New York DJ

In our many years of DJ-ing all kinds of events in and around New York City – from fashion shows to weddings to corporate mixers to private parties – we’ve found that it’s always good to throw in a few playful and fun songs that you can bet guests have not heard before, but can immediately like. The genre really doesn’t matter, just as long as the song matches the mood of the event or the part of the event that’s going on at the moment the song is played, and that there’s something about it that makes the guests feel it – whether that means they dance to it, bounce their head a bit during a cocktail hour, or simply smile at it and wonder what the song is.

A reliable way to get this reaction in crowds at almost any kind of event is to mix something exotic with something familiar, and while this is often done through remixes or mash-ups, another great way to do it is by digging up gems of cover songs from the period from about 1950 to 1975, when it seemed a lot of Europe was madly recording their own versions of American rock and roll singles. While German, Polish, Italian and other foreign languages can sound at times great covering rock classics in that they can give them intriguing new atmospheres of many kinds, and while Spanish-language covers seem to always increase the festiveness of an original song, it seems that French covers, at least from this era, have a lock on pulling out from the original versions an impressive amount of both sexiness and playfulness at the same time, but also rarely go too far as to veer into kitsch or over-cutesiness. (Go here to listen to another great sexy French cover recommendation of ours.)

“Excuse Moi Partenaire”, a French language cover by ’60s French heart-throb Johnny Hallyday of a mid-tempo blues-tinged rock tune (originally recorded in 1963 by Johnny “Guitar” Watson, and called “Cuttin’ In”) is a prefect example of this. It’s somewhat unfamiliar of a melody even to American ears, but has a warm, loose feel that’s easy to find room inside to groove with and when you hear Hallyday smoothly croon the title of the song as its cocky first words (words easy to figure out even though they’re in French: “Excuse me, partner”), you immediately will wonder where you’ve heard it – a Quentin Tarantino film? Some Paris lounge compilation CD? Maybe from your parents’ record collection, but the American version of it? Whatever the case, it’s hard not to be drawn into Hallyday’s version of the song, which, like a lot French covers, conjures a more loungey, and suave mood out of the original (which, in in own right is great, go here to hear it) making it equally perfect for background music to tap your feet to while at the bar having a cocktail or sitting down eating dinner, but also for a sly late-night sway with your partner as a party’s wrapping up.

Johnny Hallyday – Excuse Moi Partenaire

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

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

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

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

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

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

J. Axel - Every Part of the World

Gerardo Frisina - Gosto De Que E Bom

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

S Tone – Limbe

At most events where we spin, there’s guests with musical tastes that are more adventurous, and there's those guests with musical tastes that are more mild. To please both of these groups, you either have to toggle between styles a lot, or you have to find songs that at the same time can excite both groups but also still feel fresh.

An excellent example of a rare song that perfectly does this is actually one that's about 25 years old – the French singer Sylvie Vartan's cover of the Beatles' classic "Twist and Shout." Vartan's version (from the 1964 EP pictured) manages to be both instantly familiar and charmingly different at the same time – an old favorite that you've heard many times, yet also never heard at all.  

Vartan, originally from Bulgaria, and who was about nineteen when she recorded the song, was one of the most prominent stars of the female-fronted "ye-ye" scene. This musical trend in early to mid-1960s France consisted of attractive young women dressed in the most stylishly "mod" fashions of the day singing about first loves and first break-ups with an attitude that mingled innocence with an often edgy, up-front sexuality.

“Twiste et Chante” keeps the melody and speed of the iconic Beatles song, but it doesn’t try to match the intensity of the well-known raw guitar and vocal sound. Instead, the pretty French lyrics and Vartan’s playful vocals take the spotlight, with only, it seems, drums and cymbal accompaniment and a few female back-up vocals. The whole effect gives the song a more sly, more jazzy, and more, well, stereotypically French, vibe.  

The impressive thing here, though, is that this lighter treatment of the song never feels like fluff. While there may not be any gritty guitar distortion like in the version you're more familiar with, there is some grit to Vartan’s vocals. Her late-teenage voice is unusually deep and mature-sounding, and, possibly from her Bulgarian roots, there’s a husky, slightly guttural accent in her French. Regardless of wherever her vocal performance comes from, it’s what makes the song a success. The rollicking wildness of the original Beatles song is exchanged here for a wily sexiness that's impressively satisfying. The song might even leave you thinking that in those French lyrics, when Vartan sings about Twisting and Shouting, that maybe she’s describing something more provocative than simply shaking it up, baby, and working it out. Ooh la la!

Sylvie Vartan – Twiste et Chante