What do DJs listen to?

If there was ever a more appropriate time to use the phrase, “Never judge a book by it’s cover.”, when it comes to your dj’s favorite tunes and playlists, this is it.

If you’re a mobile DJ that specializes in weddings, it’s understood that you may play a lot of the same music weekend after weekend. Favorites like YMCA, the Cha Cha Slide, etc are a few that come to mind. Do we hate them? Not necessarily. Are they our favorites? Probably not.

As a DJ, music for us is the equivalent to a contractor’s tool box. Every event has a vibe and requires the right music for the event. That being said, there’s no such thing as a bad song. It’s all in where you put it. For example, you probably won’t be hearing EDM during dinner service and you most likely won’t hear a Piano Guys cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” at the height of dancing.

If you’re a DJ, you have to have an appreciation for ALL music. You have to know that one person’s favorite is another person’s least favorite. And reading a room is not something that you can just pick up like a book. It’s learned, perfected, and executed with lots of trial and error. So how do we know what to select when we’re trying to get the party started?

My theory is… if it makes you FEEL something, use that. If our client is big on rock and pop-punk, we’re searching for the anthems that everyone will be belting out on the floor. If it’s a more clubby vibe, we’re gonna find the bangers and so on.

But what do DJs listen to?
I often get asked who my favorite artists of all time are. For me, that’s a tough question. But first, a little history.

I began playing the drums at 5 years old. I self-taught myself guitar & bass at age 14. But drums are my favorite. Have you ever danced your heart out without drums? Perhaps yes but most likely not. When you don’t hear a bass line in a song, does it move you as easily as feeling that vibration in your chest?

I like anything with rhythm. Doesn’t matter if it’s in 4/4 time or an odd time signature. I love the complexity and layering of music. Every note, every beat, and every dynamic serves a purpose to create the feel of a song.

My love of technical music started at 13 when I discovered the world’s most recognized progressive-metal band, Dream Theater. Their songs are very theatrical and mind bending. Lots of thrash guitar, quick melodic keyboard parts, and loaded to the gills with knuckle-busting drumming. At that age, I really found a home in metal music. Bands like Metallica, Motley Crue, and Pantera really shaped who I was as a drummer so that’s what I was favoring.

Fast forward to the late 90’s and I really picked up on hip hop royalty with Notorious BIG, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Wu-Tang Clan, and yes… Will Smith. When I wasn’t nodding my head in the driver’s seat of my Ford Aerostar loaded with a 15″ woofer you could hear from a quarter mile away, I was practicing the drums 6 hours a day.

Of course, growing up in a house full of music lovers, I was influenced by my parent’s extensive record collection. My first memories of my parent’s records were:
The Best of the Doobie Brothers
The Eagles – Desperado
Joe Walsh – Life’s Been Good
Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits
Saturday Night Fever
TOTO
Earth, Wind, & Fire

It wasn’t until that fateful day when I got my first gig at the Elks Club in Waterbury playing for a bunch of people my parent’s and grandparent’s age that I really exposed myself to such a broad variety of music. Most of the requests back then were anything from 50’s & 60’s to Motown, The Rat Pack, & a smattering of disco. So growing up as a kid in the 90’s and being forced to play Buddy Holly was quite the experience especially considering I had just picked up MTV Party to GO and That’s what I call music which were loaded with then current pop music.

At 13, my mother brought me to a country line dance class. I was hooked on classic country tunes after that. The technicality of the dance moves paired with the rhythm section of the bands we were listening to was infectious and increased my exposure and appreciation for yet another genre of music.

As I am sitting in my office writing this entry, Dream Theater is playing in the background. But if I could pair music with moods, here’s what my personalized playlist might look like.

Happy – Super Bassy Hip Hop & EDM
Motivated – Dream Theater or Metal
Relaxed – The Blues
Nostalgic – Country
Bored – Jazz Fusion

Thanks for coming on this musical journey with me!