Returned to the 1s & 2s last Friday to celebrate some nuptials (congrats Naomi + Nic) at the World Famous Katz’s Deli.
Fun times!
Not gonna drop a full “how-to” post, but I will say that wedding DJing is an underrated skill set. A club night’s a club night; no matter how dope you are (ahem) there’s going to be good and bad ones. As time goes by, I relate more and more to something Thee Mike B once told me, essentially, “I don’t trip if they don’t like it… you booked me.”
But a wedding isn’t some random gig — it’s one night two people are going to remember forever. And so will all their friends, family, random aunts and uncles, and, in the case of this past weekend, the very tan guy from Uncut Gems.
Ultimately the key to rocking both scenarios is: know and respect your audience.
I like that folks tend to hit me up for special events because they know who I am and what I do — in this case, murdering Kinfolk on the regular a decade ago.
But that’s not a blank check to play whatever. Or worse, a license to drop obvious shit on cruise control, in what my man TAP.10 calls “the Antiques Roadshow set.”
You gotta work them hits!
I love learning what tunes are special to the happy couple beforehand (and even more so, asking about the stuff they absolutely hate) so I can approach the night in a bespoke way. Plan around their first dance / special songs, think about the demographics of the room, cook up surprises...
“Joy maximization” is a concept we should apply to everything.
Carly Gibert, “Jennifer Lawrence” — there’s new class of R&B-adjacent gals hitting at the moment. Lexa Gates, Sailorr and a bunch more you could hang a think piece on. Fresh vibes, clever visuals (Carly even makes her own VFX breakdowns)... do yr thing ladies!
Mr. Carmack, Care Pack Vol. 1 — 20 free bootlegs and blends from one of the vibiest, chunkiest beatmakers around (and I’m not just saying that bc we threw a party with him and 21 Savage at a strip club in Sunset Park).
High Fidelity oral history — great longread celebrating one of my forever favs. Jack Black anecdotes! Writers Guild arbitrations! Drag City Records!
RIP Nicky Katt — while we’re in a Blockbuster Video circa 2000, the news of NK’s passing (immediately after my Boiler Room memory lane sesh) was a real bummer. Never a bad time to rewatch Dazed & Confused tho.
El Cousteau, “Dialect & Manners” — new one from a remarkably vibey individual.
Kyle Baker The Comics Journal Q&A — big talk with the dude behind How To Draw Stupid and countless squiggly gems. Having loved his Dick Tracy since childhood, it’s hilarious to learn how pissy Warren Beatty got about the illustrations. Additional TCJ heaters: fun chat with pre-Gorillaz Jamie Hewlett collaborator Mat Wakeham and a deep dive on 1940s superhero IP scammers.
LeRoy Neiman Femlin Auction — even more toons! Auction’s over but u can still peep decades of his collected Playboy doodles in all their gloriously sketchy glory. Here’s a more or less SFW one…
Playlists updated!