New York DJ

Though the funhouse mirror-like psychedelic pants on her Experiments EP cover might make you think this song is influenced by late-seventies disco and/or early nineties rave music, "Begging Me," a 2011 single from up-and-coming English singer/songwriter Florrie Arnold, is much more a catchy dance-pop song in the mold of '80s synth revisionist bands like La Roux, Cut Copy and Class Actress.

While many of the "new" new wave artists these days can feel tiresome since it seems like they often lift synth riffs straight from New Order or The Cure, this tune, right from the start, punches through any suspicion of being overly derivative with the immediate intro of its sexy chorus that hooks you with its catchy melody. From there the song never lets up, with its addictive mix of ethereal vocals and synth washes coupled with the female R&B-like swagger of the lyrics.

The sexy confidence of "Begging Me" has more in common with the R & B / house music fusion anthems as done in the past few years by Rihanna, Lady Gaga, or Flo Rida. But because the sound of "Begging Me" is breezier - there's no overly booming bass, stretched-out drum loop builds-ups, or even any calls to put your hands in the air - it falls somewhere in between housey R &B and the aforementioned sound of the moodier electro artists. And maybe that's more than anything why the song feels fresh - it seems to be going for the spot just under dance floor rager, but over the chilled-out synth vibe. As a result, this is perfect to be played in those many moments at events like fashion shows or cocktail lounge mixers, where you need sexy energy that adds to the atmosphere, but not a full-on thumping that gets in the way.

What's also impressive is that Florrie has come up with a song that feels fresh and confident with relatively little experience making music. She's in her early 20s, with only one EP released prior to this one, though she also is a songwriter, programmer, and drummer. Oh, and also, she's a pretty model, which never hurts - as you can no doubt tell by the sleek video for the song.

Maino's "Million Bucks" is a gem of a mainstream hip-hop tune that does just about everything: It's gritty enough to appeal to fans of edgy hip-hop; it's melodic enough and its rhymes are positive enough to make it not too harsh for more conservative listeners; and its sunny, laid-back beats are bouncy enough to likely appeal to most of those in between. This means the song not only can appeal to a wide spectrum of guests, but can also be used at many kinds of events, and during many parts of events.

A Brooklyn rapper who last year released his debut record If Tomorrow Comes…, Maino collaborated with hip-hop producer wunderkind and fellow rapper Swizz Beatz on "Million Bucks," one of the album's singles. Often Swizz's sound – he created the well-known anthemic siren-and-synth beats in DMX's classic hit "Party Up (Up in Here)" – is all about bigness and exuberance, and "Million Bucks" is no different, as Swizz gives the tune a feel-good foundation, with subtle background whooping and cheering under the vocals that makes you feel you're in the middle of a great party. It's over this vibe that Maino lays down not an ode to all the money he has and how superior it makes him, but instead a positive, deftly-rhymed rap about wanting to give away money because he feels so fortunate about his life and the time he lives in.

Overall, the song exudes an infectious, "hands-in-the-air" celebratory feel that makes it sound like the slightly grittier cousin of Kanye West’s hit from a couple years ago, "Good Life." (Go here for a post about the great versatility of that song.) Though it's unfortunate "Million Bucks" never reached the heights on the charts that "Good Life" did, this does mean that "Million Bucks" can most assuredly be pulled out at your event and still feel fresh to your guests.

As DJs in New York City, we find that there's no shortage of great sexy and fun hip-hop tunes to spin for dancing, or for use as models strut down a runway at a fashion show, but its harder to find hip-hop like songs "Million Bucks" that are "big" enough that they work for dancing but are also "chill" enough that the songs don't feel "in the way" if your crowd are sipping drinks near the bar. Also, when you're not DJ-ing for a crowd that knows its hip-hop well, to play a set of it at any time other than for dancing is sometimes tough, as often, unless there's a strong melody throughout, the rhymes are lost behind guests' conversation volume. And as DJs, we don’t want to have to turn things up too much if, in the moment, people want to talk and relax. However, with "Million Bucks," there's the prefect combination of a melodic chorus and a tight, crisply-delivered rap that makes it the rare song that's completely at home at the mellower parts of an event, as well as the more energetic parts. And to create a great song like that in any genre is worth quite a lot.

Have a listen…

Maino (ft. Swizz Beatz) – Million Bucks

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.

It’s a rare song that’s great to dance to but also isn’t so overpowering that it doesn’t get “in the way” when you just want to enjoy a tune in the background at an event while you have a drink. It’s rarer still to find a song that is able to do that, but additionally, is friendly enough to appeal to a wide range of listeners while feeling fresh and even a bit edgy.

Popular dancehall artist Shaggy’s song “Dance & Shout,” does all this effortlessly. This tune takes the groove and chorus of the popular – but not overplayed – Jacksons song “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and lays over it a sunny, slightly raw vibe that gives the original song’s disco polish a kick in the pants and turns the song’s original fun but slightly predictable mood into one that’s still friendly, but also more sexy and bad-ass.

Combining sunniness, sexiness, and a little bad-assness is what the genre of dancehall often does best. Dancehall began in the 1980s as a sound that added faster rhythms to reggae and ska, often using programmed synth riffs as well and adopting a more aggressive, hip-hop-influenced attitude. However, despite its more in-your-face style – one that at times embroils it in controversy over violent lyrics much like some of harder-edged hip hop and rap – much dancehall still has a message no more troubling than insisting you party a lot, as well as keeping at some level the festive, tropical vibe of reggae and ska. In the U.S., dancehall artists like Shaggy,  Beenie Man and most notably Sean Paul rose to popularity in the mid ‘90s and since then the genre (and its influence on other styles) has been common on the top 40 charts.

That said, at certain events – even being long-time DJs in New York City – we encounter more conservative crowds that haven’t heard of Sean Paul’s mega-hit “Get Busy,” or older guests who, if you’d mention Beenie Man to them, they might think you’re talking about a peculiar fellow who wears stocking caps all the time, instead of realizing you’re referring to one of the more well-known dancehall singers. That’s why a song like “Dance & Shout” is great – it can open people’s mind to the genre who might never have heard it or danced to it. Because of this song’s familiar foundation, it’s not so harsh or unfamiliar that it would alienate these guests, and it might – given a couple drinks – even “hook” them into going along with more dancehall songs afterward. Even if you choose not to play more dancehall, you can easily transition from “Dance & Shout” into  disco, R & B, or modern top 40 hip-hop.

“Dance & Shout” is great for all kinds of events that include a portion of dancing, or for cocktail mixers. But because the song has such a accessible sexy energy to it, it also will fit in nicely at art openings where a bit of a sunny pop vibe seems appropriate, as well as atfashion shows, as either atmosphere or runway music.

Have a listen…

Shaggy – Dance & Shout