New York DJ

Avoiding "Hora Drama" at Your Wedding, Part 2: Ensuring a Great Dance by Considering Some Often-Forgotten Basics

If you’ve decided to have a Hora at your wedding, we've learned from many years of performing at Jewish or half-Jewish weddings that you then need to make sure you consider a few elements for making the Hora successful that we find couples or even wedding planners fail to address – mainly because these factors are so elementary that they're often not thought about during the overall wedding preparation.

(To help determine what type of Hora to have, or other, less-common but still enlivening ways to include Jewish music at your wedding, read Part I of our “Avoiding Hora Drama” post.)

The Hora, as many probably know, is a type of circle dance that usually results in the bride and groom and sometimes other family members being lifted up in chairs. It has long been popular at Jewish or half-Jewish weddings - something evident from the covers of these two vintage mid-century albums of Jewish music pictured. Part of the Hora's appeal is in how simple it is to create, and how suddenly it can provide a burst of festiveness. So, you might think, what preparations does there need to be? Just make sure everyone’s in the reception room, throw on “Hava Nagila,” have guests grab a few chairs, get a few strong guys and the bride and groom, and Mazel Tov! You’re totally partyin', mensch.

Well, the Hora often seems to happen with that impromptu feel, but just because of that doesn’t mean there wasn’t some planning and choices behind it. Here’s what we've found in are the most important elements often overlooked when it comes to the Hora:

1) Do It Before The Guests Are Too Drunk – Many couples don’t realize as much as they should that too much alcohol and heavy bodies being held aloft in chairs for several minutes could be kind of dangerous. So, if you know your guests are the kind who will be drinking a lot through the night, it might be better to get the Hora out of the way early, at the beginning of the reception, while at least the strongest guys are in control of themselves to not drop anyone. If you know the drinking will be lighter, you have a bit more freedom to do the Hora later in the reception, such as after the main course. If you’re not sure about how much drinking will take place, always assume there will be more, just to be safe, and have the Hora earlier – not necessarily as the first element in the reception, but perhaps in between the first courses or at least before the main course. The one timing recommendation that we can say applies no matter what is to never have the Hora much later than right after the main course, the reason being that not long after this, people are usually a bit tipsy and even tired due to a few solid hours of imbibing and dancing.

2) Always Have the MC Announce It – Though most people, especially in and around New York City, know what the Hora is and what to do when it starts, we find that you usually can’t just put on a well-known festive Jewish song like “Siman Tov” or “Hava Nagila” and have guests suddenly rise to their feet and start singing and dancing like the cast of Fiddler on the Roof. An instance comes to mind where, over our polite objections, a wedding planner insisted we not announce the Hora because, who knows, she figured a movie moment like described above could magically happen. Well, we did what she said, and when the song began, the guests looked around, confused. We knew they were thinking something like, so, wait, do we do the Hora now? A moment later, seeing nothing was going to happen without some guidance, we announced the Hora, and just like that everyone got up happily and started to party. The lesson is simple: Guests need to know the Hora is happening when it is about to happen. They may think it is when they hear the familiar opening melody of a song, but because guest usually don’t want assume too much and risk embarrassment, and because the bride and groom or best man don’t have time to ready all the guests on their own, the reception needs a simple announcement that the Hora is about to begin. This also builds a bit of anticipation as people come out to the dance floor, gives guests a moment to round up some chairs and to get the bride and groom ready, and to get any stragglers back from the bar.

3) Consider How Much Hora They’re Going to Want – Though it’s often difficult to predict how long a Hora will last or how wild a Hora will be, it’s important to spend a few moments at least considering it. Think of your guests a bit – is there a group that you know that really loves Hora dances from other celebrations you’ve attended with them? Or are you having the Hora not mostly because you want it but simply to please your parents or other relatives? Do your guests as a whole tend to be a more rowdy group, or do they need some encouragement to let loose? Do the bride's and groom's sides know each other, or is there not much crossover of friend groups between the two sides? Considering factors like this may help you determine how long of a Hora should be played, and if the traditional songs can go deeper than the usual favorites or if there should be simply a quick medley of the most familiar festive Jewish songs. Once you’ve decided on the length and type of songs, or if you simply can’t determine it – you can then, in the case of the former situation, ask if your DJ has the appropriate length and/or song selections you need, or, in the case of the latter situation, make sure the DJ is prepared with a variety of songs to play it by ear and let the MC know to be ready to possibly encourage the crowd a bit if they're a little shy.

Avoiding “Hora Drama” at Your Wedding, Part 1: Determining What Kind of Hora Music Is Right for You

Because we've DJ-ed at many Jewish - and/or partly Jewish - weddings over the years, we’ve become quite familiar with the importance of the Hora - the spirited traditional circle dance that usually results in the bride and groom being lifted on chairs into the air during the reception. But often, it’s not just making sure the dance is included that’s important – also of concern to the couple is where to place the dance during the reception, or how long it should last, or if it should take a less or more traditional style. And sometimes, there are couples who wonder if they should even have a Hora at all.

Basically, clients have different expectations when it comes to the Hora, and they often turn to us for advice since we have much experience orchestrating many styles and lengths of Hora dances. Here are a few tips to consider that we think will make you come to a more definite decision on what kind of Hora is right for you – from a 20 minute klezmer blowout dance marathon to, perhaps, no Hora at all but instead simply a few old and new Jewish tunes sprinkled throughout the wedding.

1) Don’t Underestimate the Old Favorites – Some couples, when first thinking about the Hora, wearily  roll their eyes and tell us they probably have to "throw it in" to satisfy the parents or to give their wedding a respectful nod to tradition. These couples often feel the typical songs in the Hora, usually performed with the klezmer, like "Hava Nagila," "Siman Tov," and "Ose Shalom," just to name a few, are either too square, or the couple is sick of hearing them at events over the years and want to steer clear of what they think will be a stale moment. And while we’re always sensitive to the overplayed - or simply to a couples specific tastes - we often gently tell clients skeptical or pessimistic about the traditional Hora (which, on average, lasts about 10 minutes with medium-sized crowds) to imagine the mood that will be present during the reception – the guests in an exuberant (and often somewhat liquored-up) mood, the lights low, the music pumping. In this festive environment, a well-timed, traditional Hora usually raises the energy. Keep in mind, the Hora is about your guests wanting to celebrate you, so this might be a time to go "big" and familiar so they all can be included.

2) Look Beyond the Klezmer – Some couples, after considering the first point, still feel they want a less traditional Hora. They want to have the circle dance and to be lifted up in chairs, but they want a more original soundtrack – using songs the crowd will know, but that are performed in an unexpected way. In this case, we tell these clients that there are plenty of  killer cover versions of many of the well-known Jewish songs listed above. Probably the most famous, “Hava Nagila,” has many great cover versions out there, from futuristic-sounding electronic house remixes, to hip-hop renditions, to jazzy lounge remakes. A recent popular cover of the song was done by a young British R & B singer, Lauren Rose, and was a huge hit in England a couple winters ago. A version of "Hava Nagila" recorded much earlier but that still sounds quite badass and hip is Dick Dale’s surf guitar instrumental version. Stringing together a few old favorites covered in unique ways - or simply repeating one of these songs twice or three times if you want a shorter Hora - offer a way to be more offbeat but also not baffle the crowd with your Hora music.

3) Use A Dash of Jewish Music, Even if You're Not Having a Hora – There are still those couples - often who aren’t very religious or who are only having partially Jewish weddings - who don’t want a Hora at all, but do want a bit of Jewish music of some sort played at their reception or cocktail hour. For these couples, we recommend playing some of the aforementioned cover versions of well-known songs in a style or styles that they enjoy, or playing a few klezmer songs here and there throughout the night to offer a nice reminder of heritage but not so much as to get people up and dancing, or still yet to explore new Jewish music in a variety of genres that may nod to tradition a bit in sound and/or lyrics. A great example of this last category is Matisyahu, an orthodox Jewish singer who has gained worldwide notoriety for his fusion of a sunny reggae dancehall sound with lyrics about his devotion and faith.

Below are some examples of songs mentioned here - first, covers of "Hava Nagila" by Lauren Rose and then by Dick Dale - and last a great tune from Matisyahu, "Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light)."

Lauren Rose - Hava Nagila (Baby Let's Dance)

Dick Dale - Hava Nagila

Matisyahu - Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light)

Hiring a Non-Cheesy DJ: How to Make Sure the DJ You Hire for Your Event Actually Likes Music

Trying to determine if your DJ likes music may sound silly – if they're DJs, a passion for music, or at least for a few styles of music, is a given, right? Well, unfortunately, it's not. Over the years of being in the mobile DJ business in the New York City metropolitan area, we've seen first hand - and heard from many clients - that often DJs and DJ companies don't seem to put a lot of attention to diversifying their playlists or taking the time to create an original mix of songs that is both accessible and fresh.

You probably know the kind of DJs I'm talking about – the cheeseball who cracks lame one-liners and wears a "cur-razy" silver sequined suit to incite you to getting up to dance to tired disco hits; or the cooler-than-thou hipster behind the turntables that yes, really knows his one genre of music, but, unfortunately, that’s all he knows, and so he plays it to death all night; or the DJ company that comes with a bunch of “party motivators” dressed in sexy or silly costumes and practically rips you out of your chairs after dinner, bullying you into dancing to a generic mix of recent Top 40 singles.

Yes, these are all things we’ve either witnessed or have had clients witness. Perhaps you have as well. And seeing this kind of thing calls into question that very basic assumption that a DJ actually likes music. If more of them did, maybe they'd be able to switch between genres more impressively, or need less gimmicks to cover up the limp quality of their song selections.

You’d think that even if a DJ or DJ company wasn’t that into the songs and instead more into the entertainment or MCing part of an event, at least they’d put a little time in to freshen up their playlist a bit for the events at which they spin. But this takes a bit more effort – to do it, you often need to meet more than once with a client to learn more about their specific musical preferences, or you need to spend time discovering what songs are popular in a newer or vintage genre that you might not be that familiar with. It’s much easier for these DJs or DJ companies to simply stay in their limited musical comfort zone, or to “help out” lame songs by doing something like having party motivators put on plastic dog masks and bark at guests as the DJ spins "Who Let the Dogs Out." (Unfortunately, that's a real anecdote about a DJ company that we recently heard from a client.)

So, to help you find someone who’s actually excited about crafting a playlist for your event instead of relying on a tired, limited, or a one-size-fits-all mix of songs, here’s a few questions you can ask when you interview DJs or DJ companies for your event. We welcome these questions from clients, and the good thing about asking these questions is that after you do, you should know from the DJ’s answers rather quickly whether they’re enthusiastic about music or certain genres of it rather quickly – luckily, passion tends to be hard to fake.

1) Ask The DJ What They Like to Listen to On Their Own – You can quickly find out a little information about a DJs personal preferences if you ask them this question. While they may tell you about songs or artists that you haven’t heard of, or ones couldn’t play at your event (the DJ may even be aware of this and mention it to you, just so you don't get worried), getting an indication of their private tastes can be a window into seeing how unusually deep they are into a few types of music, or be the start of a slightly too detailed but endearing story about their large vintage record collection that's threatening to take over their apartment. These answers are both good indicators that there's a real enthusiasm for music going on there. Or, on the other hand, this question could result in an answer from the DJ about how they really dig the newest popular dance songs, like that new one "Tonight's the Night" by The Black Guy Peas, and you'll try to not crack your smile or a laugh since they don't even realize they got the name of the song and the band wrong. You get the idea - either way, whether the answer's good or bad, after asking this question you’ll probably have a better idea of what the DJ is more familiar with musically, and what they’re not.

2) Ask Them How They Got Started – This is a great way to see where their experience and motivation is coming from. In the answer, you might get a pleasant story about how the DJ was inspired by how his father would sit down by the record player and share his soul 45s with him when he was a kid. Or, again, on the other hand, you might find out that the DJ mostly runs a computer printer replacement cartridge business but DJs because his brother recently left him with the equipment and song library after moving to Arizona, so hey, why not? Now, this kind of answer doesn't automatically mean a DJ like that doesn’t enjoy music a lot, but it probably also means that his motivation lies more in seeing entrepreneurship opportunities than it does in crafting an original mix of songs for several hours.

3) Ask Them What They Like Best About DJing – By asking this question, you can often see where a DJ’s specific passions are. Some may tell you they love the preparation of listening to the requests of the client and thinking about how they will likely fit these in with the songs that the DJ already feels will work for that client. Others may tell you they really enjoy that they’ve learned to move around organically between genres of music that one might not think would go together automatically, and in doing this, feel they make guests appreciate songs a little more that they might not have before. Or, some might give you a vague and slightly hesitant answer about how they love “just...playin’ the music…for the crowd…and, you know…just playin’…all kinds of great tunes.” In this case, it’s a safe bet that their passion is simply collecting your check at the end of the event.

What We've Learned About Day-Of Coordinators for New York City-Area Weddings, Part 3: The Potential Nightmares of Hiring a Bad One

In the last two posts on this topic, we discussed, first, how to determine if you need a day-of wedding coordinator, and then, second, how to make sure you get a good one. Here, in our third and final entry, we cover the reasons why a bad day-of person is almost always worse than having none at all, and, if they're really bad, could even have you shouting the title of the vintage Northern Soul record below: "Please Stop the Wedding!"

Before we break down these reasons, please note that we are discussing only day-of coordinators - not traditional wedding planners who work with clients to arrange their event from start to finish. Here we’re talking about a person who is concerned with scheduling, putting out fires, and making sure things run smoothly on the day or days leading up to the wedding. And, once again, we feel that we've got some authority to address this topic since in DJing all types and sizes of weddings in New York City and the metropolitan area for many years, we've seen an incredible range of good, so-so, and very bad day-of people, as well as the fact that we ourselves have done wedding planning and schedule coordination on our own.

So, here we go, why a bad day-of person is really a bad thing:

1) The Couple Will Be Paying for Screw Ups – The most obvious reason that it’s worse to have a bad day-of coordinator than none at all is that if they screw things up by, say, forgetting specific instructions from the bride about a last-minute change to the flower arrangements, or for some reason is passionately insisting the DJ play the recessional song while the officiant's still talking, it could become not just an awkward or uncomfortable moment for the couple and their guests, but it’s also costing money, as most of these coordinators aren't known to work "pro bono." But if the couple did things themselves, or allowed vendors you trust to deal with their parts of the scheduling and flow alone, while it might be a little more work, at least they’d have a smoother day, and be saving money.

2) If There’s Not Enough Control, It Puts Last-Minute Pressure On Vendors – If, from the start, vendors are expected to do certain things at the wedding, they’ll know that they need to follow-through. For example, as DJs, if we know that there will be no day-of coordinator, we prepare for a wedding by asking many more questions and making sure to get these answers from the couple about how their wedding will be flowing, and make sure that all is in place for us do act as a de-facto day- of coordinator of the event timeline, as well as being a great DJ and MC. But if we’ve been told all along that there will be a day-of coordinator taking care of this, we might not be as ready for suddenly being put into the role of taking over another job all night, and it could effect and conflict with our expected jobs of DJing and MCing. This example applies to all vendors equally – florists, caterers, the officiant, etc. Invariably, when there’s a day-of coordinator, vendors are told this ahead of time at some point, and vendors assume they can at least use the day-of  person as a “go to” guide during the night. If the coordinator then doesn’t have any authority, or is in over their head, or leaves early or often, the vendors then are left to co-ordinate things themselves, and the event may not run nearly as smoothly.

3) If The Coordinator Is In Control But Inexperienced, It Creates Potential Conflict With Vendors – A good day-of wedding coordinator knows how to balance their authority and expertise on “flowing” a smooth event, but at the same time deferring - when appropriate - to the expertise or insistence of a vendor like a florist, caterer, or a DJ. A bad day-of person will not take advice from a vendor, even if the vendor may be trying to steer the coordinator away from a potential awkward moment for the wedding. For example, we had an experience at a popular city venue recently where the day-of person told us to play dance music so the guests would dance as they came down the narrow and steep staircase from the cocktail area to the reception room. It seemed like she envisioned it to be normal for the guests to be already dancing as they came down the stairs. First, simply from our insurance company’s standpoint, this would be a nightmare. Second, even though it was in the city, this is not a Broadway musical version of a wedding, this is a real wedding! But this day-of person insisted, over our objections, that we do this, so we ended up having to make a potentially contentious executive decision and not do what she suggested. Instead we played bouncy and lively music as the guests entered the room, but not full-on dance music, and the client was happy. We knew they would be, since this is what they had told us they wanted from the start! This kind of dicey situation is also equally applicable to all vendors at a wedding: A bad day-of coordinator may have clunky, or overly-ambitious, or inappropriate ideas – whether it’s simply from inexperience, or from some burning desire to finally use that college theater degree. But wherever it comes from, these misguided notions can often put a vendor’s expertise and loyalty to what the couple said they wanted against what the day-of person suddenly insists the vendor do.

4) Lingering Problems After the Wedding – Okay, so the day-of person was bad, there was a few definite screw-up on her or his part, and now the couple is disappointed and angry. And the coordinator still wants their money. Here’s another battle you’re going to have to fight, good luck! The wedding is over, so shouldn’t the stress be, too? Well, not if the day-of person doesn’t see what they did wrong and you're demanding money knocked off their fee due to the flubbed moments. This is the last thing you want to be dealing with at the airport as you're called to the gate to board the flight to your Costa Rica honeymoon. And if your day-of person was a friend and this situation happens, double the stressful feelings. And these might not be stressful feelings over money so much as over something even more serious - the continuing good health of a friendship.

So, what’s a great way to avoid all these potential nightmares? We come back to the beginning: See the first paragraph of this post, and click on the links for the first two posts on this topic, and instead of nightmares of your wedding day, you'll only have pleasant dreams. Awww...

What We’ve Learned About Day-Of Coordinators for New York City-Area Weddings (Part 2): Avoiding Planners Who Don't "Get" You

In the previous post on this subject, we covered how to determine if you need a day-of wedding coordinator – a planner whose job it is to ensure at the time of your event that everything flows smoothly, that any sudden last-minute alterations are implemented quickly, and any emergencies that pop up are overcome. If you’ve decided that you indeed do need a day-of coordinator, here’s how to make sure you get a good one, and, more specifically, someone who's going to be able to execute the vision of your wedding beyond just making things a basic and stiff event, like the old album cover art below suggests.

First, just a word about why we - a group of DJs - are writing this, and feel we can comment with authority: Over our years of experience performing at weddings in New York City and the surrounding area we’ve seen that there's so many more wedding styles out there than the traditional formal (and many would say stuffy) wedding. Because we've performed at, and helped create day-of timelines for such a variety of weddings, we know 1) when a day-of coordinator tends to be needed or not, 2) what separates the good ones from the bad ones, and perhaps most surprisingly, 3) that having a bad day-of coordinator can often be worse than having none at all.

Again, in the first post on this topic we covered how to know if you need a day-of person. So, here we go with our second post: how to ensure you hire a wedding planner who knows what she or he is doing:

1) Experience Matters, But Not Just Any Experience - Of course, most of you will know that you'll want a day-of planner with a good amount of experience at this kind of work. But many couples don't think further than this, and you should. Specifically, make sure that the day-of person you hire has experience at executing a wedding schedule that is like the one you are having - be it for the same size wedding, with the same style, and at the same kind of location. For example, if your wedding tends to be on the less traditional end of the spectrum and you don't want certain components of the "usual" wedding such as a bridal party introduction, an announced entrance at the start of the reception, or a cake cutting, you want to make sure the planner has practice executing these kind of more eclectic timelines with ease and smoothness, and not defaulting to the more "standby' schedules by the end of the wedding because they feel the wedding "needs it", since that's all she or he is used to seeing at a reception. To ensure you find out what kind of experience a wedding planner has, you shouldn't have to dig too deeply. A phone call or email exchange can be sufficient to find this out, and if you get to the stage of an in-person interview, make sure to ask the planner what kinds of weddings they feel most comfortable planning, and which kinds they've been a part of the most. Any planner worth their weight in datebooks and PDAs should detail this for you, as well as give you some couples' references.

2) Get Someone Good With Control, But Flexible, Too – Being an in-control decision maker on the day of the wedding is very important, especially if emergencies pop up, but being too quick to exclude moments thay may occur just to stick to the schedule can often squelch the energy of the event. A good day-of planner will know when to back off and let things flow for a bit. For example, if a guest not on the schedule wants to give a last-minute toast, you want to make sure that the planner will at least ask the couple if this is okay, as opposed to being so concerned with timing that the planner simply tells this guest that it can't be done. Another example - more close-to-home for us DJs - is when a dance set is scheduled to end for a dinner course but the energy is still high and the dance floor is still full, you don't want a day-of coordinator who tells the DJ to immediately fade out the song and tell everyone to take their seats. Great day-of planners will be sure to have a quick decisions, but often that decision needs to be to back off control for a bit. So, how do you determine if a planner will have this sort of ability? Asking their references is a good way to find out; asking their boss is another way, if they're from a larger company. But simply telling them directly hat you expect this(and, if you don't talk to them much between hire and the day of the wedding, now and then repeating it) is the best way to ensure they keep it in the forefront of their mind on the day of the event . 

3) If Your Day-Of Planner Is a Friend, Be Honest With Yourself - You might know a friend who has some experience with day-of planning, and often this is a way to save money, or just help out a person you like. This is great, but make sure your frugalness and/or altruism doesn't blind you to the possibility that the friend might not know at all what they're doing. We've DJ-ed weddings before where friends (or friends of friends) have been doing the day-of planning and it quickly became obvious from their running severely behind in the schedule, or from the lack of their presence at key moments in the event, that they were completely overwhelmed. It might be tough, but you should ask these friends or acquaintances directly about their experience, or at least ask others about it. If the friend takes offense to being asked about their background with day-of planning, well, then you already know something about their fragile temperament, and this might make you think again about having them guide the flow of your wedding.

4) Learn the Fine Print About The Planner You Want - When you've found a good day-of coordinator you'd like to hire, make sure that you know what you are getting in the deal. If they are good at what they do, chances are they are in demand, and this can bring up a few areas of potential difficulty. For example, a planner like this may charge more for overtime, or may only allow a certain number of consultations for the intial fee. Also, they might double-book during a day, and if yours is the later wedding and there’s traffic on the highway that afternoon, they could be arriving late. We’re not saying these planners aren't worth their money or that it's not worth dealing with their busy schedules, but make sure you ask them how available they are before you sign the contract, just so you’re both on the same page.

Now, just in case you're still thinking of going with the planner you think might not be all that great, in the next post, we'll cover the reasons why not having any day-of coordinator is better than having a bad one.

What We've Learned About Day-Of Coordinators for New York City-Area Weddings (Part 1): Throwing Out Dusty Old Assumptions

While the old wedding music album cover image pictured below might be sweetly anachronistic, most couples' idea of a perfect wedding is not probably not that cliche and storybook-ishly square. But right up until today - whether a couple is planning a celebration that's very formal, more casual, somewhere in between, or entirely unconventional - couples still have a very idealistic image of their wedding day, and with it, what they believe they will need to help make it a reality.

A major piece of helping ensure their vision goes just as they want is the wedding planner. From working with so many couples on their weddings over the years, we've found that those who use or do not use long-term wedding planners have a large variety of reasons for it that are hard to predict - sometimes the couple is having a small wedding, but they're living on opposite coasts and need a "point person" to help bring ideas together. Sometimes there are large weddings that have many unusual elements to them, but the couple doesn't hire a wedding planner because they simply don't want to pay the money, or they get a friend or relative to do the job. In other words, hiring a long-term wedding planner seems to be a decision that often goes beyond what the DJ sees in how he or she helps a couple with their wedding schedules and timelines.

However, it is much easier for us to give you some valuable and some not-too-obvious advice on "day-of" wedding coordinators - planners whose job it is to ensure at the time of your event that everything flows smoothly, and so any sudden last-minute alterations are implemented quickly or any emergencies that pop up are overcome. Our experience DJ-ing has taught us that - especially in New York City and the surrounding area - there's so many more wedding styles out there than the traditional, Protestant-ish wedding like the image on the album cover above hints at. Because we've performed at, and helped create day-of timelines for such a variety of weddings, we know 1) when a day-of coordinator tends to be needed or not, 2) what separates the good ones from the bad ones, and perhaps most surprisingly, 3) that having a bad day-of coordinator can often be worse than having none at all.

In this post, we’ll cover the first topic: How to determine if you need a day-of coordinator.

1) Take a Step Back From It All - Much of this choice boils down to common sense. But, often that is the first thing to get lost at the start of wedding planning as couples begin contemplating the mountain of preparations needed to pull off a great celebration. Understandably, many couples think that they’d better have some kind of “insurance” that all they’ve been planning for is executed smoothly, and that is where they often start discussing whether to have a day-of person. However, if you take a step back and think about the wedding in term of its size, style, and locations and components, you can often see fairly clearly if you will really need that extra help.

If your wedding is going to be small (we've found that "small" ends at about 100 guests), the style is going to be fairly casual, and the components of the event will be at the same location, it makes sense to think you won’t need to spend the money on a day-of planner, since often the venue will have a maitre'd to oversee the day's schedule, or, if the wedding is really low-key, the job of making sure things stay on-track can be given to a member of the bridal party. However, if the wedding is larger than 100 guests, if there are noise restrictions or other unusual preferences that need to be accounted for, or if there are several atmospheric touches during the occasion (anything from an obscure music set, slideshows, the bride and/or groom's clothing changes, live performers such as dancers, specialty drinks, extensive décor, etc.), then a day-of coordinator will definitely make more sense.

Basically, the important thing here is that if your wedding is going to be big, or if it's going to be small but will have several unusual moments or moments that need to be sensitively choreographed, look into a day-of planner. (Or if you have an existing wedding planner, see if they can be there for the actual day.)

2) Investigate Your Venue's Level of Service - If you think about the type of wedding you want and still are unsure about whether to hire a day-of person, the next area to look at to help you decide is the level of staff service offered at the venue you choose or have chosen. We’ve DJ-ed at venues all over the metropolitan New York City area, and there definitely is a range of how much the maitre'd at a particular venue will be involved in keeping the wedding schedule moving or helping you plan it ahead of your wedding date.

Sometimes there simply is no maitre'd, as certain venues are purely space rentals - these have no staff, only managers, and the managers are rarely on-site for the entire event. Other venues that have a maitre'd may have the type that is more "hands-off" - he or she doesn't get involved in schedule-keeping the day of, only schedule-making in the weeks before so they can make sure their staff gets the food out on time. Lastly, of course, there are venues where the maitre'd is quite involved in keeping everything flowing smoothly, and in a way is the de-facto day-of coordinator.

Therefore, make sure you ask your venue or potential venue what level of maitre'd service they provide when it comes to the day-of the event and its scheduling. If your wedding is a fairly straightforward celebration, this kind of service might be all you’ll need to keep your schedule flowing well.

3) Use The DJ & MC - Finally, the DJ/MC can do offer his or her input to keep help you build a great wedding day schedule, and they can also help keep it on track during the day of the event. Any DJ/MC who just reads your wedding schedule in an email a week before the event and offers no feedback on it, or simply offers to follow it, has likely either not DJ-ed much, or simply doesn’t care enough. Any DJ who truly cares about your wedding will want to at least want to study the schedule you’ve come up with and tell you that it looks good or not. Most of the time, there will be a few minor things on the schedule the DJ might want to tweak to ensure the couple gets the vibe they want - like asking to leave some time for possibly extending an early dance set if a high-energy crowd is anticipated, or, if it's a very informal wedding, giving suggestions on how to not "shine a spotlight" on moments like first dances and cake cuttings, which the venue might have positioned in their timeline to be grander, more "on display" moments.

In almost every schedule we work on with clients, we notice something that we offer advice on. Sometimes the couple or venue have a reason for doing things the way they do, but, because we asked, then we know. But often, the couple and/or venue will listen to us, and will alter the schedule a bit to incorporate our suggestions - which only seek to maximize the mood the couple wants without disrupting the food service and the other elements of the celebration such as speeches, toasts, slideshows, etc.

So, ask your prospective DJ if they are comfortable collaborating a little on the timeline of the day, and also asking them if they have experience doing this, and what that experience has been. We're not saying that the DJ can be a substitute for a day-of planner at very large weddings with an unusual number of special moments, but for smaller weddings, we do find that a DJ that is comfortable with "flowing" a wedding as well as a maitre'd who takes a more hands-on approach to keeping the day on schedule can be enough so a couple doesn't need to spend the money on a day-of planner.

If, after considering these factors, you think that yes, you do need a day-of coordinator, in the next post we’ll tell you how to make sure they’re actually good.

Spinnin’ Country Music in the Big City – And Some Vintage Country Tunes to Make Any Event More Festive (and Perhaps Even a Little Badass)

Of all the music genres that come up at meetings with clients, country is the one that people we meet with are most scared of including at their event. Often it’s not because they hate it, but because they like it – some a little, some a lot – but are afraid to admit it. We’ve found that most people don’t lead with their affinity for anything country because they don’t have much confidence that it could be added to an event’s playlist in a way that won’t “kill” the party. They think that as soon as a country song is played, the guests are going to rush from the dancefloor, fearing the MC will begin an annoyingly enthusiastic announcement on how to do square dance moves as he puts on a red gingham western shirt and a cheap plastic cowboy hat.

It's understandable. Most people who only know a little about country fear that obnoxious, campy, Hee-Haw image and the corny country sound that they associate with it, one of blistering banjoes and hillbilly drawls. But from DJ-ing events for many years, we're familiar with country both old and new and know that there's plenty of great country tunes out there - especially vintage ones (some you've likely never heard, some you've likely forgotten you liked) - that have nothing corny about their sound at all. Instead, the much more understated twang of these country songs can add a charm and some can even add an edgy, badass feel to celebrations.

While it is true that in and around New York City country isn’t the most popular type of music requested or played, most clients we work with usually have a few country artists they want to hear. These tend to be vintage country artists whose songs and reputations have aged well, like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson, or artists that have some “indie cred” or have veered into pop music, like Lyle Lovett or Ryan Adams. But often, too, we get the request for full-on, pure country – from the intimate, unpolished heartache of Patsy Cline, to the big, slick sing-a-long anthems of Alan Jackson.

Just because clients around our metropolitan area tend to be selective about their taste in country music, however, doesn’t mean it has to be quarantined to a single song played at a slightly lesser volume at a time in an event when a particular song choice is less noticeable, like a cocktail hour or dinner. At most events, a few country requests both old or new can be played at any time – even during the prime dancing time of the event.

But with country music, at least here in New York City, consider your guests a bit if you’d like to hear more than a few songs here and there. If you’re thinking you’d like a lot of country at your event and you’re not sure if your guests are also country fans (and country isn’t an overt event theme), it likely will exclude more guests than other more generally universal genres of music such as Top 40, indie pop/rock, hip-hop, Motown, or soul. So, just make sure to think about your guests' tastes, and, if you have and you’re still not sure, do a little field research and ask them if they’d enjoy it. You might find more country fans that are coming to your event than you thought.

If, like many clients we work with, you want only a few country songs of varying intensity played throughout the night (say, a few sentimental, and a few that are more danceable), you should not be shy to insist these be on your playlist. They key here is, unlike with types of music that are more universal in the city and the surrounding area, make sure to ask the DJ if he or she is comfortable DJ-ing country. Ask the DJ if they know it well, and if they know a certain country music era more than another. Some DJs know newer, very popular country “party” songs, but know little of vintage country tunes that can also get a crowd movin.'

If you have a DJ who does know country, he or she will know what other country songs (or, sometimes a bluegrass song, an alt-country song, a southern rock tune, or even a pop song with a country influence) to put around it in the moment they're playing it so that you and your crowd will be pleased and the song(s) won't sound out of place. If your DJ doesn’t know country as well as you do (and if you know how your guests will react to certain songs), you may have to do a little coaching, such as dictating what songs on your list you want played approximately when. For example, you might explain that certain country “flashback” songs from the '70s work great for dancing toward the end of the night, when people have had some drinks and have loosened up, but these won't go over that well at the start of prime-time dancing - at least around these here parts.

Another thing that prevents clients we've met with from including country in their events is they simply don't know enough of it that they like beyond a few songs. So, to help introduce you to some accessible, fun, and often simply just cool and badass country music, I've made an iMix of 30 songs of vintage country tunes that contains a wide variety of artists and moods from the genre, from roughly 1950 to 1980. (A post about, and a list of, newer country songs will be coming soon.)

I’ve tried to exclude songs you already probably know would go over well for guests, like many hits of Johnny Cash (“Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line”) and Hank Williams (“Hey, Good Lookin’”), Tammy Wynette (“Stand By Your Man”) as well as some later hits that are often played at events, like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band. But some of the aforementioned artists’ lesser-known songs are included in the mix, such as Cash’s rockabilly-tinged “Get Rhythm,” the ramshackle swing of Williams’ “Move It On Over” (which would be covered more aggressively later by George Thorogood), and Wynette’s equally sly, sweet and sexy “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad,” the chorus of which I hope will pleasantly stick in you head and make you wonder with me why it’s not a more of a first-tier country classic. But there's also some songs are from artists you may not be very familiar with, like Faron Young or Buck Owens, but don't let that scare you. These lesser-known songs have been carefully picked because I think they'll be very instantly likeable to even non-country fans - most of these tight retro tunes have a rockabilly or pop influence, and will grab you right away since they have fun lyrics, catchy melodies, and infectious rhythms.

Now, anyone who is even remotely familiar with country knows that it has a long and proud history of capturing, among many other things, lovin' gone bad, cheatin' hearts, the truck drivin' life, lamenting crappy jobs, and the solace found in drinkin' until your tears drop into your beer. In this mix, though, I’ve tried to keep those subjects - that, not suprisingly, result in largely downbeat songs - to a minimum. This mix showcases country songs of a variety of upbeat moods - whether it be swingin,' rockin,' tender, whimsical, jubilant, and some that blend some of these moods together.

That said, it's hard to put together a list of country songs and not include any songs about break-ups, infidelity, 18-wheelers, ungrateful bosses, and beer, so these subjects do make their appearance here and there – but with a tempo that will make you tap your toes or dance. Rest assured, though: In this mix, there are no ballads about the loss of a beloved pet dog, loving one’s truck more than a woman, or, most fortunately, ballads about the loss of a beloved truck.

Finally, I've included, especially toward the bottom of the mix, some vintage country songs from the early to mid '70s that we've found work great for dancing during the end of events, often at ones even where country music isn't featured much. Keep in mind, though, that the end of an event is the time when you have had a few (or more) drinks, have been bonding with friends or family or both for several hours, and it’s often the late evening. All this tends to take away the desire to act cool and aloof, and instead makes it easier for some guests to get in touch with their childhood love for Smokey and the Bandit when they hear a certain theme song about heading eastbound, or to display their inner hoe-downer when the fiddles of a famous bespectacled singer from Colorado kick in and he starts expressing his gratefulness to the Lord that he's a rural youth. 

Overall, hopefully this mix will introduce you to - and maybe re-introduce you to - some excellent, very likable vintage country songs that will add just the right dash of sexy drawl, festive twang, and outlaw attitude to your event.

Listen to the mix here.

How to Have a Summer Corporate Party On a Smaller Budget – And Still Keep the DJ

When company budgets are tight, some of the first things to get the axe tend to be employee parties. The most popular corporate gatherings are usually end-of-the-year holiday events, but many companies – especially in New York City – also like to have a summer cocktail party for their staff. These events will often be held outdoors or at rooftop bars throughout the city, and they’re a great chance to say goodbye to the summer interns and/or give regular employees a chance to let loose a bit and refresh themselves after being cooped up in the office all winter.

But even if a company that’s really watching its bottom line comes up with finances to fund a summer party, it likely will be dramatically scaled back, and the music will probably be provided by some too-eager employee willing to put together a whole event-long playlist on their iPod. We all know this usually doesn’t work out. Come on – Mark in the mailroom doesn’t have good taste in music; he has one taste in music. You hear the constant “uhssh-uhssh” beat of his trance techno coming way too loudly from his huge headphones every time he passes you. And worse would be Bill from accounting making the playlist – do you think three solid hours of Phil Collins, Genesis, and Mike and the Mechanics would be in any way fun?

Because of our years DJ-ing corporate parties of all kinds, we know that music is especially important here. Okay, actually, the alcohol is probably just as important. But I’m sure you know a lot of people at your office who would agree that great music from beginning to end is the key to livening things up and loosening things up at an event where much of the crowd is only used to relating to each other through work, and therefore might be a little stiff and hesitant to act a bit silly, or to show a non-work side of themselves.

So whether you’re a boss who wants to have a summer party for your employees but also wants to still have a DJ, or if you know your boss really wants to have a summer party but you’re worried the music won’t be a primary consideration, here’s a few ideas that you can use some or even all of to try to cut some other costs so you can afford to have excellent music that stands a much higher chance of bringing everyone together – and maybe even bringing Rebecca out of her shell a little bit, or getting Brad to sing “The Lady in Red” like he always says he would if he ever had a mic and had a few moments to prepare.

Okay, here's the ideas:

Get a Cheaper Venue – Having the summer party at the rooftop bar on the top of a trendy hotel in Tribeca might have been the way to go when the profits were flowing a little bit more, but when the company’s tightening its belt, there's plenty of ways to get a cheaper location but still get the best of summer out of your venue. Try renting out a bar that has a backyard garden, or one that has large windows in the front that can be opened and pulled back so as to make the front of the place more airy. (Also, these bars will often let you rent out just a part of the bar for less.) Another way to creatively find a venue is to ask around at the office which employee has access to a rooftop, or even has an apartment or home with a large porch. If you bribe him or her with the offer to have the staff pitch in to buy the booze, they might just let you have the party there.

Go Basic on the Drinks and Food – Most employees know that these parties aren’t going to feature the most stellar alcohol and dining choices and don’t really care, so why not use this indifference to scale back the beer and wine selections a bit, save a little on the dinner, or simply don’t have dinner at all and instead just serve appetizers.

Limit the Guests – Often at a corporate party, it’s not just employees that are invited, but also significant others, and sometimes an employee is allowed to bring friends. If you want your party at all these days, the girlfriends, wives, husbands, boyfriends, and best buds are going to have to find something else to do. It’s a work party anyway – why not use it to talk to your co-workers? Yes, even that shy skinny girl who works in the office at the end of the hall that you think is a little weird and is always playing with her hair. Come on, not everyone's the social all-pro. Give her a chance.

Veto the Other Entertainment – Much more expensive than a DJ, but often much less important, are the other games and contests that those in charge of the event think is necessary to make people loosen up. Bringing in a casino table and a dealer, hiring a magician, renting a karaoke machine, buying prizes for a raffle, and such might work great to enliven part of the night, but loosening things up can also be done just fine all night with a great DJ / MC (and, of course, enough booze).

Make it a B.Y.O.B. – You’d be amazed how much you’ll have to drink if you ask each employee to bring a bottle of wine, or a six pack of beer. Plus, you’ll likely have a wider variety than if you go to a bar or hire a bartender. Also, this opens you up to possible having more money to spend on the venue, or different types of venues, like lofts, halls, etc. Oh, and it also might give you some more moolah to hire the DJ for a bit longer. Just saying.

Indian Bhangra Music: A Festive, Increasingly Popular Genre to Consider Including at Your Event

With the massive popularity and acclaim of Slumdog Millionaire - the film set in the Indian city of Mumbai that won this year's Best Picture at the Oscars - and its celebratory anthem "Jai Ho," the Indian music genre of Bhangra has entered the American mainstream like never before. As a DJ who knows Bhangra and enjoys playing it at events when I can, for me this is exciting - it means many more people will not only be familiar with this type of music for the first time, but will also likely enjoy hearing it and dancing to it for the first time as well.

While this newfound familiarity may be fortunate, I realize many of you planning events will not suddenly now be confident with a DJ spinning Bhangra for your guests, especially if you know none of those guests have any or much exposure to Indian music. Though our company has been spinning Bhanrga for years, we still appreciate the opinion of those who think it will not "go over" at their event. However, if done in delicate way, and by including accessible Bhangra in the song selections, the increasing enthusiasm everyone seems to have for the genre (not just in the last year, but for about a decade now) can be used to add a touch of exotic - and now suddenly hip - flavor to your event.

First, a little background: Bhanrga refers to a style of drum-based folk music often accompanied by a single-stringed, high-pitched guitar, and the genre originated in the northern Indian state of Punjab. (Bhangra also refers to a form of dance that is performed to the music.) In the U.S., the sound of Bhangra music is probably most familiar to those from hearing hip-hop artists mix it into their songs in rougly the last decade or so. In 2001, Missy Elliott’s Top 40 hit "Get Ur Freak On" used a bhangra guitar riff, and two years later, Jay-Z had a Top 40 hit with a remix of a song called "Mundian to Bach Ke (Beware of the Boys)" where he rapped over singing by the song's original artist, Panjabi MC. "Mundian" (listen to the song below) also featured a high-pitched Indian guitar riff, as well as use the theme of the '80s TV show Knight Rider as a surprisingly potent danceable backbeat. The songs featured in relatively popular 2002 British film Bend It Like Beckham also no doubt introduced many to the sound of Bhangra for the first time as well.

But with the recent popularity of "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire (the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song), Bhangra has seemingly connected with its largest American audience yet. "Jai Ho" (the words apparently mean, roughly, "may you have victory" in Hindi) is featured in the film over credits in a large, intense dance sequence, and is sung by Bhangra artist Sukhwinder Singh and composer A.R. Rahman. The song (listen to it below) has a Bhangra drum-and-vocal foundation, but is also quite a multicultural mix of other elements: the lyrics are at times sung in Hindi, Urdu, Panjabi, and Spanish; there's dramatic violins; there's even the so-in-vogue robot-ish vocoder vocals (popularized over the past few years by the suddenly ubiquitous hip-hop artist T-Pain). And "Jai Ho" has recently been released as a single remix with English lyrics and featuring vocals by recent Top 40 mainstays the Pussycat Dolls. This reworking of the song quickly climbed up the charts.

Guests to an event may indeed recognize these versions of "Jai Ho," and it's fairly infectious as a dance song. Most important, because it's extremely well-known, it will likely bring people out to the dancefloor regardless of if they know how to properly dance in any sort of Bhangra style. While this may be encouraging for you to play the song, you may wonder if anything else can be played before or after "Jai Ho" for your guests instead of this isolated burst of Bhangra. Well, this is where the delicate approach to introducing Bhangra to your guests comes in.

First, the aforementioned hip hop songs are great lead-ins and follow-ups, as they sound much more hip-hop than pure Bhangra, which should mean that a crowd will not be intimidated and will feel comfortable dancing. If guests are feeling the Panjabi vibes, the DJ can add in some of the more infectious tunes from the Bhanrga-centric soundtrack to Bend it Like Beckham, such as "Darshan" by B21, or other catchy Bhangra like it, such as Sukshinder Shinda's hip-hop-influenced "Panjabi Clap." Also great is to try a more mid-tempo traditional Bhangra song, like "Hey Jamalo (Tootak Tootak Tootiyan)" by Malkit Singh (pictured), considered the "King of Bhangra." (Listen to his song below.) If guests still want more, the faster-paced but sublimely goofy "Tutak Tutak Tun" (which, a few years ago became a hit as an internet video) by Daler Mehndi might work to take the intensity up a notch.

The important thing to remember, as I emphasized in an entry I recently posted on salsa, is that the songs be accessible – easy to dance to, fun, upbeat – and therefore, guests who aren’t very familiar with the genre will be not be intimidated by their "foreignness," which is something which those of us familiar with world music need to always be sensitive toward.

So next time you're planning an event - be it a wedding, corporate party, fashion show - don't be afraid to have the DJ pull out some Bhangra for the guests. If accessible songs are chosen, and played at the right time at the event, this genre quite new to many American ears will do wonders to elevate the mood of your celebration.

Jai Ho

Mundian to Bach Ke (Beware of the Boys)

Hey Jamalo (Tootak Tootak Tootiyan)

Hiring a Non-Cheesy DJ: Recognizing Policies DJ Companies Have But Aren't Eager to Share

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!)