New York DJ

“Tengo La Voz” (in English, “I have the voice”) is a spicy, swingin' instrumental that takes a traditional-sounding brassy, upbeat Mexican melody and, with a touch of thick beats, a few samples and other subtle electronic flourishes, gives it a kick in the pants to make everything more fun and festive for all kinds of ears.

Nortec Collective is a four-member band that's part of a small but critically-acclaimed scene of young Mexican groups (two others worth checking out are Mexican Institute of Sound and Kinky) that combine traditional Mexican music and rhythms with modern electronic sounds. These sounds can range from something as thorough as throwing bigger beats under traditional instruments to give an entire song more punch, to more whimsical touches, like adding in sampled vocal riffs from old Mexican radio shows from more than a half-century ago. Generally, the aesthetic of these groups somewhat mirrors that of American indie pop, as the programming and production is often used not to make a sound that is over-polished and sleek, but instead to bring a sense of quirkiness and playful surprise to freshen up familiar genres. The name Nortec Collective comes from a combination of “Norteno” (a traditional, often rural form of Mexican music using 12-string guitars and accordions) and “techno.”

“Tengo La Voz,” from Nortec Collective’s album Tijuana Sessions Vol. 3 (pictured), is not an outright dance song, yet because its fun mood is sure to move some hips, it's perfect for “teasing” a Latin vibe you might have coming up at your event, like if you’re playing some Merengue, Salsa, Latin pop or Reggaeton and you want to put it in your guests’ heads and feet that they’ll be dancing to flavors like this later.

More generally, though, the song is great for any moment in your event where you plan to have people mingling, such as a cocktail hour at a wedding, or an interlude at a fashion show or art opening, or at any kind of meet-and-greet event, as the song’s uptempo, catchy horn riffs, steady beat, and its sturdy vibe of sunniness make it perfect background for sipping a drink and chatting it up. Plus, the song never gets too brassy that it becomes shrill, or too experimental that it becomes intrusive, or too "Latin" that it becomes intimidating or exclusionary for those whose tastes might be a bit more conservative. "Tengo La Voz" has a rare balance of just enough brass, quirkiness, and traditional Mexican festiveness, but not too much of either – and as a result it's especially accessible. But at the same time, while it remains in the background it also adds a burst of spice to the atmosphere of the event – so much so that, at only three-and a-half-minutes, you might want to play it twice in a row.

Nortec Collective – Tengo La Voz

When people think of the music that a DJ spins at fashion shows, especially New York City fashion shows, they probably imagine the songs that play as the models walk down the runway and the cameras flash. Whether this music be the often-used fast, pulsating beats of electronic house music or something else, the music used for the actual “show” part of the fashion show is often the most fussed over by the event organizers, designers, and the DJ. This is expected, as this is the music that most directly will be accenting the presentation of the clothing designs and influencing the mood the designs leave with the audience.

But when it comes to the “framing music” – songs played when people arrive, in between designers' clothing lines, for curtain calls, and for exit songs – we’ve seen at the fashion shows we've DJ-ed (photos of these shows are featured here), that there is less of a concern as to its craft as there is crafting the runway music. However, if done well, the framing music can be used to steer the audience’s mood to the way an organizer or designers wish, just as songs played while the models are on the runway. More importantly, though, if the framing music is not done well, or an untested DJ is given too much freedom to improvise, the framing music can detract from the atmosphere you want to be in place throughout the show. (For a post exclusively on advice for fashion show arrival music, go here.)

Here are some of the most important things we think there are to consider, and then to discuss with your DJ, about your fashion show framing music so that you can work together make the music the most effective it can be to enliven the feel that you want to create:  

Length – No  one in the audience likes to arrive on time but then be rushed to their seats, nor do they like  to wait so long that they grow impatient. Whether for arrivals or for intermissions, the “sweet spot” lies in having enough time to take in the surroundings for a bit and to let the feel of the music sink in. This is especially important if there is a different mood being created after each presentation of designs, whether from the same designer or different ones. The music needs time to work to shift people’s mood, and that often takes at least a few songs, but should not last a half-hour, either. Often the time that music is played for arrivals and intermissions is dictated by the time needed to prep for each designer or clothing line presentation, but this does not mean that just because a five-minute turnaround is possible means that the intermission should also be this length.  

Energy – While framing music can be of many, many styles, generally it tends to be fairly upbeat and friendly. However, if a designer wants to put the audience in a more dark atmosphere or a more coarse one to accent the mood of a clothing line, they should, first, not be shy about it (as long as the music isn’t extremely intense as to cause annoyance or ear damage, of course), as it can become part of the fun of the show, and, second, they will need to communicate this to the DJ, as moods like this can often require a more carefully-crafted approach.

Familiarity – Some organizers and/or designers prefer to include framing music at their fashion shows that is accessible, cool-sounding stuff that is very obscure and likely has not been heard by most in the audience. Others prefer to play a mix of songs that are very well known. Still others mix it up, playing a few interesting obscurities followed by an “anchor” of a more familiar song to make people feel comfortable. The important thing here is to think about what you believe the designs need and what the audience would like. Sometimes these match; other times they don’t. Regardless, thinking about which situation it might be will give you one more valuable piece of information for the DJ to make your event’s music the best it can be.  

Shape – If an organizer or designer chooses to have some sort of stylistic progression to their fashion show – say, where more subtle designs  are shown first, followed by ones that are increasingly loud – it could work to give the audience a more sharp sense of the designers’ style spectrum to build the framing music along with the progression of the clothing's mood. In the case mentioned, this could mean using songs that are more ethereal to start the arrivals, followed by music that is increasingly more intense with each intermission. Of course, the musical “shape” of your framing music will depend on what kind of atmospheric build (if any) there is to your fashion show.  

Variation – If a show is made up of many different designers who have very different styles, all kinds of musical variation can be a great thing, and something to consider featuring in your show. A complete change in the musical mood at intermission can be a great technique to use to perfectly emphasize a “clean break” with the previous designs, and get the audience into the mood that you want for the upcoming designs. For these kind of shows, the audience arrival time can be covered with a well-crafted mix of all the music styles you have chosen to use.

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

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.