DJing through the Caribbean

2 weeks ago I had the honor of playing for a week aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis, the largest cruise ship in the world. It was 16 floors of a breathtaking work. Between the Central Park on the ship, to the carousel, to the ice skating rink… oh wait…. did I mention all the clubs aboard that we hosted parties in? Night after night playing for over 2,000 Brazilians on board celebrating Carnival with us. Mixed amongst the American crowd I loved playing back and forth between the best of Brazilian beats to the current wave of Pop EDM infecting clubs at home. 

On the ship we had the honor of spinning alongside two other incredible DJ’s. Resident DJ Tic Tac playing from cruise to cruise for over 12 years now, and fellow New England resident, DJ Action Jackson. Action and I spun trading sets back and forth for Thursday’s Twenties Party, hosted by Absolute Vodka. The night was from wall to wall feeding off the crowd’s energy. 

And a huge shout out to Flavio Maeda, whom we dubbed "International Man of Mystery" Both Mcee & Hype man for my Brazilian sets, Flavio worked crowds like it was no ones business. If I had my way he'd be my right hand man at every venue. 

The experience was incredible and loved every minute of playing through Haiti, Mexico, & Jamaica. But we’re  ecstatic to be back home now to play back at our residencies and all of our upcoming private parties. Looking forward to seeing everyone out!

Much Love

DJ LK~

Picking a First Dance Song

I get a lot of questions about song recommendations for different parts of parties and weddings. Today I just wanted to talk about the most important song, the first dance. The largest part in picking out a song for your first dance as husband and wife would be to think back and ask yourself if you two ever shared a special moment and a song was playing in the background. Maybe when you met Iron & Wine's cover of "Such Great Heights" was playing. Or at the end of the first movie you saw the end credits rolled out with the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Hysteric" the acoustic version (That would be a good movie! Someone make this happen!) 

My point is, look for songs that may have actually been a part of your relationships history. These songs will resonate beautifully at your wedding for your big moment. If nothing comes to mind, I'd dig through your collection and find something meaningful, where the song represents your relationship. Theres a multitude of love songs out there, but don't just grab any old track! Find something specific in a song. Great songwriters can paint beautiful pictures that the track can so closely relate, you'd think it was actually written for you guys!

Today I'm going to recommend a few and say what I like about them. The first is the previously mentioned "Hysteric" (Acoustic Version) by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The verse's she talks about how the fire of love used to hurt, her black heels showing that. But now that same fire lights the way for the future. The chorus' line of "You suddenly complete me" has to be one of the best sentiments from any love song. Enjoy!

Next is a classic. This is Tom Petty's "Alright For Now."  It's perfect for a few reasons. It's a soft waltz, almost a lullaby. The lyrics are endearing and his vocals are heartfelt, filled with adoring admiration. The next part is that it's 2 minutes long! If you're afraid of dancing in front of your guests this could be a great way to go! A couple used this on request as their last dance song at their wedding. All the guests gathered around them as they danced, completely impromptu! So what did we do? Played it twice! 

Last is just a longtime personal favorite. This is by an incredible rock band that never gets radio play (even better!) The song is called "Wake Up" (acoustic version) by Coheed & Cambria. I'm just going to let this song speak for itself. Enjoy below and any tips or help picking a track let us know!