How Inappropriate is Too Inappropriate (Wedding-R)
DB_Cooper
Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
A couple of my friends are getting married in a few months, and they've asked me to DJ. I've never done a wedding before, but they like the stuff I normally spin, which is hip hop, soul, and rock. They really want the dance portion to jump off, so the question is, how much swearing, n-bombs, etc. is acceptable in that context? Do I need to find clean versions of everything? I still dinosaur it with vinyl, so keep that in mind.
Comments
Daddy doesnt want to hear Efil4zaggin during the cocktail hour
Maybe have clean versions of the really big songs that might need to get played earlier when grandpa and the 8 year old grandchildren are dancing together?
Nah, they have a jazz band lined up for cocktails, and I'll be doing latin/jazz/Euro-sophisticate midtempo shit for dinner a la Beatfanatic. I'm more interested in whether the line occurs before or after the Meterhead remix of Drunk As F*ck.
I don't care what your engaged friends like from your selection, you still need to bring a grip of wedding music for family time. Trust me on this one. If not, you will be the center of some family controversy. You can play your dirty clurb stuff a little later when people are way crunked up and don't even know what they are hearing.
Yeah, I had a feeling I'd end up having to cop a bunch of records that I will never use beyond that one time.
Alright, what's the really on this? Hip me to some family time sure shots. It has already been determined that there will be no chicken dance-type bullshit.
Keep it chill for the first portion with sweet soul, sinatra-esque stuff, then step it up to dirty freak nasty once everyone gets drunk. Nobody will care about the occasional foul language as long as your not playing "welcome to the F*ck shop"
Hah! OH HELLS NO.
I can handle sweet soul no problem. I guess I'll need to step up my "Summer Wind" game.
70's dance/disco classics. Hopefully you wouldn't have to get as corny as "YMCA" or "Celebration," but stuff like like "Get Down Tonight," "Ladies Night," and "Brick House" have always jumped off for me.
For gigs like this I would bring turntables but also at least one CD player and a couple CD's of "Ultimate Disco" type comps with dudes with bad afro wigs and platforms on the cover.
And the obvious 80's stuff like Rick James (inappropriate?) and MJ. The rock/pop stuff is more of a grey area, although I have learned the hard way that "Come On Eileen" will bring white people to their knees.
Haha. It is almost guaranteed that this will be requested, I would load it up on the ipod and bring it just to be prepared. I always keep a healthly supply of the We Are Family, I Will Survive type of disco. Also, some classic rock.
The thought of having to play these makes me sad.
MJ and Prince are definitely in the mix. Come On Eileen is a Boston staple, and while I'm not psyched about it, I could live with it.
Plaese to elaborate on the classic rock. We talking Journey? Led Zep? Knowledge me, bro. I am in need of sure shot wisdom nuggets.
Yeah, stuff like that, not too sure about Zep, but Rolling Stones, Steve Miller, Journey etc. Come to think of it, I REALLY don't end up playing too much rock, but I've seen friends play this type of stuff and do well. Man, nowadays, without Microwave, I don't even know what I would do..
Just ask them if they want clean versions played. I had the same sort of stuff played at my wedding (whaddup marco) and asked for the clean versions so the older folks, and especially the person paying (my now father-in-law) would not get sour.
if you play hiphop 12s then most clean versions should already be there. should be pretty easy, right?
80's clubby synth pop went over very well at our wedding: Dead or Alive, Pet Shop Boys, Real Life. You can't go wrong with the Holy Trinity of Wedding Groove: September, Celebrate and We Are Family
Had that in the bag, with the twist of using the Inhumanz mashup with Next Episode instead.
Usually like to mix this with Blue Monday, but that seems a little dark for a wedding.
Yet it feels so very wrong.
true story.
no one seemed to notice except me.
You can NEVER come out on top.
Facts are facts, you WILL piss somebody off.
Do you and the couple. Let everyone else worry about it.
"YOU CAN'T WIN!"
Plus... make sure you have some Michael Jackson and shit like that.
Our DJ canceled for my sisters wedding and I ended up having to do the whole thing with Microwave with no CD decks or turntables... It was tough to get started... but in the end we all had fun.
my friends brothers wedding had this corny microphone guy DJ
with an arena voice
my friend came out to dre-the next episode a pleasant surprise
they are lebanese so they looked for hiphop with a (cringe)"arab"(/cringe) twist
the bride and groom come out to
Big Pimpin with full on lyrics
"I...love em'tease'em F*ck'em, leave'em cuz i dont f*cking need them!"
and now the first dance
off the wall, thriller and bad are unfuckwittable for all age groups between 15 and 50.
Dont forget the wedding floor party starters like Nutbush, Macarena, Achy Breaky Heart (?) ...especially that Chicken Song!!! (anything with moves ppl already know)....
(however, middle aged twice divorced drunk Uncle is pretty much unpleasable)
Just keep in mind you can get everyone up with tunes like Marvin Gaye " Got to give it up" Jean Knight "Mr. Big Stuff", with hitslike that in the mix, something like Eddie Bo wont sound out of place, and will keep people who got up when they heard james or Marvin on the dancefloor even though they might not be familar with it ...you dont have to resort to crap like the "Electric Slide"..you can keep it tasteful and still get folks up on the floor..no need for "YMCA"
Sir Allen Toussaint-penned I do believe