New York DJ

The Velvet Underground are considered one of biggest godfathers of today's indie pop and rock music. This is largely because in the late 1960s the group introduced an often dissonant, experimental, unpolished style to rock, as well as treated dark themes like drug use and the hedonism of the New York City party scene they were associated with in a gritty, straightforward way.

Of course, not all bands and performers that were to be called "alternative" and then later "indie" in years to come incorporated these exact elements, but so many underground pop and rock groups from the past 40 years – from Joy Division to The Pixies to Radiohead – have, like the Velvet Underground, introduced what at first were strange new sounds and often unlikely and edgy themes into the world of pop music.

But due to the Velvet Underground's often bleak lyrics and dissonant, droning guitar riffs, sometimes forgotten is that many of their songs had a languorous, shimmering beauty – and along with this, a few songs even had tender and affirmative lyrics. One of the best examples of this is a tune from their first album (produced by Andy Warhol), The Velvet Underground and Nico, called "I'll Be Your Mirror." It was released also as a single, as the b-side to another track off the album, "All Tomorrow's Parties."

"I'll Be Your Mirror" is a brief, sweet song in which the singer desires to show a person how great he or she is at the times when that person can't see it. Because it's the Velvet Underground working with Andy Warhol, this pleasant but rather generic sentiment is given a memorable quirkiness due to the vocals of Nico, a tall German model-turned- vocalist who handled lead vocals on this song and a couple others on the album.

Nico's performance shouldn't really have worked. She's pretty, but her voice isn't very good – it's sometimes off-key, and her English fights through a deep German accent. And while the vocal comes across as odd and icy, it's a credit of the band (and likely Warhol, too), that the oddness sounds endearing – there's a vulnerability to Nico's voice that deepens the sentiment of the song’s lyrics.

Just this might be enough for the couples that often hire us to DJ at their weddings, since they're often looking for a first dance that's sentimental, but also has some sort of eccentric charm. But for those who might like the melody of the song and not be a fan of Nico's vocals, also posted here are two cover versions of the song. The first is from 1989, the second is from 2003 – showing not only the continued affection that the Velvets have had in other artists’ minds over the years, but that the band created a song over 40 years ago that's been sturdy enough to work well when covered in two very different styles.

The Primitives, an English guitar fuzz-pop band best known for their bubbly single "Crash," covered "I'll Be Your Mirror" on a b-side to their single "Sick of It." Their version takes the song in a dreamier, more polished direction, though a bit of ragged guitar jangle shows the Velvet Undergound influence. Singer Tracy Tracy's sweet, lullaby-esque vocals that slighly recall the sound of early '60s girl groups are the star here. I heard this version first, so it's The Primitives’ more full-sounding treatment of the song that I have memories with – though of course those familiar with the original version may accept no substitute for Nico.

Clem Snide, an American alt-country group, recorded their version of the song on a 2003 release called A Beautiful EP. This version is the most stripped-down of the three, featuring only acoustic guitar, a bit of strings, and the fragile vocal – this time a male vocal – of lead singer Eef Barzelay. The effect of this "alt-countrification" of the song is makes it very inimate and warm – listening to it makes you feel like you’re hearing it sung to you while sitting around a campfire.

Whether you prefer vintage offbeat charm, dreamy pop, or mellow alt-country, give a listen to "I'll Be Your Mirror" and consider it for your first dance – however it’s recorded, its tender foundation reflects clearly through.

The Velvet Underground – I'll Be Your Mirror

The Primitives – I'll Be Your Mirror

Clem Snide – I'll Be Your Mirror

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

Hold on – this is not a new version of the classic doo-wop oldie by The Monotones, the one that has been way over-played in commercials for so many years.

While the indie band The Magnetic Fields' "The Book of Love" uses the same concept that the vintage song of the same title does – imagining the existence of an actual "how-to" book of love – this newer version manages, through a spare arrangement, a lovely melody, and lyrics that deftly alternate between humor and poignancy, to wring more complex moods out of the concept than just malt-shop sweetness.

We featured this song on one of our many indie pop playlists (go here for the link to that post) a bit ago. But, given that recently the song received a large dose of visibility due to Peter Gabriel covering it and that version being used in the finale of the TV show Scrubs, we figured the song deserved more attention as to why it's such a great first dance song for couples looking for an indie song that delivers a more original, eclectic take on romance – a take which we find so many couples in New York City often prefer that a DJ uses at their weddings.

"The Book of Love" was originally released in 1999, on the first volume (pictured at left) of The Magnetic Fields' triple album 69 Love Songs, and the tune has some of the album's most playful and touching lyrics. (Many indie pop fans are probably aware of The Magnetic Fields' singer Stephin Merritt, who also fronts several other indie bands and sometimes works solo, as one of the indie pop world's most respected songwriters.)

In the three verses to "The Book of Love," Merritt wryly paints a picture of an actual, physical book of love as mostly undesirable – it's heavy, long, boring, and contains a lot of outdated material. But yet in each chorus, he affirms that, since he’s so enamored of his significant other, anything – even reading or singing from such a largely unappealing book – can be pleasurable. And while the lyrics are funny and poignant, the music delivers as well. A seemingly distorted but still delicate ukelele under Merritt's warm baritone, and how the melody of the chorus gently soars hopefully upward perfectly establishes a mood of sweetness – not a sugary, doo-wop sweetness like the golden oldie, but a stripped-down, ramshackle sweetness that's quite moving.

The Peter Gabriel version, from his recent album of cover songs called Scratch My Back, (pictured at right) keeps much the same melody and lyrics, but violin and cello accompaniment add a more orchestral, lush mood. Also, because Gabriel doesn't linger on the humor of the verses as much as Merritt, the song comes across as more romantic, but less playful. However, this more polished-sounding version may have a slightly wider appeal to couples, and Gabriel's voice paired with a romantic song is almost always quite affecting and intimate, and this cover is no exception.

As a final pitch to you for using this song as a first dance, listen to the last chorus, and you'll likely think it's even more perfect to use.

The Magnetic Fields – The Book of Love

Peter Gabriel – The Book of Love

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