New York DJ

When many people think about how a DJ enlivens the vibe of an event, they think of beat and rhythm – whether that means these are mixed together in a way that is great for dancing, or, at an event that involves primarily mingling, they are mixed together to create an atmosphere that subtly makes itself welcome with the crowd. However, a DJ’s command of melody and mood – especially with the spectrum wildly different melodies and moods found in the immense variety of music New York City clients often request – can be just as or more important to elevating the level of an event.

When we meet with clients to help them plan the musical flow of an event, many know what they would like the overall mood, or at least part of it, to be. Song meaning and lyrics are often not as important. (For more on lyrics and meaning, go here for our first post in this series). These clients don’t mind if a song has an ambivalent meaning or may have some lyrics that conflict with the mood of their particular event, just that this doesn’t pierce the mood. For example, if a client wants a vibe that features roots reggae tunes to introduce a sunny, mellow vibe, they might not mind if a song here or there has downbeat lyrics, as long as the song fits the overall atmosphere of the event

Mood is important in different ways at different kinds of events. For events that primarily involve mingling – like guest arrivals at fashion shows, or corporate party and wedding cocktail hours and dinners, or in-store promotional events – a mood can be sustained longer and often explored deeper. For events involving dancing, the mood tends to need to be changed more quickly, as crowd feedback to the songs is more direct. If the crowd really likes a change in mood, DJs will likely go with this for a bit, and then after a bit, move on to another mood to keep the anticipation and the energy up. But even here, the mood can be one that can be lingered in. For example, if there is a theme to your event, such as playing 80s music, the DJ can explore the many different sub-moods of this genre, from sexy R & B, to dark synthpop, to edgy punk.

If an event organizer is a bit unsure as to what mood will work best, or if the mood they want to create will work for their guests, we often help by asking what kind of songs the event organizer thinks their guests will like. We can quickly see from the songs or genres given what the most successful moods could likely be, and from there we can work together to fine-tune or introduce new ideas for moods to create based on the organizer’s suggestions.

Where mood is an overall element, melody usually comes into play at events as being the “icing on the cake” of the mood. For example, at events where the primary goal is mingling and conversation, the melody makes the mood more specific – offering a festive, or ethereal, or whimsical (and so on) take on the chosen atmosphere. The beat of a song is what people grab onto, but melody is primarily what keeps people’s attention at these events. Because subtleties of lyrics are often lost in the noise of conversations, and because a repeated beat can get familiar after a while, a satisfying melody is what rises above to be noticed and latched onto from song to song while not interfering with the mingling. (If you’ve ever been in a hip restaurant/bar after around 11 p.m. in Manhattan, you will often hear house-ish music that seemingly only has a beat and nothing else over it – it’s okay to hear for atmosphere, but kind of boring after a couple hours.) In other words, it’s both a good melody and a good beat that makes guests tap their toe or bob their head while waiting for a drink at the bar.

At events that involve dancing, melody is of course more integrated with lyrics and most of all a seductive beat to create mood, but even here, in certain moments, the melody can take the lead. An example of this is when a DJ slyly throws on a cool but obscure cover version of song that he or she thinks the crowd will love. The melody of the original song needs to be somewhat intact for the song to work, especially if the DJ is spinning to crowd that isn’t as adventurous or open to quirkiness as club or bar crowds in, say, the East Village or Williamsburg. Another example is when the DJs spins remixes and mash-ups. Whether at a club or at a corporate party, altering songs too much can be frustrating if it ruins the core instrumental or vocal melodies (like riffs and choruses) a crowd craves when partying. Sometimes the mood of an event is one that will call for mostly non-remixed original versions of songs, and sometimes the mood will demand more severe remixes and stylized effects such as loops or wobble bass drops to keep people’s attention. A great DJ, no matter where they are playing or at what kind of event they are performing, will tune into the crowd quick and find the level of altering melody that will add to the vibe and not take away from it.

Since each song – and sometimes genres – have their own melodies, and what is a satisfying to one group is sometimes not to another is another reason we consult with the event organizer to see what kinds of songs and genres that their guests might like, and from here we can build a playlist that will use melodies in the ways described in the previous paragraphs to their fullest effect, and to ensure a better chance of creating a great event.

Coming next, Part 3: Beat & Rhythm

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

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

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.