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

With some genres of music, a DJ is able to almost put a blindfold on and pick a song that most people in a crowd will like. Current top 40 hip-hop is one of these styles, as is mid-century jazz standards – these genres may sound a lot different and may often be used for different moods, but since so many songs from each of these styles are well-known, sociable, and often made for dancing, there’s a lot of great options to choose from. But with other genres, a DJ doesn’t have this luxury, and needs to comb through a lot of music before they are able to find a song that feel right for the moment.

Unless you’re having a theme party involving it, classic rock tends to be one of these genres. Some people might say it doesn’t have any place at an event, since the harder kind of classic rock is too full of ear-piercing electric guitar noodling, or since the progressive rock within the style is too full of clunky and awkward fantastical themes. While we have found through years of experience being DJs in New York City that classic rock does indeed have a place at events, we have seen that you do need to be quite careful about what songs you pick – Zeppelin may rule, but “Dazed and Confused” might daze and confuse most guests at most events, and not many women have ever danced to Rush. However, if you’re looking for a sexy, unpretentious vibe that will  energize a wide range of ages at an event, some deftly-chosen classic rock songs can absolutely hit the spot.

At many events there are classic rock staples that are played, like Lynyrd Skynrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” or AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.” We’ve put together a playlist on iTunes of 25 songs that span the genre, though it digs a little deeper and wider, and includes songs you know but don't hear everywhere – many of which we’ve found enliven crowds at all kinds of events, and at all kinds of moments during events.

Classic rock as a style is rather loosely defined, so we’ve gone with what most radio stations and fans have come to define it as – roughly rock a bit “heavier” in sound (and sometimes theme) than pop, and released during the 20-year span from after the Beatles’ early years in the mid ‘60s, to the rise of glam metal in the beginning of the ‘80s. That may sound a bit restrictive, but if you listen to the list you’ll find a surprising range of sounds – from the festive salsa feel of Santana’s “Oy Como Va” to the new wave vibe of The Cars’ “Let’s Go” to the crunchy riffs and rapid-fire lyrics of Aerosmith’s ode to bad-ass cool, “Walk This Way,” a tune now forever linked in most people’s minds to old school hip-hop thanks to the mid ’80s re-working of the song by Run DMC. There’s also some stuff that some might think is more pop, and falls just outside the borders of classic rock, like the Turtles’ “You Baby” and Blondie’s “The Tide is High,” but we’ve found these songs work well in a classic rock block of music, so we included them. But don’t worry – there’s multiple Beatles, Stones, and Led Zeppelin songs on the playlist, too.

We’ve arranged the playlist in the order below, with roughly with the more mellow stuff in the first half, and the more “party” stuff in the second. Have a listen here, dude…

1. Fool in the Rain – Led Zeppelin
2. Get Back – Beatles
3. She’s a Rainbow – Rolling Stones
4. Ooh La La – The Faces
5. You Baby – Turtles
6. Let’s Go – The Cars
7. Beautiful Girls – Van Halen
8. Can’t Explain – The Who
9. Day Tripper – Beatles
10. Swingtown – Steve Miller Band
11. Brass in Pocket – Pretenders
12. Hey Hey What Can I Do – Led Zeppelin
13. Southern Cross – Crosby, Stills & Nash
14. Sugar Magnolia – Grateful Dead
15. Instant Karma – John Lennon
16. The Tide is High – Blondie
17. Miss You – Rolling Stones
18. Long Train Runnin’ – Doobie Brothers
19. Oy Como Va – Santana
20. La Grange – ZZ Top
21. Walk this Way – Aerosmith
22. Action – Sweet
23. Radar Love – Golden Earring
24. Surrender – Cheap Trick
25. Rock and Roll All Nite – Kiss

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