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

Over many years of DJ-ing non-traditional weddings in New York City and the surrounding area, we’ve seen that the increasingly popular phrase “indie wedding” - like the “indie music” aesthetic it’s largely derived from - is a wide-ranging idea that encompasses all kinds of different styles. But in general, it often eschews much of the feel of “grandness” of traditional ceremonies and receptions - from the fussy long dresses to the large catering hall to the cake cutting.

The more stripped-down and often eclectic indie wedding concept seems to partly a reaction to this traditional kind of fancier-looking wedding experience, and how it has seemingly throughout the last few generations become a one-size-fits-all package of assembly-line luxury that’s incessantly marketed and promoted from storefronts to television to the internet. Many of the couples we work for have told us that this style doesn’t appeal to them because of its generic feel, suspected insincerity on the part of its sellers, or often simply because its “blinging out” every aspect of the celebration doesn’t reflect a vibe that these couples want to portray to others, or be surrounded with.

Therefore, many couples who want an indie wedding will make things more personal (and often more inexpensive) - they’ll have a ceremony in the backyard of one of their parent’s homes instead of a chapel, or have the reception in a historical society museum instead of a “wedding factory”-style hall that schedules multiple weddings at once, or they’ll have cupcakes instead of a formal cake cutting moment. To some, this might sound reductive - and handled the wrong way it certainly could be. But to so many couples in the city we have worked with, these couples see a bit less as a lot more - more, in that their wedding will feel a lot more reflective of their spirit, as well as more fresh and less predictable to their guests.

Of course, these couples usually want music that reflects their mostly non-mainstream tastes. (Over the years we have put together a large amount of blog posts of recommendations of songs for all components of indie weddings and weddings of a more eclectic style; go here to read them.) While most couples going for the indie wedding vibe won’t go completely esoteric on their dance playlist as not to alienate guests, for the earlier parts of the wedding, they generally want to use music - especially at the ceremony - to establish their more simple and/or eclectic vibe.

But simply-constructed or obscure songs don't mean the music for an indie wedding ceremony has to feel small or unelegant - there are plenty of tunes out there that don't use orchestras, or even a ton of schmaltzy production effects, and yet still conjure a magical or expansive mood. A perfect example of this is the song “Walk With Me” by the Toronto duo Memoryhouse (from their recent debut album The Slideshow Effect, pictured above). "Walk With Me" begins with a soft, dreamy sound that chimes along for a few moments until airy but clear female vocals deliver a mix of visually concrete and emotionally reflective lyrics - skylines and heads resting on shoulders are mentioned alongside remembrances of youth and leaving behind old ways. Then, as the chorus kicks in and increases the energy and sweep of the song, the vocals center on the idea of walking together into a new, better life. The mingling of the tangible with the more abstract, as well as the ethereal atmosphere of the tune, give the song a distinct cinematic feel, as if it's meant to accompany a flashback scene from some art house film.

Have a listen, and if you enjoy the mood the song creates, I think you’ll find it quite easy to picture a wedding processional starting for the quiet but evocative verses that introduce the tune, and then the bride entering on the chorus, when the pace gets faster, the sound bigger, and the lyrics poignantly applicable to the moment just before marriage as the vocalist sings: This life could be / grace with symmetry / walk with me / do you walk with me?

Also, as a bonus, there’s a quiet break toward the end of the song, and then it picks up again and repeats the chorus to the end - a moment that could be played on a couple's kiss or an officiant’s pronouncement, so as to use the chorus' lyrics of walking together to capture the joy and festivity of a ceremony recessional.

Memoryhouse - Walk With Me

We’ve DJ-ed many events where we’ve spun Arabic pop music – from weddings to corporate parties to recently a celebration involving many guests from the United Nations. At these events we often mix a range of styles and time periods - from the Western-influenced songs of modern performers like Amr Diab, Alabina, or Nancy Ajram, to vintage tunes by older but beloved Arabic pop singers like Fairouz, Dalida, or Hakim. Much of the time at events featuring Arabic pop, we find client requests tend to be either from Egypt or Lebanon - for example, all the artists just mentioned are from or have deep connections to one of those two countries. We’ve featured posts on some of these artists - go here to read one, and here to read another. Also, many Egyptian and Lebanese (as well as Moroccan) performers are also featured here in an Arabic music playlist we compiled.

Some of the reason for Egyptian and Lebansese pop being very prevalent comes from the immense popularity of many Egyptian and Lebanese artists around the Middle East – since in particular Egypt at times has been more permissive than other Arabic countries of pop music expression and its themes and performers, more artists have developed there. Also, those who leave the Middle East to settle in other areas of like New York bring their musical tastes with them, and since Egypt is a large producer of Arabic pop, expatriates will likely have heard it and may recall it fondly.

But in a city as big as New York, with so many cultural backgrounds, we don’t always spin Egyptian or Lebanese pop – sometimes we include (and clients request) Arabic pop from other countries from the Persian Gulf area, and we're grateful for this chance to diversify our Arabic pop selections. While performers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Iraq may not dominate the Arabic pop music world, we’ve found there is plenty of excellent artists out there to from the Persian Gulf region to be spun at all kinds of events featuring Arabic music, or dropped in now and then at events not featuring Arabic music specifically if a festive, romantic or exotic vibe is needed to take things in a slightly unexpected direction. Below are some great songs from the Gulf region, most released over the past few years.

“Halla Besh” from Saudi Arabian singer Abdelmajid Abdullah (pictured above), is traditional-sounding – it uses Arabic beats and instruments and a sweeping strings melody instead of the electronic dance elements that many Arabic performers have incorporated into their songs over the past generation – but its grand and orchestral - yet loose - feel make it ideal for a moment when you're kicking off a party, or resuming a dance set and you want to include all generations of guests:

Abdelmajid Abdullah - Halla Besh

Saudi singer Abdel El-Girini incorporates elements of R&B, hip-hop and electronica in “Baheb Ashoufak,” which, while taking a cue from artists like Ne-Yo and Usher from its production, still sounds exotic. It should appeal to fans of both Top 40 American and Arabic pop:

Abdel El-Girini - Baheb Ashoufak

“Shabab We Banat” by Kuwaiti group Miami Band (pictured right) from Kuwait, alternates a sunny calypso and soca vocal with a bright Arabic vocal to create a song with an expansive celebratory and uplifting feel:

Miami Band - Shabab We Banat

“La Titnahad” by Iraqi singer Kathem Al Saher is a great tune that blends Latin-sounding horns with a thick Arabic beat and an impassioned vocal to create a nice and warm celebratory vibe. This song was remixed by British-based world music electronica group Transglobal Underground, so some of your guests may recognize it a bit:

Kathem Al-Saher - La Titnahad

Sirvan Khosravi, an Iranian pop singer who, in 2009 was the first Iranian pop artist to have a song chart in Europe, here performs a tune called “Na Naro” that pulses along with a lush, sexy, late-night house beat and a seductive piano melody, and just might be the most accessible song here to those unfamiliar with Arabic pop:

Sirvan Khosravi - Na Naro

Many clients we've worked with have told us they wanted to use a favorite restaurant for their receptions, but they often find that they aren't able to do it because the restaurant doesn't have the resources to handle wedding receptions, or the price to rent the restaurant is too expensive. Thus, many clients end up going with their second choice - a reception hall with in-house staff. We've been DJ-ing in and around New York City for a long time, and our experience has taught us not every reception hall offers a rushed, generic or "cheesy" feel, but let's just say the image of the reception hall as having "cookie-cutter" services is at times based in reality.

The reception halls often will say they can make your celebration special and one-of-a-kind, but since these venues are designed to pack in many events they usually need to run them with an assembly-line mentality, and we've seen it's not very easy for these halls to pull off a feel of originality. At a restaurant, it's often easier for a couple (or a couple along with their DJ and other vendors) to craft a structure and feel for an event with a more personal style - since venues that don't do weddings every weekend often are more open to being flexible with the elements they recommend including in a reception and how to "flow" them. But, when thinking of choosing a restaurant for their reception, couples ask: can restaurants run weddings smoothly? Is there enough space to dance after dinner? And is it affordable? Well, just like every hall doesn't hold ten wedding receptions at once, we've found through working all over the city for many years that there are many excellent restaurants in and around the city able pull off wedding receptions that satisfy all these criteria - and the best thing is, there's an impressive diversity in styles (and unexpectedly great locations) out there.

In this post, as well as more posts soon to follow, we'll spotlight a few restaurants in and around New York City that are some of the best we've seen over the years for having a wedding reception. We've co-ordinated closely with these establishments and their accomodating staffs, observed guests raving about their food, used their layouts to provide a comfortable space for dancing, and know that the couples we've worked for who've booked these restaurants aren't millionaires. In short, these establishments give couples the whole package if they're looking to hold a reception at a restaurant and do it with style.

Thalassa - This Tribeca restaurant (pictured left), serving Greek and Mediterranean, is sleek and modern in its decor but has just enough exposed brick walls and mahogany wine cabinets to give it earthiness and warmth. The guests always remark how the food is excellent; the staff effortlessly knows how to handle the increased pace, coordination, and larger scale of a wedding; the managers are flexible with timelines and structuring the special moments of the reception like entrances, first dances, etc.; and after dinner, the space is just the right size to accommodate a decent-sized dancing area along with a portable bar nearby. For bigger parties, or simply for added flexibility in planning, there is also a downstairs wine cellar big enough to be used for either a lounge, dining room, or a dancing area. Go here for a sample of events we’ve DJ-ed at Thalassa over the years. Their website is www.thalassanyc.com

Golden Unicorn - Just south of Thalassa, in Chinatown, is the Golden Unicorn (pictured right), a gourmet Chinese restaurant that offers some of the best Chinese food in the city. This isn’t your typical food you may know from the corner Chinese place either. This is much more upscale and attractively-prepared. Dinners here for receptions feature an over 10 course meal of what essentially are small plates for each guest of more exotic and eclectic Chinese food. Its taste is always extremely delicious and accessible to even conservative palates - we know, as we've been there before watching hundreds of people of all cultures really enjoying the food. The courses come not too fast or not too slow, but just right - a clear sign that the restaurant is very used to handling wedding receptions. The venue’s atmosphere is in places grand and traditional, with plenty of red and, well, golden, creatures like unicorns and dragons present. But because most of this decor is centered around the dancing area, it makes the vibe feel very festive and fun, as the lights go down and people pack this part of the space. Of course, the restaurant is a great venue for Chinese weddings or multi-cultural weddings with a Chinese side, but it's a credit to the atmosphere and quality of the food that we've been here not just for Chinese weddings. For its slight grandiose atmosphere, the restaurant is so down-to-earth and friendly in terms of the staff's attitude. The managers we’ve worked at the Golden Unicorn also are able to help with Cantonese and/or Mandarin translations along with MC's if extensive translations are needed throughout the event, as some of the events we've done here have gone beyond the basic Chinese announcements that we often use in our MC-ing at Chinese weddings. Go here for a sample of events we've DJ-ed at the Golden Unicorn. Their website is www.goldenunicornrestaurant.com.

Riverview - This cozy but slyly chic restaurant (pictured left), located on the waterfront on the border of the Astoria and Long Island City neighborhoods of Queens, is a true hidden gem. It's located in a quiet, pretty area that day or night gives you spectacular views of the midtown Manhattan skyline; there's a broad-ranging, eclectic menu of food that always tastes fresh, a breezy, ethereal atmosphere that mingles angular modern decor with organic touches like a variety of flower and small tree branch arrangements; a stylish circular lounge/bar area; and a dining room that is both elegant and casual. Also, there's a room off to the side of the dining room where wedding ceremonies can be held. We and our clients have worked with the staff here and the managers are extremely flexible at planning a reception structure that fits any style, from "indie" or eclectic to more traditional or formal. The openness of the dining room also makes the transition from dinner to dancing very easy for guests. Go here for a sample of events we've DJ-ed at Riverview. Their website is www.riverviewny.com.
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