Hipster Favorite
PIERCE JACKSON
Paper TV director by day, D.J. by night, Pierce Jackson is a darling with the downtown set. The early nineties—think Technotronic’s “Move This”—crop up frequently in his repertoire, but he’s diverse: You can expect anything from Harry Belafonte (“Day-O”), to The Clash (“Train in Vain”), to Yeasayer (“Ambling Alp”). And Jackson isn’t against requests. In fact, if there’s Wi-Fi at your venue and a song you urgently need to hear (it happens), he’ll download it and mix it in, on the spot.
Rate: Starting at $125 per hour
Contact: info@pierce-jackson.com; 917-805-0450
Die-Hard Eclecticists
POPSHOP! D.J.’S
Founded by Colleen Crumbcake, PopShop’s stable of D.J.’s includes Cat Hartwell (of FannyPack fame); Dave Fischoff, whose own music is a collection of artful mash-ups; drummer and owner of Serious Business Music studio Travis Harrison; and Crumbcake herself, who has D.J.’d for the likes of Karen O. But these diverse talents all agree on a few ground rules, such as “no line dances,” “no smoke machines,” and absolutely no “Your Body Is a Wonderland.” Crumbcake is committed to pairing the right D.J. with the right event. Her philosophy: “The food is important, but if the music at the party is lame, everything becomes lame!”
Rate: Starting at $1,350
Contact: popshopdjs.com; 917-251-8553
Soul Machine
D.J. SHAKEY
“The guests at a wedding would never party together,” says D.J. Shakey (née Julie Covello) of the unique challenges of working the wedding circuit. “You want to find the common ground, but you want to play beyond that, too.” Shakey’s twenty years of D.J.-ing, combined with a lifelong dedication to music (including a gig working for MTV and hosting and organizing the beloved quarterly Shakey’s Record Fair), has taught her to observe and respond to the crowd. She owns nearly 10,000 records and has excellent mixing skills—favorites include “Shake a Tail Feather,” by Ike and Tina Turner, and “Rescue Me,” by Fontella Bass— so it’s a pretty sure bet the crowd will respond favorably.
Rate: Starting at $1,500 for the duration of the reception
Contact: djshakey.com; 201-679-9736
Pop Devotee
D.J. VITO FUN
This fixture in the gay nightlife scene (he has a weekly gig at Splash) legally changed his middle name to Fun in 2000, which bodes well for your reception. While he’s happy to construct a playlist with clients (and promises at least 85 percent of it will get played), Vito does best when he’s allowed to freestyle and bust out versions of such poppy anthems as Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” and “That’s Not My Name,” by the Ting Tings.
Rate: Starting at $1,500 for the duration of the reception
Contact: djvitofun.com; 347-439-5865
Mash-Up Master
D.J. INBETWEEN
D.J. Inbetween is, quite literally, old school—the avid collector of first-edition vinyl will show up at your wedding with actual records. Although he melds vinyl with a surprising ease, he will also bring a laptop, just in case. Expect impressive mash-ups (the original “Love Buzz” by Shocking Blue meets Nirvana’s version), a healthy dose of funk, and modern tracks like MGMT’s “Electric Feel.” Inbetween, a regular at nightspots like Stanton Public, takes weddings very seriously: “The same way [the couple] will remember their vows, the cake, and their family and friends, they’ll want to remember the music.”
Rate: Starting at $1,300
Contact: djinbetween.com; 917-502-6462
Mood Setter
D.J. CHOIMATIC
Getting wedding guests to eat, toast, and dance at the appropriate times can be a challenge, but Choimatic is an expert at guiding with song. During the cocktail hour, you’ll hear tunes like Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and Spandau Ballet’s “True,” but this club D.J. (he’s a regular at the Gansevoort and the Hudson) will keep the night going with the likes of Bell Biv DeVoe, James Brown, and the Beatnuts.
Rate: Starting at$5,000 for four hours
Contact: choimatic.com; 914-310-6568