Djnyc Funk n' Soul, nyc dj

Events being booked earlier for 2008

For some reason this year companies and people are booking us earlier for events in late 2008 than in previous fall seasons. I talked to a couple of event planners and photographers who are experiencing the same thing.  Last year the average booking would be between 5 and 9 months in advance, this year it's leaning towards 8-12 months in advance.  I looked around on the web and couldn't find any event planner type article to corrobate this however it does seem to be a trend.  I know that the best places like Bryant Park Grill and The New York Botanical Gardens are getting reserved earlier so perhaps all the vendors fall in line with that.  Personally I think there can be too much advance time to book someone and also too little.

  6-8 months is good however now if you want someone solid with experience you may have a tougher time finding them.  With that said our schedule is definitely filling up quickly for 2008 and since we only dj a limited number of events please call us today at (212) 717-5091 to check for availability. 

Should you hire a dj for your event?

This is a question we've gotten in the past and there are a lot of considerations as to whether or not you need a dj. After djing for years in Los Angeles and New York City the biggest advice I can offer is that you simply can't plug in an ipod and wing it. Or hire the friend who's really into music but has never really done it before.  Especially in New York City where people tend to be highly selective about the music they like and do not like.  What if the system you rented goes down? Do you have a backup system? What if the speaker falls on someone or something accidentally, or it accidentally gets knocked over? Are you insured for that? What if you've invited 200 people to your event and they are various ages and cultural backgrounds?

If you are having a cocktail party or smaller event where dancing, etc are not as important you might be able to get away with hiring a friend, but the reason why you hire someone who has a lot of experience is their ability to keep everyone interested and ethusiastic for 4-6 hours.

What to look for when hiring a dj

I've been blessed to be able to share my passion for music over the years both in Los Angeles and New York City at different events ranging from private parties in clubs to corporate events to movie premieres.  One of the most essential tasks a dj must accomplish is taking music that the guests really love and turning it into something  unique and popular for everyone attending.  There are so many connections and cross influences in music. 

For instance if a client tells you they love motown (and their guests will too), to be able to turn that into a soul, funk, rock steady, roots reggae, blues, rockabilly, doo wop set that people will love and dance to, really in a nutshell is why you hire a dj.  Or if another person loves salsa, where can you go from there? How old is everyone? Will they want more merengue, bachata, reggaeton or cumbia? How can you put together a latin dance set that most everyone will like? Anybody can play the hit songs, we all know what they are, but a decent dj can take you beyond that.

In addition to experience it's important to take chances too, like any other performance type of situation (although those that take chances and can actually sing or play an instrument are much more honorable!), because that's when the most interesting things happen. Taking an 80s hip hop song like white lines and working in a country line dance with the same tempo, etc. 

It's amazing to dj in New York City because of the diversity and open mindedness people have when it comes to music.  Often times I find I'm able to spin music literally from all over the world, from Nigeria to Haiti to Cuba to Detroit to France to Japan.  In that respect it will be hard to leave and do it anywhere else in the U.S., maybe the next stop is London! Although I'm not sure I could deal with the weather or expense of living there.