'THE ART OF THE PARTY'
Tips, Tricks, Stories, And A Little Bit Of Useless Banter
 My old club DJ gig, The Marlin Room - Webster Hall Back in the 90s, I DJ-ed Psychedelic Thursdays in the Marlin Room at Webster Hall for many years. Week after week, thousands of people came to dance away all their problems of the world, and have a fantastic time. The room would get so hot and steamy, my vinyl would actually sweat to the point of getting warped! Hard to put into words the vibe we experienced every week, you just had to be there. Magical. For years, regulars came back week after week, and I knew all their favorite songs. I learned how to turn hundreds of people dancing in a room into an intimate party, where everyone made friends with each other. It was a beautiful thing. At 4am, the dance floor would still be packed wall to wall, and I'd have to get on the mic and tell people that it was time to go home. But no matter what I said, they continued to dance till the lights came on. The staff at Webster Hall was one huge family, and they kept the energy over the top every night. I'm happy to say, many of us still keep in touch. It was a sad day for me, and all of NYC when the club closed, but I will always have my memories. Gerard brought me into Webster Hall to DJ back in the day, and he is the one who closed the door for the final time. The End. This five minute documentary is his story. Have a look. It's great! Thrilled to share some really cool news today. As some of you know, I've been working on a few side projects when not DJ-ing, and I'll be sharing them as they come into fruition. Bruce Sudano is a fabulous singer-songwriter and has penned many a hit song in the past for Michael Jackson, his wife Donna Summer, Brooklyn Dreams, etc. He is also executive producer on the Broadway Play 'Summer'. He wrote a gorgeous song called 'Forbidden Fruit' and asked me to sing on it a few months back, and it came out beautiful. Last month we made the video. Here's the article and video debut today in Billboard. www.billboard.com/articles/news/8469311/bruce-sudano-forbidden-fruit-video  In a time in history when everyone is 'like' crazy on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc., it's important to think about this. If you truly love something you see or hear ... share it with others. Let the world know it! Most musicians make very little returns on their investments when they make an independent album, and usually they loose a lot of money in the end. Painters paint, photographers take photos sans the thought of becoming rich. But the most fulfilling thing an artist of any medium can experience is the joy of their work being loved, and fans taking the time to turn their friends on to the work. Show some love to those who make art and music you like, and tell your friends about it. Pay it forward.   As some of you know, when I'm not spinning other musician's jams, I'm writing my own music, making records, and performing live. Four years ago, I released my last album 'Right On, Alright', and it made a nice amount of noise thanks to the help of Steven Van Zandt, who placed my song 'Gotta Tell You' in his fantastic TV series Lilyhammer. Shortly after, the song was picked as 'Coolest Song In The World' on Little Stevie's Underground Garage on Sirius XM Radio. It's pretty cool when your work is finally heard worldwide, and fan letters come in from as far away as Brazil, Peru, and the UK! Even cooler when I found out local bands were covering my songs! So here we are a few years later, and I'm still loving friends and fans posting photos of my tunes popping up on their radios. I woke to this posting this morning on Facebook from a friend's car. Gotta tell you ... it still makes me smile (and I couldn't help but think of the title of Ian Dury's song 'Reasons To Be Cheerful' for this blog) . If you've not heard my song 'Gotta Tell You' yet, below is the lyric video with the track. Have a listen🎶  Capitale NYC first dance weddings A lot of couples fear the first dance at a wedding. Not because they want to avoid a romantic moment, but because of being in focus in front of a room full of guests for 3-5 minutes. Some love being center-stage and in the spotlight, others shy away from it. There are a few tricks to make this part of the evening easy on the nerves. For all you shy lovers out there, I would suggest picking a song that you both physically feel comfy with. It doesn’t have to be a ballad, it could be upbeat and fun. But it should be a groove you both feel good about moving to, and one that doesn’t make you feel self conscious. If you don’t want to be in focus for the whole song, work out a cue with your DJ (or band) ahead of time to invite guests to join you after a minute and a half or so into the song (make sure your photographer has had a chance to catch some good shots), and suddenly, it’s all easy peasy. For those of you who want to work that spotlight moment of the evening, the ideas are endless. Many years ago, I DJ-ed a wedding at the gorgeous, 1940s vibed Laura Belle’s in NYC (now gone), where most of the guests were actors, dancers, and performers. Many of the guests were Broadway artists as well. The bride and groom both changed clothes after cocktails into two vintage tuxedos w/ walking sticks, and slid down the banisters on each side of the room that led to the dance floor and did a whole performance of Tea for Two. It was awesome!!! There are no ‘rules’ as to what you should or shouldn’t do for a first dance. Think outside the box, be creative, and most important…. have fun! This is one of my favorite entrances, and first dance moments, at this Indian meets Caribbean vibed wedding, with the music ranging from contemporary pop to Indian Music, reggae, swing, and everything in between! Carlton and Soham were fantastic dancers, (as were most of their guests), and they worked their first dance like rockstars! Check this out!  Unique First dances for weddings. Indian wedding/ Caribbean wedding  Temple House Miami crew #TBT. A couple of years ago I flew down to Charlotte NC to DJ a good friend of mine's birthday Party. Keri Clavin is a fantastic event planner that I used to work with in NY, with both her own company, and when she and I were with FETE. Needless to say, her party was one of those that they're still talking about down south. Seriously. Chiara was one of the awesome guests at the party, and she said to me the next morning at brunch...YOU ARE SPINNING MY BIRTHDAY IN MIAMI! Capital letters are the only way I can get you to feel her determination to have me DJ her birthday!!! I said, "I'm there!". She decided to recreate the decadent vibe of the movie Scarface, and have a 70s-80s musical soundtrack to compliment the decor, food theme, & 'moments' planned through out the evening. The party was held at Temple House in Miami ( www.thetemplehouse.com/), and I have to say it is one of the coolest venues I've ever worked. Besides being beautiful, 'as is', they have this incredible 360 surround video mapping/lighting setup that allows guests to feel totally immersed in whatever they are streaming. You could be swimming underwater or flying through space. It's pretty incredible. The evening started with cocktails, complete with gorgeous male and female models swimming in a pool, passed Hors d'Oeuvres, Chiara's signature cocktail, and me spinning a mix of world music from the 70s leaning heavy on Cuban, French & contemporary upbeat lounge. When cocktails were over we did a dramatic countdown as guests came down the stairs, using a mix of Janet Jackson's 'Rhythm Nation'. Once the door was opened to reveal the main room where the dinner buffet and dancing would be held, the whole room was video streamed in roses. I mean it was gorgeous, and there were a lot of gasps and sighs all round the room. I played Grace Jones 'La Vie En Rose' as they entered, and if ever there was a perfect song....that was it. Thankfully I had the 12" version and it ran a nice 8 minutes till everyone was in the room. There was a fantastic Cuban performance just after dinner, that led into an hour of fun Disco music from the 70s. The last hour of the evening, I brought the tunes up to present contemporary hits, and rocked out till closing. It was a perfect journey of musical vibes from beginning to end, and from all the feedback at the pool party the next day... the evening was a total home run! Here's a few photos of the 'rose room' during dinner, me with the staff from Temple house, Keri and friends, and my super-sized bell bottoms, and a little video snippet of the 'Disco Inferno' dancing part of the evening, complete with a Studio 54 vibed streaming light show.  Temple House Miami, Roses! A few years back I found a box of cassettes that were recorded live at various clubs I've DJ-ed over the years (recorded on an old Sony Walkman no less!!! Talk about old skool!!!). I've digitized and uploaded a few mixes to my Soundcloud page, and they are a nice memory of a point in time...a really fun time. If you plan on partying today for the 4th, here's a little mix of British Rock to groove to from that magic box. All tracks are late 80s-early 90s. Happy Independence Day everyone! soundcloud.com/dina-regine/90s-dance-rock-recorded-live-heartbreak-nyc-1986 Here's a little throwback photo of the fireworks at Coney Island on the 4th of July several years ago   Greetings everyone, and Happy Summer! The sunsets in my neighborhood have been pretty spectacular the past few weeks (as you can see in this photo from my phone). This year, in between DJ-ing events, weddings, and recording my new album ... I promised myself I will spend every minute possible at the beach. There's nothing like hanging out by the ocean, and watching the waves roll in. It's a beautiful thing. I hope you all get a chance to do the same.
So anyway, this is the first post in my new DJ blog. I had a blog for several years, but one day last year, thanks to a server not serving things up as they should ... poof, and years of writings were gone gone gone! C'est la vie. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches, and move on. So, now the server is gone gone gone 😉 and I have a new home to hang out! In the months to come, I will be re-sharing a few old stories, and of course keeping you in the loop on all the cool things that are going on as they happen. Seeyou soon (maybe at the beach!!!), and Ciao for now. |
Welcome!Welcome to my virtual loft party, make yourself at home. I'll put on the kettle, pour a few, and order a pizza. I've many tales to tell, some fun stories, and lots of helpful hints to share to help ignite your imagination when planning a party, grand event or wedding. Stay tuned! Archives
July 2019
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