. While performers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Iraq may not dominate the Arabic pop music world, we’ve found there is plenty of excellent artists out there to from the Persian Gulf region to be spun at all kinds of events featuring Arabic music, or dropped in now and then at events not featuring Arabic music specifically if a festive, romantic or exotic vibe is needed to take things in a slightly unexpected direction. Below are some great songs from the Gulf region, most released over the past few years.

“Halla Besh” from Saudi Arabian singer Abdelmajid Abdullah (pictured above), is traditional-sounding – it uses Arabic beats and instruments and a sweeping strings melody instead of the electronic dance elements that many Arabic performers have incorporated into their songs over the past generation – but its grand and orchestral - yet loose - feel make it ideal for a moment when you're kicking off a party, or resuming a dance set and you want to include all generations of guests:

Abdelmajid Abdullah - Halla Besh

Saudi singer Abdel El-Girini incorporates elements of R&B, hip-hop and electronica in “Baheb Ashoufak,” which, while taking a cue from artists like Ne-Yo and Usher from its production, still sounds exotic. It should appeal to fans of both Top 40 American and Arabic pop:

Abdel El-Girini - Baheb Ashoufak

“Shabab We Banat” by Kuwaiti group Miami Band (pictured right) from Kuwait, alternates a sunny calypso and soca vocal with a bright Arabic vocal to create a song with an expansive celebratory and uplifting feel:

Miami Band - Shabab We Banat

“La Titnahad” by Iraqi singer Kathem Al Saher is a great tune that blends Latin-sounding horns with a thick Arabic beat and an impassioned vocal to create a nice and warm celebratory vibe. This song was remixed by British-based world music electronica group Transglobal Underground, so some of your guests may recognize it a bit:

Kathem Al-Saher - La Titnahad

Sirvan Khosravi, an Iranian pop singer who, in 2009 was the first Iranian pop artist to have a song chart in Europe, here performs a tune called “Na Naro” that pulses along with a lush, sexy, late-night house beat and a seductive piano melody, and just might be the most accessible song here to those unfamiliar with Arabic pop:

Sirvan Khosravi - Na Naro

Many clients we've worked with have told us they wanted to use a favorite restaurant for their receptions, but they often find that they aren't able to do it because the restaurant doesn't have the resources to handle wedding receptions, or the price to rent the restaurant is too expensive. Thus, many clients end up going with their second choice - a reception hall with in-house staff. We've been DJ-ing in and around New York City for a long time, and our experience has taught us not every reception hall offers a rushed, generic or "cheesy" feel, but let's just say the image of the reception hall as having "cookie-cutter" services is at times based in reality.

The reception halls often will say they can make your celebration special and one-of-a-kind, but since these venues are designed to pack in many events they usually need to run them with an assembly-line mentality, and we've seen it's not very easy for these halls to pull off a feel of originality. At a restaurant, it's often easier for a couple (or a couple along with their DJ and other vendors) to craft a structure and feel for an event with a more personal style - since venues that don't do weddings every weekend often are more open to being flexible with the elements they recommend including in a reception and how to "flow" them. But, when thinking of choosing a restaurant for their reception, couples ask: can restaurants run weddings smoothly? Is there enough space to dance after dinner? And is it affordable? Well, just like every hall doesn't hold ten wedding receptions at once, we've found through working all over the city for many years that there are many excellent restaurants in and around the city able pull off wedding receptions that satisfy all these criteria - and the best thing is, there's an impressive diversity in styles (and unexpectedly great locations) out there.

In this post, as well as more posts soon to follow, we'll spotlight a few restaurants in and around New York City that are some of the best we've seen over the years for having a wedding reception. We've co-ordinated closely with these establishments and their accomodating staffs, observed guests raving about their food, used their layouts to provide a comfortable space for dancing, and know that the couples we've worked for who've booked these restaurants aren't millionaires. In short, these establishments give couples the whole package if they're looking to hold a reception at a restaurant and do it with style.

Thalassa - This Tribeca restaurant (pictured left), serving Greek and Mediterranean, is sleek and modern in its decor but has just enough exposed brick walls and mahogany wine cabinets to give it earthiness and warmth. The guests always remark how the food is excellent; the staff effortlessly knows how to handle the increased pace, coordination, and larger scale of a wedding; the managers are flexible with timelines and structuring the special moments of the reception like entrances, first dances, etc.; and after dinner, the space is just the right size to accommodate a decent-sized dancing area along with a portable bar nearby. For bigger parties, or simply for added flexibility in planning, there is also a downstairs wine cellar big enough to be used for either a lounge, dining room, or a dancing area. Go here for a sample of events we’ve DJ-ed at Thalassa over the years. Their website is www.thalassanyc.com

Golden Unicorn - Just south of Thalassa, in Chinatown, is the Golden Unicorn (pictured right), a gourmet Chinese restaurant that offers some of the best Chinese food in the city. This isn’t your typical food you may know from the corner Chinese place either. This is much more upscale and attractively-prepared. Dinners here for receptions feature an over 10 course meal of what essentially are small plates for each guest of more exotic and eclectic Chinese food. Its taste is always extremely delicious and accessible to even conservative palates - we know, as we've been there before watching hundreds of people of all cultures really enjoying the food. The courses come not too fast or not too slow, but just right - a clear sign that the restaurant is very used to handling wedding receptions. The venue’s atmosphere is in places grand and traditional, with plenty of red and, well, golden, creatures like unicorns and dragons present. But because most of this decor is centered around the dancing area, it makes the vibe feel very festive and fun, as the lights go down and people pack this part of the space. Of course, the restaurant is a great venue for Chinese weddings or multi-cultural weddings with a Chinese side, but it's a credit to the atmosphere and quality of the food that we've been here not just for Chinese weddings. For its slight grandiose atmosphere, the restaurant is so down-to-earth and friendly in terms of the staff's attitude. The managers we’ve worked at the Golden Unicorn also are able to help with Cantonese and/or Mandarin translations along with MC's if extensive translations are needed throughout the event, as some of the events we've done here have gone beyond the basic Chinese announcements that we often use in our MC-ing at Chinese weddings. Go here for a sample of events we've DJ-ed at the Golden Unicorn. Their website is www.goldenunicornrestaurant.com.

Riverview - This cozy but slyly chic restaurant (pictured left), located on the waterfront on the border of the Astoria and Long Island City neighborhoods of Queens, is a true hidden gem. It's located in a quiet, pretty area that day or night gives you spectacular views of the midtown Manhattan skyline; there's a broad-ranging, eclectic menu of food that always tastes fresh, a breezy, ethereal atmosphere that mingles angular modern decor with organic touches like a variety of flower and small tree branch arrangements; a stylish circular lounge/bar area; and a dining room that is both elegant and casual. Also, there's a room off to the side of the dining room where wedding ceremonies can be held. We and our clients have worked with the staff here and the managers are extremely flexible at planning a reception structure that fits any style, from "indie" or eclectic to more traditional or formal. The openness of the dining room also makes the transition from dinner to dancing very easy for guests. Go here for a sample of events we've DJ-ed at Riverview. Their website is www.riverviewny.com.
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On July 24th, New York State’s law allowing same-sex marriages went into effect. Throughout the state, and in New York City, a huge number of couples waited to take their vows in the early morning hours at various marriage bureaus. From the start of the day it seemed every news report on television, the internet, and in newspapers that you came across all remarked strongly on the intense feeling of thrill, giddy disbelief, and often the joyful release of emotions long-held inside.

We feel great that same-sex couples have finally won these new rights, but also, for a company like us that loves to plan and spin at all kinds of unique weddings – be  it same-sex marriages or those “other” kind – and has been doing it for years, this is also exciting for us professionally as well. Recently, Dan and I were interviewed for UK radio, on BBC Radio 1 (and featured in their on-line article), in which we talk about our enthusiasm for same sex weddings. The interview is below, and you can read the article here.

We anticipate there will be a huge increase in same-sex couples wanting to marry, and just like the other couples who tend to be attracted to our approach, gay and lesbian couples are going to want it to be a wedding personalized to them, and not some generic, cookie-cutter party with tired music and over-long or obnoxious MC announcements. We’re excited to what the future will bring, and to get to know what each of these couples see as their vision or vibe for their special day. Whether a couple envisions a celebration that’s more traditional, or wants a large-scale bash at a huge space, or prefers an eccentric, low-key lounge vibe, or desires a cozy gathering at an old converted brownstone – whatever the case, this kind of customization is what has been our specialty for a long time. We’re looking forward to working with more same-sex couples in this way – while also looking forward to integrating new ceremony or reception moments for these couples that may emerge as being popular crowd-pleasers at same-sex weddings

As a DJ company that is already experienced in planning and spinning at same-sex weddings, it’s really going to be fun and special for us to take that experience and match it with the joy and enthusiasm that we know so many gay and lesbian couples will have for planning their wedding, now that they are, after a long wait, official.

BBC Radio 1 Interview with djnyc