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DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ
Tag Archives: Multicultural DJ
Wedding DJ at Yesterdays in Hazlet, NJ
Today I get to be the professional Wedding DJ at Yesterdays Restaurant in Hazlet, NJ for an interesting young Bride and Groom. They have chosen a creative and unique array of music that meets the needs of the Bride and Groom and their family and friends. The part that I found the funniest was in the Wedding Planner Guide for Wedding DJ that I provided them with. They added as notes for The Wedding Reception, “Please play some Disco for the Groom’s Mother to dance to. We hate Disco so please don’t play to much, since it is our Wedding and we want to enjoy it too!”. This is one of the reasons why I love being a professional Wedding DJ! Where else can you get the opportunity to be involved in such interesting and unique requests and concerns for family and friends?
Wedding DJ Disco Music
“Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre’s popularity peaked during the late 1970s. Its initial audiences were club-goers from the African American, Latino, gay, and psychedelic communities in New York Cityand Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Disco also was a reaction against both the domination of rock music and the stigmatization of dance music by the counterculture during this period. Women embraced disco as well, and the music eventually expanded to several other popular groups of the time.” Wikpedia
Yesterday’s Restaurant Hazlet Rhode Island Wedding DJ
“Yesterday’s Restaurant has been serving the Bayshore Community for over 50 years. Family owned and operated, we pride ourselves on offering the finest authentic Southern Italian & American cuisine. Our newly rebuilt restaurant & banquet facilities offer a wide array of menu options and our dedicated and professional staff is ready to accommodate all of your dining, catering and banquet needs.”
Yo! Where Are All The Good DJs?
Yes, that was a real post I saw earlier today. I was scanning the Craigslist postings for professional DJs in the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania area to see what other Wedding, Event and Party DJs are doing. And I had to actually laugh out loud when I read the title of the post, “Yo! Where Are All The Good DJs?”
I have been a professional Wedding DJ and Party DJ for a long time and the thing I find the most fascinating is what people decide makes a good DJ, a good DJ and what makes a bad DJ, a bad DJ. In most cases, it is simply a good DJ is a DJ that plays music you like. It has nothing to do with skill, inspiring a crowd, high quality equipment, professionalism, ability to interact positively with guests or any actual ‘talent’. This makes sense since the music industry in general is taste, not talent, driven. The most talented artists rarely get known outside of the community of trained musicians themselves. Physical appearance, stage presence, production and music that meets the tatses a wide range of listeners is typically what earns the highest ratings and $$$. Also, the age of who the music appeals to is significant, since the music industry in the USA is driven by the 13-27 year-old demographic.
The professional DJ business is somewhat different. Aside from playing music you like, which any professional good DJ without an ego can do easily with modern technology, many people do not know how to choose a good DJ, so they use the few distinctions that they know like scratching and so-called ‘beat-matching’. Both of these skills are just a product of practice, there are no actual ‘talents’, since anyone who practices enough can do them. Talent is something that is demonstrated in a craft or art that practice alone is not enough. Some examples are athletes ands musicians. No matter how much I practice, I will never be as good an athlete as Kevin Durant or Derek Jeter. I will not be a vocalist like Adele or Andrea Bocelli or songwriter like Elton John or John Lennon. Some things cannot be taught, either you have them or you don’t. An exceptional professional Wedding DJ and Party DJ is similar, but maybe not as easily detectable to those on the dance floor, or to those who want to dance but can’t figure out why they are “Not in the mood tonight”. Here is where the subtle distinction between the exceptional professional DJ and the regular professional DJ exists.
What Is An Exceptional Professional or Good DJ?
The exceptional professional DJ inspires you to move even when you are not in the mood, too tired or have to get up early for work in the morning. An exceptional DJ is part of the inspiration that makes dancing such a fun, exhilarating and sometimes ecstatic experience. A great live band is still my favorite form of musical experience but an exceptional DJ can bring something else to the experience that can be equally inspirational.
What makes a good DJ in your experiences?
Wedding DJ with Multicultural Brides and Grooms
I did not know when I first started promoting DJ Mystical Michael here in the New Jersey, New York and Philly area that I would have so much fun working with Multicultural Brides and Grooms at their Weddings. It is not that I am not aware of what a great mix of cultures we have in New Jersey and New York, I grew-up here and have never experienced the world through the eyes of just one way or culture. It would seem obvious that a local man who is from a Multicultural family would attract Multicultural Brides and Grooms to perform as DJ at their Weddings right? Well, it was not obvious for me at the time but I embrace the amazing opportunities that have come my way to work with Multicultural Brides and Grooms, especially the past few months.
Rhode Island Wedding DJ Supports Multicultural Brides and Grooms
It is so much fun for me to support Multicultural Brides and Grooms blend their family styles, traditions and music into one big, simple and elegant Wedding! I remember several years ago when I was a Social Work student and had taken a class titled, “Racial and Ethnic Groups”. The Professor would remind us on a regular basis, “You don’t know what you don’t know and how can you?” This is the attitude I try to bring to my interactions with all my clients, especially Multicultural Brides and Grooms; you know your family, friends and what you want, I am here to make sure that it works exceptionally well.
Last night I met with a really fun and nice Multicultural Brides and Groom that are Italian and Latina. We had so much fun laughing and sharing ideas about their Wedding. I am baffled why so many professional Wedding DJs hate this aspect of their work. For me, I love to get to know my Brides, Grooms and Party Planners before we agree to work together when possible. I like the connection and hearing your stories and experiences that have brought you together today. How can you do an an exceptional job at your Wedding or Party unless you know who they are and what they want, especially Multicultural Brides and Grooms?
I am grateful to live and work in the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania region where we have such diversity of culture, ideas and traditions. It is hard for me to imagine being a professional Wedding DJ, Event DJ and Party DJ in a location that is not as diverse. Besides, you get the best food at Multicultural Weddings!
Wedding DJ Performs at Dark Wedding
This past weekend I was Wedding DJ & MC for two rather unique Weddings. On Saturday Night, the Wedding was a Dark Wedding with almost everybody dressed in black. This was not your Black Tie Affair, it was more Goth-liike than anything else. The Bride and Groom chose a bunch of really unique songs for the Introductions and Traditional Dances including “The Imperial March”, “Sistinas” by Danzig, “In My Life” by The Beatles, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders. It was fun, creative and their friends and family loved it and their Wedding DJ!
“I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders
“I’ll Stand by You” is a 1994 song recorded by The Pretenders from their sixth studio album, Last of the Independents. Written by Chrissie Hynde in collaboration with the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg (who used the melody from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Minuet for Lovers]), it was the Pretenders’ most recent significant hit single, and their last successful single in North America.
The song is a power ballad that pledges love and faithful assistance in times of personal darkness. Since its initial release, “I’ll Stand by You” has also become a major hit for British girl group Girls Aloud in 2004 and Carrie Underwood in 2007, both times recorded as a charity single. Wikipedia
I really enjoy working with Brides and Grooms who are interested in creating a simple, elegant and unique Wedding DJ Event.
As a professional Wedding DJ, I always offer my experience and recommendations, leaving it to the Bride and Groom to decide what will best for you. As many Wedding as I am Wedding DJ & MC for, it seems like they would all feel and look the same but they are not even a little bit. I am grateful that the Brides and Grooms that choose me to perform at their Weddings are wanting something that expresses their style, taste and personality. I do not do ‘cookie-cutter wedding factory style’ Weddings and won’t. I think a Wedding is too important for a Bride and Groom to not place their imprint all over it.
Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz
I find it both confusing and invigorating when a musical genre somehow steps into another market where others have tried unsuccessfully. The latest example of this isPanjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz, a song rooted in Bhangara.
Bhangra is a form of dance and music that originated in the Punjabi Region. Bhangra dance began as a folk dance conducted by Punjabi farmers to celebrate the coming of the harvest season. The specific moves ofBhangra reflect the manner in which villagers farmed their land. This dance art further became synthesized after the partition of India, when refugees from different parts of the Punjab shared their folk dances with individuals who resided in the regions they settled in. This hybrid dance became Bhangra. The folk dance has been popularized in the Western World by South Asian communities and is seen in the West as an expression of Indian and Pakistani culture as a whole. Today, Bhangra dance survives in different forms and styles all over the globe – including pop music, film soundtracks, collegiate competitions and even talent shows. And now Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz.
Its is not surprising to me that Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz has made its way into the Hip Hop and Dance club market, it is a fun song to dance to and easy to mix for a professional DJ. What does surprise me is that Jay-Z is involved in this song and how his name attached immediately makes it a hit. As if the thousands of Bhangara and Bhangara/Hip Hop songs before did not matter till an American pop star was featured. This is nothing new to the pop music market in America. Till The Beatles included Ravi Shankar in their recordings, the Sitar was not known very much in the West and certainly not in pop music. I think it is great that more folks are hearing different forms of musical styles globally, one of the positive uses of the internet. I have recently had the opportunity to professionally DJ a Punjabi event and most of the music was traditional and popular Bhangara. Panjabi MC has many great songs, check this out as well as other popular cross-over stuff like Bhangara Two Step!
I think it is great that more folks are hearing different forms of musical styles globally, one of the positive uses of the internet. I have recently had the opportunity to professionally DJ a Punjabi event and most of the music was traditional and popular Bhangara. Panjabi MC has many great songs, check-out Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz, as well as other popular cross-over stuff like Bhangara Two Step!
Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz:
My First All-Female Event As Professional DJ!
Yes you read that correctly. I will be professional DJ at an all-female event tomorrow night. It is the 13th birthday for a Muslim family. This particular family celebrates these kinds of events gender segregated, in this case, only females.
I tried to shift this gig to one of the female DJs that I work with. The event planner would not let me. She is the girl’s Aunt and is also a Wedding Planner. We are discussing me as Wedding DJ for a Bride and Groom she is planning a wedding this summer. She wants me to be there. I really attempted to offer for it to be a female DJ but not the plan. So, tomorrow night I will be professional DJ at an all-female event.
This night will be focused on the girl and her friends early in the night. As her Aunt said, “Play all American-style music for her and her friends.”
“What about later?”
“I will give you a list of Afghani music for us later.”
I smiled, “OK.”
I am getting used to this sort of situation as a professional DJ that specializes in Multicultural Weddings and Events. Folks hire me to create professional DJ music for Weddings and Events that I have never even experienced before. This used to be something that might rattle me years ago but my experiences while living in South Korea and traveling through Eastern and Central Asia taught me to accept circumstances that are new or foreign to me.
I am looking forward to tomorrow night. I have been a participant in all-female events as a ‘special guest’, but never as professional DJ. Can’t wait to see how it goes!
Have you ever been the only non-female at an all-female event?
Another MultiCultural Wedding: DJ for Filipino-Italian Wedding
One of the joys of living and performing in the NYC/NJ/Philly Region is the opportunity to work as a professional DJ with Multicultural Weddings. I received a request for a quote from a young lady whose sister is getting married in November. It is a small wedding at View Of The Hudson in Piermont, NY. She has the honor of both being her sister and Maid of Honor and is required to find and secure a professional DJ for her sister’s wedding. We exchanged several emails before having a fun and informative conversation via the phone.
It turns out she is from a Filipino family and her sister’s fiancé is Italian. My Mom’s family is Italian and I grew up eating mostly Italian food from an excellent cook that has spoiled me for life.
I love to DJ Multi-Cultural Weddings. They are so much fun and always have a few interesting twists to add spice and variety to any event. This one should be no exception. I too am from a Multi-Cultural family and it provided some unique and peculiar traditions when both sides of the family gathered together. I know many professional DJs flinch when presented with cultures they are not originally from; I do not understand this. I look forward to these events and the new experiences they offer. In the past year I have performed at about ten weddings with Brides and Grooms of different races, cultures or continents. I learn something new at every one of them and meet great people. Glad I am here in New Jersey where this kind of wedding is commonplace.
Music, Dance and Culture As A Professional DJ
It does not happen often, but every now and then I have to really dig into my experience as a professional DJ to figure out how to make things work at an event. Most recently, it was due to some cultural differences that I did not take into account and fortunately was helped by some of the guests to understand and find an effective solution.
Even though I have lived and traveled through a large section of Eastern and Central Asia, I still view how an event is supposed to go in the USA from an American perspective. This is not necessarily a bad thing but can be a blind-spot when not taking into account cultural differences. If I was in South Korea or Uzbekistan, I would not think twice about ASSUMING the way we do it here is the way it is done there. But being here in the USA, my vision is not as wide and expansive at times since it is my home. I ASSUMED that the order of events that are typical for an American social event were the same everywhere, big mistake. I know better. I ASSUMED that there is some time before dinner for people to mingle and settle, dinner, cake/coffee/tea and then everybody is ready to let go and dance till they are cleaning the tables and folding chairs. This is not the case everywhere.
The event I was providing professional DJ services for was a high school graduation party for an American Punjabi family. The event was at an Indian Restaurant and they followed Indian traditional order of social events. The dancing for events is between the appetizers and the main meal, not after the main meal. I did not know this, I do now!
Again, if not for the willing guests who showed me the way, I am afraid the party would not have been the success it was. I am grateful they took the time to explain to me how this works and what to do. They even shared with me what music to play when!
The lesson learned for me is an old lesson relived: Don’t make ASSUMPTIONS, especially with cultural differences.
Slow Music Works For A Good DJ Too!
Most folks when thinking about their wedding and its accompanying playlist; they think of partying, up-tempo music. Every now and then a couple wants slow music as their preferred choice for their reception. It is not as uncommon as one would assume as a professional Wedding DJ.
Recently a Bride and Groom thought they had guests that did not like to dance, “We are Chinese and are too shy to dance, especially to fast music”. I smiled thinking in my head I have heard this before as a Wedding DJ and saw the results of picking the correct songs for that audience and people not only danced, they grooved to fast and slow tunes.
The reception started out with folks requesting all slow songs but halfway through, The Maid of Honor began the trend of asking for dancing tunes. Her excitement and energy let me know there would be dancing and not just slow songs.
As soon as dinner was completed. I played a few slow tunes to get folks on the dance floor and it was less than two minutes later before it was full of couples dancing slow and lovingly. After I sensed they were ready, I switched to some of the faster, popular songs as a bridge, and it worked. They danced to everything non-stop till it was time for dessert.
Another great wedding with happy friends and family for the Wedding DJ!
