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It has been a fun, rewarding and busy season working with so many lovely people. We had the pleasure of returning to some amazing locations and also getting to work at some new venues which we have added to our updated venue list.
Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Recent MovesJust the other day a funny memory from adolescence popped up in the middle of our conversation. We couldn’t stop laughing as we reminisced: trying to go for a jog while holding a Sony Discman. Picturing this made us erupt in laughter. We had completely forgotten what it feels like to have to hold such a device in a way that kept your music from skipping – it would really cramp your style!! In fact, that distinctly difficult way of listening to music really isn’t that far in our past. Technology has changed music in every imaginable way from how music is released, how it is paid for, how it is made, how it’s received, and how we feel about it.
In honor of musicians who have incredible stories to tell from their respective heydays, when everything about music was completely different, here are some amazing books and memoirs for this years gift guide. Does it matter if you love their music, their style, or even know who they are? Not really, they are portals to another time and place told by some prolific characters, beautifully written, in an industry that looks totally different today!
George Clinton, “Brothas Be Like ,Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You?: A Memoir”
P-Funk’s master front man eccentric, who has influenced so many genres and artists.
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Rick James and David Ritz, “Glow: The Autobiography of Rick James”
Posthumous memoir from a dude who lived a wild party lifestyle and before he became a funk-disco superstar he played with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell! |
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Carlos Santana with Ashley Kahn, “The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light”
Pioneer of Rock and Latin fusion who rose to major success |
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Viv Albertine, “Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.: A Memoir”
Guitarist for the Slits and who discusses the incredible London punk scene of the 70’s with close friends in The Clash and The Sex Pistols among others. |
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Kim Gordon, “Girl in a Band: A Memoir”
Indie Punk whatever you wanna label it, Sonic Youth’s front woman has exerted a huge influence on so many musicians both male and female with her sound, style, creativity, and her strong sense of conviction on everything from politics to feminism and art, and helped popularize the work of such visionaries as Spike Jonze, Todd Haynes, Gerhard Richter, Mike Kelley, and Richard Prince. |
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Herbie Hancock and Lisa Dickey, “Herbie Hancock: Possibilities”
Herbie Hancock is a living legend and jazz pioneer, one of the first jazz pianists to give synthesizers a shot and has a career spanning six decades.
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And just for fun here is some footage that predates our era of course but really shows how people used to buy music – they would interact with one another at record stores, they would meet like-minded fans, and if they wanted to know what was new, they would have to come in and look for it. Also, check out how much space is needed for this stores stock! Isn’t it staggering how all of that stock in that entire store could fit onto one device now? And does that make our experience more special or less? What do you think?
Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Gift Guide 2014 (Literary Edition)It seems like holiday music begins playing everywhere as soon as the Thanksgiving plates are cleared from the table! From there, it’s pretty incessant and ubiquitous until the New Year has passed. Do you love it or hate it?
The primary songs in rotation end up being the same as they were since Keith Haring did the cover for that holiday album in 1987. Here are a few less observed Christmas songs we have come across over the years:
Lou Rawls – “Christmas will Really be Christmas” produced by the legendary David Axelrod:
And last but not least, this super heavy and psychedelic ode to the Post Office by Paul Revere and the Raiders:
Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Holiday Music FatigueWe just updated our venue list with many of places we’ve played since last checking in. This blog needs some serious tending to when the high season rolls around. We thought that we would show you some places our awesome clients have celebrated their weddings this year.
501 Union
We have worked here quite a few times and adore the staff here and at their sister space across the street, The Green Building. It’s very central in the heart of Gowanus with an industrial feel and an atrium space too! |
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Alder Manor
We have worked here numerous times and are always charmed by the spooky beauty of Alder. It’s a gilded age mansion with the perfect amount of gentle decay and privacy for a great setting. The main entryway makes for a beautiful place to dance all night on 100 year old marble floors. |
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BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
BAM has its own sound staff and a full DJ booth so we are able to offer reduced pricing here. This cheerful couple work in the creative arts and so it meant a lot for them to host their wedding in a space that has such a rich history in the creative realm but also could pack a crowd that wants to dance! |
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Battery Gardens
RIP Zelda. Manhattan’s only wild turkey who we met here. Pretty special to be by the water! |
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Belle Haven Club
This private club is gorgeous and is right on the water with a dock view and very kind group of staff. Weddings here sprawl into a tasteful tent and though its a private club they were very cool with a raucous dance floor! |
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Boscobel
Stunning view of the Hudson from this high point on a hill! Weddings here are generally tented because there are no other indoor options, but the grounds are absolutely beautiful. |
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The Atrium at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
This striking and modern space is an architectural award winning addition to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and has sweeping curved glass walls. Guests can dance inside and wander out onto the candlelit terrace that is both very private and thickly planted with beautiful and rare greenery. |
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Jane’s Carousel
Though it’s a bit odd how publicly situated this venue is with its shared boardwalk, it has one of the best views we’ve seen and centers around a painstakingly restored classic 1922 carousel. Because it is so open it is great for a cocktail style weddings and it was a fun perk to see strangers on the boardwalk dancing as we DJ-ed for the wedding guests! |
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Cubana Social
This awesome restaurant in the heart of Williamsburg is owned by a passionate young Cuban chef with immense talent and great taste. It is occasionally rented as a medium sized wedding venue with an open plan, art-deco accents, super-friendly staff and an in-house sound system. It feels so private despite its very central location. |
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Dumbo Loft and Dumbo Spot
The Dumbo Loft is a fun and open warehouse style space situated in the heart of Dumbo and they have a smaller space called the Spot, just across the street. The big open dance floor is great for a crowd that gets down! |
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Ham House
This is an impressive hillside Italianate Mansion in Tivoli NY which has been lovingly updated by its owner. Dinner and dancing generally takes place in a Sperry tent set on the clay tennis court, but there’s also a modern pool garden that’s amazing for cocktails that feels like it’s right out of a painting! |
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Housing Works
This well loved neighborhood bookstore undergoes a quick transformation and becomes a great space for a medium sized wedding. This couple and their crew were big record collectors so we brought out the weirder stuff and they loved it and partied all night. |
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James Michener Art Museum
This is a new space enclosed in glass and facing a modern stone courtyard. The museum allows guests to wander through the galleries as well. This couple did an elaborate first dance and magic tricks for one another which was a first! |
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The Kaaterskill
This venue is not far from Kingston NY in the Catskills and it has recently been updated. There’s an Inn onsite along with several spaces so that you can really take over. Adorable alpacas and sheep graze in a nearby pasture and create an farm atmosphere. The barn space where the party goes down opens out onto grassy fields where the views of the stars are incredible. |
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The Lace Factory
A fun artist couple has been careful not to overdo their updates to this riverside factory building from the 1920’s and it retains so much character and worn wood floors and huge old windows that make for a great dance space. There’s also an enclosed grassy courtyard. |
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Mondrian Hotel Soho
This lovely wedding started on the roof terrace of this boutique hotel with an astonishingly broad view of downtown Manhattan. Not kidding, it is the tallest building around at 25 stories. It then progressed into the ultra modern Isola with attached brick garden for dinner and dancing. So pretty for the warmer months. |
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India House
This venue is super old-world-NYC down in the financial district. It has such a classic feel of an old club from the Gatsby era with lots of spaces to explore. |
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My Moon
Tables must be moved following dinner to accommodate a dance floor at My Moon but that didn’t hamper this fun couple and their guests from having a wild night of dancing. It’s an impressive amount of space for its location in the center of Williamsburg. |
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Oheka Castle
This is a very large venue! The ‘castle’ itself was originally built in 1919 and is the second largest private home in the United States. |
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The Foundry at Lake Oswego
This venue has a state of the art sound system already in place and its riverside location makes it a great place for an evening walk before a wedding. Just a few minutes away from the heart of Portland. |
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The Wythe Hotel
We love the Wythe and Abby frequently DJ’s up on the roof at the Ides. Their wedding/event space has the same broad warehouse feel and includes an attached outdoor terrace plus amazing food from the adjacent Reynards restaurant. It’s completely sequestered from the rest of the hotel, you’d never know it was there but yet there’s tons of space. |
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The NoMad Hotel
This rooftop is a rare oasis in Manhattan that stays clothed in a gorgeous Morrocan inspired tent with elaborate rugs for 9 months out of the year and looks right up to the Empire State Building. There is a tiny cupola up there that would be great for small dinner parties. Their staff couldn’t be more gracious! |
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Grand Ballroom at The Plaza
New York City’s most fabled hotel is the Plaza and the grand ballroom is in no way an understated place to have ones wedding, with gilded moldings and a perched balcony for a DJ booth! |
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The W Union Square
Even though this hotel has been modernized this ballroom retains its prewar feel and design and it enough intimacy for a fun dance party. |
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620 Loft at Rockefeller Center
Up there in a revered building such as this who knew you could find such a tranquil garden and a tastefully minimal loft for dining. On a warm June night this couple came out onto the terrace to dance and party under the skyscraper lights, pretty cool setting. |
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Ramscale Studio
We have worked here numerous times and appreciate how flexible the space is, with 2 terraces and 2 lofts all on the same level. It has a great city view of the Hudson too, which guests can enjoy from the windows when it’s cold outside or from the terrace in warmer months! |
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Greenpoint Loft
This rustic old factory loft space is huge so it needs a bit more sound equipment than our average but it is awesome! It also has a mezzanine, a roof deck and tons of room to do whatever you imagine. The extremely dear couple we worked with here most recently had a crowd of all ages dancing nonstop. |
Unleash your inner inventor and sculptor all at once! The littleBits synth kit by Korg has been buzzing just in the past week around the internet and we are happy to share it just in time for the holidays. LittleBits is a New york based tech company and they have teamed up with legendary synthesizer manufacturers, Korg, to bring the synth kit to life. What exactly is it? As the name implies it is an actual kit of distinct synthesizer parts, which a user can connect to one another in endless configurations, creating and then playing their own tiny modular units. It comes with a thorough manual that offers a history of synthesizers and descriptions of the various parts as well as ideas. This is one of those gifts that can endlessly entertain the user, kids and adults alike. Super creative and fun! | |
For kids, or for your stoner cousin, The Silver Knob Voice Recorder. Part wooden Waldorf inspired craft toy, part music gadget, this small but fun gift is also proudly made in New York out of non toxic paint and sustainable wood. With it’s super minimal design it offers tons of room for creative play and simple function: one button to record 30 seconds of sound, one button to play back, and one big knob that bends the pitch of what you have recorded. Great for laughs but also for building a fundamental understanding of pitch and sound. | |
Were you disappointed when you purchased a cheap USB turntable hoping to convert your beloved vinyl pressings into high quality digital files, only to find that the sound quality was severely lacking? Go back to a non USB turntable and amp, and connect it to the Apogee Duet. Among other functions, this well designed and sleek device will capture music files with far more depth, richness and ease. The conversion coding is the same used by super high-end studios. | |
Gorgeous coffee table book with incredible photos and beautiful layout… Beat Box, A Drum Machine Obsession, by Joe Mansfield, foreword by Dave Tompkins, and published by Stones Throw. Continuing in the gadget theme, this carefully produced book is a love letter to some of the classic drum machines from the 1950’s thru early 1990’s.
“At the core of the book are some gorgeous photos of the drum machines. Along with the pictures: background and facts about each machine gathered by Mansfield; archival advertisements; interviews with master drum machine programmers and innovators .”
To be released December 3, ’13 and available now for preorder shipping.
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Another great book for admirers of all that is weird in the world of records… Enjoy The Experience: Homemade Records 1958-1992, by Gregg Turkington. We had the pleasure of seeing this massive exhibit in person this past summer at NYC’s Milk Studios. The exhibit was made up of an immense collection of albums classified as Private Pressings- records made at small studios or even home studios and pressed in low quantities by unknown artists who made a go of it! Strange and goofy, they are a window into a time that no longer exists.“Religious fanatics, smarmy lounge acts, wholesome family groups, high-school marching bands, funk and disco copycats, aspiring cult leaders, costumed enigmas, and scores of singer/songwriters with all kinds of clothes, hairstyles, and facial expressions could press and sell small runs of their music.” Of all of the books in the ‘album art’ genre, this one is by far the most unique and would make a great gift! | |
It was a sad announcement when legendary manufacturer, Technics, discontinued production of their turntables which have been the single most important tool of the DJ. Superior in quality, function, durability and versatility. Enter the turntable equivalent to the Polaroid Impossible Project: Japanese company Stokyo, refurbishing and customizing high-quality Technics, built in Japan! Using existing stock of classic Technics, Stokyo puts each unit through a rigorous refurbishing process followed by a 100 point inspection. Turntables are then graded for condition and warrantied for 1 year. With fair pricing that beats the now peaked prices of existing Technics, this is a great way to buy a turntable that you will have for a lifetime. Ditch that lo-fi Crosley and upgrade to a beautiful, high quality workhorse! |
Twenty Feet From Stardom: from IMDB Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we’ve had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
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A Band Called Death: A heart-wrenching documentary on the 1970s punk trio Death, a band of brothers who were arguably avant-garde in their unique sound, years before the world discovered punk. This film explores their early years, disbanding and frustration and finally bizarre rediscovery and popularity decades after they disbanded.
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This week we had the pleasure of attending a very special evening at Sunshine Cinema of rare and previously unscreened documentaries on early hip hop in New York City. The screenings were followed by a panel discussion with the directors and with hip hop legends Afrika Bambaataa, Big Stretch, and our dear friend, the inimitable, Schoolly D. | “Wreckin Shop: Live From Brooklyn” (1991) |
“Big Fun in the Big Town” (1986) |
With all of these documentaries centered around New York, it was amazing to take this trip back in time and see the city as it was then, and to see all of the enthusiasm and excitement around hip hop at the time. New York is now a different place altogether, but that’s another discussion… |
It was also amazing to search for these clips for this blog post and to see that they can now be viewed in their entirety on youtube, whereas for so many years these films were passed down on VHS and were impossible to find. Some of the more well known hip hop movies from that era have always been in the mainstream, such “Style Wars“, “Tougher Than Leather” and “Wild Style” but these were rare and, along with the rest of the audience, we were glued to our seats for 4 hours and were happy to be in attendance. Many thanks to our friend, and the organizer of the event, video journalist, Andreas Vingaard. | “Beat This” (1984) |
Please pardon our cheeky post title, but we are just feeling invigorated like those old soap commercials! We just kicked off the busy portion of the calendar year, the wedding season, with a beautiful wedding in Ireland. Destination weddings can present challenges in staffing, costs and logistics but this lovely couple pulled it off with ease and somehow got the sun to shine all day long. (The days before and after the wedding were dreary and drizzly!) The wedding was held at an historic Irish country castle and estate which is still in active use and is occupied by members of the original ancestral family, descended from high Celtic Kings. Complete with horse stables, ancient trees, and mythical flocks of crows, the place was steeped in history. It also had significant rock history- the Thompson Twins lived there for a time in the 80’s as well as a host of Irish and British bands seeking inspiration and recording space. The wedding was a huge success and guests danced all night long! | |
Tom looks extremely calm next to our fancy upgraded rental BMW at the front of the main grand entrance but it took him a while to get used to the left-side driving on tiny, narrow roadways and roundabouts!
Too bad this place was 4 hours drive from where we were. That would have made for a pretty awesome excursion and photo op! |
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If you are planning a destination wedding and have concerns about how to make things come together, know that it can be done, beautifully, and we are always available to talk about the logistics no matter what you have in mind and no matter how far it may be. |
Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Irish Spring
We feel fortunate as we look back on 2012. We worked with some really lovely couples, some incredible new venues, and some talented and creative people who make great weddings come together. Thank you all!
Gangnam Style: Do you hate it or do you love it?? We will let you decide… This song came out of South Korea from virtual obscurity and almost overnight it blew up all over the world… that’s for sure! While we commend PSY for his success, we are pretty sure that Gangnam Style has now joined the ranks of ‘The Macarena’ or ‘Who Let the Dogs Out.’ Remember those cringe-worthy songs? | |
We were spared by Sandy, but sadly a lot of wedding vendors, whom we deeply respect, were not so fortunate. This Brooklyn Based flower company is partnered with an old college friend, and unfortunately their Red Hook warehouse took a hard hit during Sandy. They have rallied since then and are back on their feet. Check out their blog updates from that time. | |
On a sad note, we lost a friend and a fellow DJ from San Francisco, the inimitable Matthew Africa. In addition to being an accomplished attorney and one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet, Matthew was a longtime DJ, and record collector, who was respected among fellow high-caliber DJ’s across the country. He had impeccable and vast knowledge but would never be a snob about it. He perished in a car accident this fall and we miss him terribly. It is sad to know that someone who was so deeply knowledgeable about music and always was willing to share what he knew, will no longer be able to do so. His depth, taste, insight, and general awesomeness live on through his classic mixes. Rest in Peace friend! | |
Levi Levi Levi!!! Levi Stolove is one of our favorite people with whom we’ve worked. So much so, that he actually shot our wedding in 2010. Levi definitely transcends the things that make it so easy to be a photographer these days. It’s not just his eye, but his demeanor that comforts people into just the right moment when he can capture it and freeze it perfectly in time. | |
Lots of great music came out this year from all directions, but if there was one track that grew on us even after hearing it all over the radio for months, was Usher’s “Climax.” In our opinion, the single of the year, with almost a dozen or so different runner-ups nipping at it’s heels. Diplo‘s minimal production really gave this track something unique. | |
We fell in love with Tame Impala’s 2010 album ‘Innerspeaker,’ so we were excited for their second album, ‘Lonerism’, and it did not disappoint. It was our favorite LP of 2012. You listen to it and it’s just everything all at once- perfect psychedelia that doesn’t sound like it’s trying to be retro, perfect electronica without being a boring monotonous breakbeat. And from these kids who probably grew up loving classic hip hop, that influence is buried in there too if you know what to listen for. To quote Pitchfork, it feels like “the subliminal whisper becomes a rhythm track, a barreling drum break is severely tweaked to sound like an oncoming rush of bison”. | |
We travel a lot for work, and one of the silver linings to that travel is the amount of amazing things we find out on the road. Thrift Stores in Maine to Garage Sales in Texas… nothing is safe. Here are a few memorable things we found in 2012:
Our favorite vintage record score of 2012, was Ted Lucas’ self titled LP that we found in Portland, Oregon at Crossroads Music. I could go into detail explaining what makes this recording so special, but I’ll let you figure it out. Just have a listen. |
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Abby was standing next to the counter flipping through a book as I was buying some rap singles from the dollar bins at a Philadelphia shop. I looked over, and it was hard to keep a poker face when i saw what she had just found– ‘Native Funk and Flash’ This WAY out-of-print gem captures the beauty of 60s and 70s San Francisco fashion, with an emphasis on crochet and embroidery. | |
When they tell you that you can’t buy anything for $5, you can tell them about this – a late 60’s motorcycle vest worn to perfection. A perfect piece of Americana captured at a flea market in Fall River, MA, on the way home from a beautiful wedding in Cape Cod. | |
In Washington State, we stopped by the Hama Hama oyster farm and got an amazing tour of the boat and facilities. Harvesting oysters is such an amazing trade! It also culminated in a glorious feast of some of North America’s finest shellfish. |
Posted in Blog | Comments Off on 2012: A Year Reviewed
Over here we truly hope that you made it through Sandy unscathed. Before this week, what an amazing summer and fall season it has been. Only one rainy wedding since July, and that was under the most fabulous tent so it didn’t happen, right?If we had been good about Tweeting (which we are not) we would have tweeted from the following list of awesome venues in the past 60+ busy days!
Here are just a few:
The brand new Roundhouse at Beacon
where the staff is one of the friendliest we have ever worked with…this bride and groom had a ring toss and other games during their cocktail hour!
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The Old Field Club
right on the water’s edge on a gorgeous fall day, and not too far from the fictional town of East Egg where the Great Gatsby was to have lived.
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loading is tough here, but the setting is Old New York at it’s finest. Complete a winter wedding here would be especially nice!
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The east terrace at The Philadelphia Museum of Art
need we point you in this direction, of this clip? It was THAT exhilarating to be there! WOW. Uunder the most beautiful tent, we had a unique view over the city and a crowd that danced voraciously through the night.
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The Bronx Botanical Garden at the Garden Terrace
where the bride and her bridesmaids were professional dancers (the ballerina kind, folks) and didn’t stop! AND also at NYBG…
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The Bronx Botanical Garden at the Stone Mill
Both are run with such efficiency and are so picturesque at any time of year.
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Such a great spot for a big wedding, there is so much to do style-wise with this modern layout and the terrace views look out over all of downtown and the Hudson River. This couple loved hip hop and electronica so as the night went on we brought it!
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The Prospect Park Picnic House
We loved the wedding we recently DJ-ed here. The fireplace was blazing and we busted out lots of oldies, country and indie rock for this one to suit the music tastes of the couple. Everyone raged through the night sans top 40 which was fun, too. Be sure your DJ isn’t one dimensional, people! Being steeped in music knowledge takes a lifetime, not an iTunes account!
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Basilica Hudson
New and amazing, and BIG! It is a 19,000 square foot former glue factory situated in the coolest little upstate town of Hudson, New York. It is also a venue for bands–Grimes played there the night after this beautiful wedding!
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Solé East in Montauk
We love Montauk, but we know everybody else does too. Solé East is secluded and has gorgeous gardens for cocktails and ceremonies.
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We love this venue and have DJ-ed many weddings here. We also can offer lowered rates here since they have a complete DJ set-up already in-house! This gorgeous bride and her (now) husband had very different music tastes so it was important to bring it all together. Super fun night!
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Collichio and Son
This very chic and recently redesigned restaurant accommodated every stage of this wedding from start to finish in its cozy and cavernous layout.
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Peche
This is a new venue in Philadelphia, built in an old mill space and operated by the venerable caterers of Peachtree and Ward. What a treat especially for Abby to DJ in her hometown of Philly and get to play for a huge a diverse crowd including retired legends from the Philadelphia Eagles. This sweet couple celebrated the new and old music of their city all night.
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Gustavino’s
This venue is uniquely situated underneath the 59th street bridge, and the structure is fascinating. This would also be a great venue for a larger wedding.
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This lovely venue is a hidden gem with gorgeous gardens and a neo-gothic reception room, smack-dab in the middle of Chelsea!
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Metropolitan Building
This classic venue and prop warehouse provides a whimsical backdrop for a wedding and we had the pleasure of DJ-ing several weddings here over the past few months.
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Ever seen a show here? We were intrigued when we got booked to DJ here and though it’s a raucous venue at other times, it was lovely for a wedding. They even put the couples name up on their marqee outside where band names are usually featured and it looked pretty awesome.
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The Green Building
This unique, post-industrial venue is a great palette from which to add final touches. The space also has a brand new soundsystem to deal with some tough accoustics. Coupled with our standard speakers, it sounds great in there now.
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The Montauk Club in Park Slope
The Montauk club is a very historic private club which is open for weddings and is a gorgeous example of Venetian Gothic architecture from the Gilded Age of the late 1880’s.
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The Hay Adams in Washington D.C.
This elegant venue is so directly close to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, that we are pretty sure we saw Barack waving from a window. The challenge was to keep people dancing but stay within the parameters of the couples tastes – they love 1960’s garage, psych rock and vintage French pop–think Serge Gainsbourg. It was a blast and a lovely crowd.
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Phew! That was a close one. We almost lost our sound systems to flooding down in the Gowanus Canal, but preparations bought last minute from a neighboring Lowes saved the day! We truly hope that all of our tri-state warriors stay safe out there. Long Island and Jersey, you are in our thoughts.
Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Along Came Sandy ← Older posts