Wedding DJ Tips from James Nasty for a Perfect Set
DJing at a wedding has almost nothing in common with playing a nightclub or a bar. For most DJs, the key to lasting in the wedding business is striking a balance: switching easily between tracks that get the crowd going and old-school love songs like Frank Sinatra's.
James Nasty, voted “Best Club DJ” by a Baltimore newspaper and with decades of experience in the industry, recently shared some rather original tips on how to DJ a wedding reception perfectly.
Win the crowd over from the very first notes
Wedding dances are usually chosen and planned in advance by the couple, so the best advice is to stick to the plan and change nothing. You don't want to play something too wild in the first few minutes and have an angry bride storming towards you in her heels. The safest bet is always to start with soft, romantic songs and let couples melt into a slow dance before you pick up the pace and liven up the party with your next choices.
James Nasty notes: “Since people usually want to dance to a slow ballad, I'll often use Extreme's 1991 song ‘More Than Words’ — but some couples want to break with tradition.”
He recalls: “I once DJed a wedding built entirely around the song ‘International Players Anthem’ by UGK and Outkast. When the couple told me their idea, I laughed. Sure, the video is about a wedding, but the song itself — in which the groom is told to think twice about getting married while he's at the altar — isn't exactly the perfect picture of a wedding. Still, I'd taken the job,” Nasty says with a smile. “I found a club edit by Cobra Krames of the UGK original and mixed them together. The couples slow-danced to Andre 3000 and Pimp C, and then everyone went wild on the dance floor. I don't think anyone caught the lyrics, but it was one great party.”
Understand how important the slow dances are
Slow dances always play a big part at a wedding. They're one of the main things that help shy guests connect with each other — after all, everyone is hoping to find their other half.
Once the vows have been exchanged and the ceremony is over, it's only natural that people start thinking about new love stories. But those songs need to be built up to. Play them too early and you get the awkward, fumbling moments of a first date that kill the mood for the rest of the evening; play them too well and the dance floor heads off somewhere more private, leaving the bride and groom wondering why they haven't seen their groomsmen and bridesmaids since the ceremony ended.
The perfect timing is after people have had a few drinks: drop an easy-going, uplifting pop song or a timeless classic and keep the tempo slow. You're guaranteed to create a warm, romantic atmosphere that keeps the bride, the groom and all the guests happy. At any wedding gig, this tactic never fails.
Keep the dance floor alive
Nasty says: “Read the room carefully and always think fast.” He adds: “The legendary DJ Karizma once advised me to always have the next three tracks ready. It's also the best way to avoid mistakes while you're playing — especially with the bride's and groom's drunk aunts and cousins getting angry at your DJ booth after asking again and again for Ke$ha's ‘Timber’ or Chumbawamba's ‘Tubthumping’. Taking a few moments to find and queue up at least 3 songs in Serato will always cover whatever the crowd wants to hear.”
Always stay flexible when you play
There's no easy shortcut to success as a wedding DJ, but things get a lot easier once you accept that the client is always right. So put on the most spectacular show you can and show the bride and groom that you're giving them a special gift to celebrate their marriage. And as you know, “every great marriage starts with a great wedding DJ.”
Source: Loop Central
