New York DJ

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.

Last Thursday, a recent nationally-syndicated interview aired that we did for NPR’s “Marketplace.” In the interview, we discuss with reporter Jeremy Hobson what makes a great retro flashback song, and how a new generation is becoming just old enough to want to hear nostalgic tunes from their childhood at the clubs, bars and events they attend  – usually after several drinks, that is. Have a look and a listen:

American Marketplace – 03/25/10

Here’s the audio of the interview (It’s a podcast, our segment starts at 23:15 elapsed):

djnyc – NPR

Well, the New Year is almost here and along with midnight kisses, champagne, and Auld Lang Syne often comes the tradition of watching the ball drop in Times Square. So with New York City in many people's mind's tonight, we thought this a perfect time to bring you a mix of great New York City songs for your events to not just feature at year-end events, but throughout the whole year.

Often at events located in or near the city, no matter what time of the year, we find that playing a few songs that reference New York in some way add an extra sentimental touch, both for those who live here or nearby, and those who have come to the event from out of the state or out of the country. The great thing about the city is that there's been so many songs in so many styles written about it, so therefore we've chosen songs are from a wide range of genres – jazz, soul, rock, folk, indie pop, reggae, hip-hop, merengue, and more. The songs are also from a wide variety of moods, some quiet, some loud, some in between, so you'll find many songs here to everything from a small dinner gathering to a huge corporate party. Many of these songs even helped define these genres they come from. Some of these are classics you've heard many times but still love and would want to hear many more times, some are newer and likely completely unfamiliar, some are only songs you want to hear when drunk, but all feature the city as a central part of the tune and capture an essence of the Big Apple in their own memorable way.

Here is the list of the songs included in the mix (arranged in a consecutive order, generally, of rising party-ability):

1. Take the "A" Train – Duke Ellington
2. Let Me Off Uptown – Mel Tormé
3. The Brooklyn Bridge – Mel Tormé
4. Manhattan – Ella Fitzgerald
5. Autumn In New York – Frank Sinatra
6. Spanish Harlem – Ben E. King
7. Brooklyn and Jamaica – Morgan Heritage
8. Take the L Train (To Brooklyn) Brooklyn Funk Essentials
9. Breakfast In NYC – Oppenheimer
10. Walk on the Wild Side – Lou Reed
11. Going Home – Luna
12. NYC – Interpol
13. Coney Island – Death Cab for Cutie
14. Wintering in Brooklyn – The Last Town Chorus
15. The Only Living Boy in New York – Simon & Garfunkel
16. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) Simon & Garfunkel
17. The City – Joe Purdy
18. Fairytale of New York – The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl
19. Angel of Harlem – U2
20. New York, New York – Ryan Adams
21. Broadway – Goo Goo Dolls
22. New York City – They Might Be Giants
23. Rockaway Beach – The Ramones
24. Rockin' the Bronx – Black 47
25. Brooklyn – Mos Def
26. South Bronx – KRS-One & Boogie Down Productions
27. New York New York – Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & The Furious Five
28. No Sleep 'til Brooklyn – Beastie Boys
29. Brooklyn's Finest (feat. The Notorious B.I.G.) – Jay-Z
30. Big Pimpin' (feat. UGK) – Jay-Z
31. Across 110th Street – Bobby Womack
32. Native New Yorker – Odyssey
33. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) – Christopher Cross
34. New York Soul – Ray Barretto
35. Funky Broadway – Wilson Pickett
36. 110th St. & 5th Ave. – Tito Puente
37. Un Dia en New York Los Hermanos Rosario
38. Fiesta en el Bronx – Frank River
39. NYC Beat – Armand Van Helden
40. New York City Boy – Pet Shop Boys
41. I Love New York – Madonna
42. I Love NYC – Andrew W.K. 
43. New York State of Mind – Billy Joel 
44. Theme from New York, New York – Frank Sinatra

So, as Frank Sinatra sings in his famous rendition of "New York, New York," let those little town dreams melt away and go listen to the mix here.

In our years of DJ-ing events, we’ve noticed there are certain songs that you would never dance to when sober at an event, but, given a few hours and a few (or more than a few) drinks later, these same songs – some completely embarrassing, some genuinely good – from a variety of genres become almost orgasmic. Here is a sampling of some of the best:

Lynryd Skynryd, "Sweet Home Alabama" – If played early on in an event, this southern rock classic might result in some head bobbing, or maybe some half-hearted air guitar for a few moments. But when that crunchy lead-off guitar riff comes on much later, it results in all kinds of joy, from cheers to bouncing up and down, from sultry slow dances to extended, note-for-note air guitar (and even sometimes air drum) solos.

House of Pain, "Jump Around" – Before having any drinks, or even after having two, this hip-hop song from the early ‘90s is nothing but a loud, coarse, smirk-inducing jock jam. But after several drinks, the sampled screeches, the terse rhymes, and the barked chorus all begin to make sense, creating a sublime harmony of testosterone-laced celebration that gets everyone (even, at times, grown women) raising their arms and punching the air in perfect frat boy-style.

Neil Diamond, "Sweet Caroline" – It’s no surprise that those who remember this song when it was released in the late ’60s will, after several drinks, dance enthusiastically to it out of nostalgia, but what’s surprising is how, after a few of their import beers or obscure cocktails, even young detached hipsters – born long after the song came out – will unironically shout “so good! so good!” during all the right moments of the chorus.

James, "Laid" - This playful, folk-tinged song is one of the few early ’90s cult alternative radio tunes that has aged really well on the dancefloor, provided people have a few drinks in them. What’s impressive is that the song wasn’t even that big of a hit at the time of its release, but it continues to inspire communal dancing silliness from those who remember it, and even from those who are too young to remember it. This could be because a cover version of the song was later featured in one of the American Pie movie soundtracks, or also because of the sexually risque subject matter, which, of course, makes not just songs, but anything more memorable.

Bon Jovi, "Livin’ on a Prayer" – If you loved hair metal in the ‘80s (and a lot of you did, admit it), or if you are under 40 and from New Jersey, I truly think that it is impossible for you not to dance to this song after several drinks. If you loved hair metal AND are from New Jersey, you might even not have time to dance to this song, because you likely will have your arms around your friends as you shout every single one of the lyrics. Yes, every single one.

Simon & Garfunkel, "Cecilia" – If you know this song, you know it concerns a woman breaking the singer’s heart and shaking his confidence, baby. But when people at events have left sobriety behind, this wispy little folk song often creates a surprisingly intense sing-a-long reaction, and suddenly becomes less about a broken heart and more about broken wine glasses, and less about shaking confidence, baby than shaking it on the dance floor, baby.

Sir Mix-a-Lot, "Baby Got Back" – For anyone into hip-hop in the early ‘90s, after 5.5 light beers, Sir Mix a Lot’s ode to women with larger bottoms seems not just fun nostalgia, but one of the most noble and overdue calls for female bodily respect in history. It’s no wonder this rapper is knighted.