Life Of A Local DJ

Is Wild Ride Of Novelty

By JAMES CUMMINGS • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

The times may have changed, but for wedding DJ Mike Cook, that means there’s more music to dance to.

“Music is so readily available now and it changes so rapidly,” he said. “You need to keep track of what’s changing and what’s new. If you’re keeping your finger on the pulse of what’s currently popular in music, you can have it ready for the clients.”

Going into his 12th year as a DJ means that Cook, a Hartwick College graduate, is no stranger to change.

“In the ’90s there was a lot of typical music played at weddings and sometimes those songs are still popular, but they become cliche and clients are looking for something different,” he said.

“Some people want ‘Sweet Caroline’ and some people don’t want to hear it at all. Hip hop and electronic dance music have changed the type of music that crowds want to dance to.”

And popular social networking services like TikTok, which Cook monitors for trends, help provide a source for new content.

“There is music from that that becomes popular in a viral way, like ‘Old Town Road.’ I try to find creative ways to mix it in, such as incorporating the beats or samples into another song.”

Combining parts of “Old Town Road” with “Lalala” by Y2k, for instance, gives Cook’s clients unexpected, yet welcome results.

“It’s not just the radio version and not what people are expecting,” he said.

Other remixes include September by Earth Wind & Fire, which Cook combines with elements of EDM and Dubstep to provide a new experience for listeners.

“You now have the potential to include a lot more music in a wedding, or expand more genres,”
he said.

And as technology has developed, so too has Cook’s role as a DJ.

“DJ as a performer has become more popular throughout the 2010s,” he said. “You have to balance it out because you don’t want to be the star of the show, but with lighting, sound, projectors, and TVs, you’re providing quite a span of services.”

Perhaps the only downside to the tech-boom of the 2010s is “with streaming available, there’s some clients that think they can DJ themselves. Hiring a DJ is more than just putting a playlist together, it’s reading the crowd and providing equipment you might not have the experience or the budget for.

“If you can hire a professional that can take care of everything, it will make your day less stressful and more enjoyable.”

Cook, a self-taught musician, started DJing back in 2006 while he taught high school math at Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School.

“I had an awesome collection of CDs and when I transferred them to my laptop, students saw how much music I had and wondered if I could DJ something in the area. I did an event in Sharon Springs and it went really well, so I was asked to do some school dances.”

From there, it was just a matter of time.

“I didn’t make it an official business until 2008. I went from doing 10 events a year to doing around 30. From 2009 to 2010, I built up the business and reached 70 events per year.”

Now, with over 100 events annually, Cook’s business is booming.

“2018 was ten years of officially being in business. It took time to gain momentum and build to where I want to be. You don’t just do it overnight,” he said.