New York DJ

At most events that we spin at in New York City and the surrounding metro area – fashion shows, private parties, weddings, corporate mixers, etc. – the photographer is the vendor that we deal with closest. We all know the photographer goes into action when guests are dancing, singing along to a favorite tune, or doing something a bit more unique, like dusting off their breakdancing moves to an old-school hip-hop classic. But the photographer also reacts to the DJ in less obvious ways – as when the MC announces a speech, or when an unannounced moment from the event's schedule is set to occur on song's cue.

Because the photographer is often working in reaction to the DJ, if you're organizing an event, you need to ensure the photographer you hire doesn't interfere with the DJ's performance, as this could prevent the flow of the event from being as smooth as it could be. This does not just apply to an amateur or a moonlighting shutterbug friend you've hired – it can apply to those who have been working at their craft for a long time, as sometimes even these professionals can be inflexible in their ways. Now, we're usually not cynical about photographers – most of the ones we've dealt with at a wide range of events in many years of DJ-ing in and around New York City have been a pleasure to work with. But here and there we do encounter some that, well, don't exactly have their lens caps screwed on right.

Here's the some of the most awkward and problematic things we've seen photographers do – some coming from being too aggressive, others from being too passive – that has directly interfered with our performance, and often, with the flow and feel of the event as a whole:

1) Too Many Group Shots – This is the tactic that we've found will kill the mood on the dancefloor the most, and also the most obnoxious. Whether the photographer is instantly rounding up guests for a group shot as soon as guests begin to sing along or dance close together to a song, or if he or she is being even more obnoxious and calling everyone off the dancefloor into a whole other room, or outside to the front of the venue, for a group shot (yes, we have seen this last example actually happen), it's easy to see how even one moment like this ruins any momentum that is going on to the music. Not to say that it deprives guests of enjoying the rest of the song. And when you're dealing with an event like a more low-key event like a cocktail mixer or a client meet-and-greet, it might even harm things more, because if a few small pockets of dancing break out, a photographer breaking in to bark orders to assemble for a shot might permanently end any more fragile attempts at a little booty-shakin.'

2) Not Aware of Event Schedule – Though the schedules of event are often not running exactly on time, they usually won't vary wildly from a timeline that has been made at least a day or two before the event. This is why it is surprising to us when photographers approach five minutes before the start of an event and ask when the moments will be happening when they are needed. We're happy to go over it with them quickly, or show them our schedules. But if they need more time to discuss it, or re-arrange it, or having to keep reviewing it, this takes away attention we need to put on our job of playing music when, if they had the schedule and studied it a bit in the first place, they wouldn't need to co-ordinate with us as much, or could have done it with us earlier.

3) Smothering the Guests – Of course a photographer doesn't want to miss great or unique moments on the dancefloor, but if they keep immediately jumping in at every pair of guests that throw their hands in the air, it often makes guests – especially with more shy crowds, or people who want to dance a little at more low-key events – reluctant to "let go" like they may want. Also, smothering-by-camera may not be a tactic always motivated by the photographer’s enthusiasm to get every shot, but instead to get a bunch of shots quickly, so he or she can begin taking the night off early.

4) Using the DJ as a Concierge – We're happy to put the photographer's bags behind our DJ set-up, or give them a copy of the schedule of the night and go over it briefly, but if a photographer asks us to do things that require us to neglect our job just so they can relax a bit more, such as wanting us to run into another room and get them from their dinner when they're needed next (yes, this was asked of us recently by a photographer), that's beyond the call of our duty, and way below the call of theirs.

5) Not Allowing "Picture-Free Time" – Toward the end of the night, hopefully all the photos have been taken that are needed, and the guests can have some time to simply move around freely on the dancefloor with no strobes popping, light boxes glaring, or tripods to awkwardly dance around. Now, if a photographer is going to be at the event the entire time, it's great to have them ready in case a great shot develops. Yet, often photographers will shoot an event relentlessly from beginning to end, regardless of the size or uniqueness of a moment, and this can often stifle the mood at the time that the crowd should be at its most loosened up.

Luckily, to avoid each of these potentially disruptive situations, you don't need to do much more than to clarify to your photographer these reasonable expectations – that you don't want group shots done when the dancing is at its peak, that he or she will be getting a copy of the schedule and they should know when they need to be present, and that you expect he or she will not be obnoxiously "in the face" of guests all night. Just the mentioning of this will likely eliminate any tendency a photographer might have to do things like those mentioned above, and the flow of your event will be natural and smooth.

When people think of the music that a DJ spins at fashion shows, especially New York City fashion shows, they probably imagine the songs that play as the models walk down the runway and the cameras flash. Whether this music be the often-used fast, pulsating beats of electronic house music or something else, the music used for the actual “show” part of the fashion show is often the most fussed over by the event organizers, designers, and the DJ. This is expected, as this is the music that most directly will be accenting the presentation of the clothing designs and influencing the mood the designs leave with the audience.

But when it comes to the “framing music” – songs played when people arrive, in between designers' clothing lines, for curtain calls, and for exit songs – we’ve seen at the fashion shows we've DJ-ed (photos of these shows are featured here), that there is less of a concern as to its craft as there is crafting the runway music. However, if done well, the framing music can be used to steer the audience’s mood to the way an organizer or designers wish, just as songs played while the models are on the runway. More importantly, though, if the framing music is not done well, or an untested DJ is given too much freedom to improvise, the framing music can detract from the atmosphere you want to be in place throughout the show. (For a post exclusively on advice for fashion show arrival music, go here.)

Here are some of the most important things we think there are to consider, and then to discuss with your DJ, about your fashion show framing music so that you can work together make the music the most effective it can be to enliven the feel that you want to create:  

Length – No  one in the audience likes to arrive on time but then be rushed to their seats, nor do they like  to wait so long that they grow impatient. Whether for arrivals or for intermissions, the “sweet spot” lies in having enough time to take in the surroundings for a bit and to let the feel of the music sink in. This is especially important if there is a different mood being created after each presentation of designs, whether from the same designer or different ones. The music needs time to work to shift people’s mood, and that often takes at least a few songs, but should not last a half-hour, either. Often the time that music is played for arrivals and intermissions is dictated by the time needed to prep for each designer or clothing line presentation, but this does not mean that just because a five-minute turnaround is possible means that the intermission should also be this length.  

Energy – While framing music can be of many, many styles, generally it tends to be fairly upbeat and friendly. However, if a designer wants to put the audience in a more dark atmosphere or a more coarse one to accent the mood of a clothing line, they should, first, not be shy about it (as long as the music isn’t extremely intense as to cause annoyance or ear damage, of course), as it can become part of the fun of the show, and, second, they will need to communicate this to the DJ, as moods like this can often require a more carefully-crafted approach.

Familiarity – Some organizers and/or designers prefer to include framing music at their fashion shows that is accessible, cool-sounding stuff that is very obscure and likely has not been heard by most in the audience. Others prefer to play a mix of songs that are very well known. Still others mix it up, playing a few interesting obscurities followed by an “anchor” of a more familiar song to make people feel comfortable. The important thing here is to think about what you believe the designs need and what the audience would like. Sometimes these match; other times they don’t. Regardless, thinking about which situation it might be will give you one more valuable piece of information for the DJ to make your event’s music the best it can be.  

Shape – If an organizer or designer chooses to have some sort of stylistic progression to their fashion show – say, where more subtle designs  are shown first, followed by ones that are increasingly loud – it could work to give the audience a more sharp sense of the designers’ style spectrum to build the framing music along with the progression of the clothing's mood. In the case mentioned, this could mean using songs that are more ethereal to start the arrivals, followed by music that is increasingly more intense with each intermission. Of course, the musical “shape” of your framing music will depend on what kind of atmospheric build (if any) there is to your fashion show.  

Variation – If a show is made up of many different designers who have very different styles, all kinds of musical variation can be a great thing, and something to consider featuring in your show. A complete change in the musical mood at intermission can be a great technique to use to perfectly emphasize a “clean break” with the previous designs, and get the audience into the mood that you want for the upcoming designs. For these kind of shows, the audience arrival time can be covered with a well-crafted mix of all the music styles you have chosen to use.

When we meet to talk with clients about music for their event, often the first thing we notice is that they've already dejectedly decided the music they really like and want to hear won't be able to be played at their event.

It may be a designer in a fashion show thinking that the music she wants to use for her fashion line will be too ethereal a sound to keep the audience interested. Or a couple who loves moody acoustic indie pop but thinks it would be too much of a downer to play a little at their wedding Or an organizer of a corporate party who worries that the employees won’t dance because they tend to like raw Southern hip-hop and their bosses wouldn’t. Whatever the case, whatever the event, it seems this kind of unfortunate premature musical censorship is everywhere.

It often comes from a good place of common sense or consideration, like an organizer at a art opening knowing that prospective buyers might not want to hear his beloved deep cuts of ‘70s classic rock all night long. But some of our clients’ decisions that their favorite songs or genres won’t work comes not from a good place at all, but instead from having met with conventional, unimaginative DJs that tend to work for bigger, more cookie-cutter DJ companies. We’ve heard from these clients that some of these DJs have told them straight up that the only way to get a party movin’ is to play disco all night.

Whatever the reason for clients' doubts in the music they love, one of the first things we tell them – no matter what their event –  is to open up their mind, revisit their CD collection or iPod, and make their “dream list” of songs they want to hear, with no censoring allowed. Put anything in you would love to hear. Not only does it make the process of selecting music easier, but also more fun. It will get you excited about the possibilities of hearing this music, as opposed to nixing songs right away and feeling frustrated that the soundtrack to the event is already not what you would like.

Now, will all these "dream songs" end up making the cut when the event arrives? Sometimes many of them do, sometimes they don't. But what always happens is that when we see these “dream lists” and talk a bit with the client to see what music is most important to them, we can then use our experience in knowing what of these songs will work given the mood that is wanted at the event, as well as what kind of guests will be there, and what kind of structure the event will have. Then we can suggest which songs to keep, which to think about not using. For example, a pair of melancholy indie songs at the more sedate moments in a wedding can feel absolutely right and even moving. So can a set of obscure hardcore punk during the more boisterous moments of a corporate party. And even a little experimental progressive rock can enhance the feeling of an art opening, if played at the right time.

By far, many more of the songs you really want at your event then you ever think you can play are actually able to be fit in, but not only that, they can be made to add to the atmosphere of the event. But to do it, you have to begin by letting the DJ know what you really want to hear. And if that DJ looks at your list, smirks, and says something about how you can't have a party without having "the Y" on your list, well, you know the time has come to find a different DJ.

Venues such as reception halls, country clubs, inns and the like are often a popular choice when looking for a place to hold your wedding celebration. These establishments are designed to host weddings and therefore, the thought goes, are more well-equipped and experienced when it comes to dealing with all of the planning, coordination, and often complicated execution that managing a successful wedding celebration involves. Also, "turn-key" venues like this can be cheaper than lofts, restaurants or more eclectic spaces.

Well, not so fast. We’ve DJ-ed for years at all kinds of these venues throughout the New York City metropolitan area. And while yes, having your wedding at a hall or a country club definitely takes much work out of the management of a wedding in that these venues can be a “one-stop shop” for major components of your celebration (the space, the food, a banquet manager) we’ve also found that sometimes – not all the time, but sometimes – the sheer “usualness” of the venue’s normal procedures can lead to inflexibility and a dull "assembly-line" mentality (see the extremely festive photo above of the "Party House") toward events that can get in the way of making your celebration as special as it could be.

Here's the three major ways in which we've found this often happens:

1) They Pack in Too Many Receptions

People sometimes refer cynically to halls and country clubs as “wedding factories” since they schedule many different weddings a day there, and often at the same time. Once, when performing a wedding at one of these venues, one of our DJs returned to the reception room thinking it was the wedding he was working, only to see a moment later that there was a DJ he didn’t recognize already behind the table – whoops, wrong wedding! His was the one next door.

This sounds ridiculous, but since weddings are huge business for these venues, some try to pack in the receptions as if they’re simply a more elaborate karaoke party. And what’s worse, the walls of the rooms in these venues can sometimes be fairly thin – sometimes we’ve even been able to hear the DJ and his booming bass booming in the reception room next to ours. This atmosphere all makes your reception seem not at all special and unique – on a day when that’s what many, if not all, couples want most for themselves and their guests.

So, if you’re set on a banquet hall or any venue that regularly holds weddings, make sure to ask how many other weddings will be around you and how close they will be. Ask to come in on a typical night to see how the venue arranges these weddings. Or, surprise them – just simply dress up a bit, go to one of these venues, and peek inside the place. You’ll quickly know if you like what you’re seeing – if the place keeps a certain amount of respectable distance between the location of the weddings, or if they intend on treating you like newlywed sardines.

2) Their Reception Timeline Might Not Be Best for Your Party

This is something we’ve often seen at venues that do a lot of weddings – the schedule or timeline of the reception is rigidly based on how the venue is used to serving the food courses. Many times, this means that, in order for the staff to more quickly put down courses and take them away, the banquet manager tells couples they need to have dancing sets at certain intervals. For some couples, this is fine. But for others – knowing their crowd won’t want to dance too early in the reception, a desire to have longer, more uninterrupted dancing sets, or simply wanting dancing to being a little later, when people have more drinks in them – these dance sets feel too unnatural or “forced.”

If a couple asks to “alter” the usual template of food service – say, to collapse the time between courses, so the flow of the dinner feels more like you’re at a restaurant – the venue will sometimes tell you that can’t be done. What they aren’t telling you is why they don’t want to do it, and that usually has to do with their convenience, not yours. For example, it’s easier for the staff to clear the tables when people are out on the dance floor. Again, if you don’t mind having two 20-minute dance sets before dinner, no problem – often these sets can be great fun.

However, if you want to plan things a bit more your way, make sure to have an alternate plan to suggest (a meeting with your DJ should be able to help you to plan a night that maximizes the mood you want; we do this regularly with clients), and, if you find the venue is reticent to it, ask why changing things would be difficult. Also, mention what you care about most. For example, you can explain that you don’t mind if people are at their seats when the food is put down and taken away since you’d rather have 10 minutes of sitting down in between courses than 20-minute dance sets after the appetizer and the salad. Sometimes the mangers of these venues, knowing what makes you happy, are very willing to change things around once they know your preferences, even though they're slightly different than what most couples at these venues do. Other times, to these venue managers, requests that mean going off their template are not met with much enthusiasm no matter what, and you might get the sense they don’t enjoy it or will simply ignore it, like when you ask McDonalds’ to make a cheeseburger with light ketchup and no onions.

3) Your Maitre'd Could Be a Hardass

Sorry to be a little harsh, but this is the most accurate way to put it. Unfortunately, we’ve run into this unfortunate situation at halls and country clubs more than a few times. Of course you want your maitre’d to run a tight ship, but not to be a robot or an inflexible jerk. Why would this be a big problem? Simple – because it can squelch great moments during the reception. For example, if the cake cutting is scheduled to happen at 10 p.m. and there’s a killer dance set going and guests are having an orgasmic time, the maitre’d or head waiter should give the DJ a song or two to let the moment breathe or to at least let the DJ finish the song. It’s hard to believe, but we’ve had many a maitre’d come over to us, and, seeing a full, high-energy dancefloor, tell us to cut the music and announce the cake cutting song. When we ask them if we can at least finish up the song, these party-deaf staffers simply huff away or tell us again, tersely, as if we spit in their face, to cut the music. It’s pretty astonishing, the ability to be that numb to a room of people enjoying themselves so throroughly.

To make sure you don’t get a maitre’d like this, ask to meet yours, and emphasize that you as a couple will be happy if the timeline is a little behind if it means a special moment can go a bit longer. If you can't meet the maitre’d beforehand, make this point with the head of the staff , banquet maanger, or whoever is in charge so the maitre’d is sure to get the request. Doing this may eliminate the problem of rigidity, if it’s coming from a place of wanting to make sure you’re happy. If it doesn’t solve the problem, and you still get soem sort of insistence on sticking to the timeline, you know the inflexibility is coming from another place, like a desire to simply want to sleepwalk though a shift. And that usually means it’s time to look for a different venue.