Between choosing your date, venue, dress (or dresses!), flowers, and cuisine, sometimes one of the most important components of your big day gets neglected. The tunes! Music not only has the capacity to control the mood of the room, but a great DJ has the power to seamlessly transition guests from one special wedding moment to the next. Charleston is bustling with talented artists and musicians, and we recently caught up with one of our couples’ ongoing favorites –– DJ Natty Heavy. Haven’t heard of him yet? Allow us to introduce you to the guy that knows how to pick a tear-jerking song for your father-daughter dance and then whip things around with a boogie-worthy playlist that will have your guests up and moving all night long!
How did you begin your career as a DJ?
I began my career as a DJ at the age of 13. My friends and I were hired to DJ our school dance, we were good enough to be invited back. Then we got another one, and then another school and it just snowballed into birthday parties, graduation parties and family events. We were teenage mutant ninja business men too with board meetings, business cards, and a flash website. When I went to college I started DJing local bars, then for radio, then Charleston and southeast nightlife and now I’m rocking weddings, full time.
What are your tips to get the crowd up and dancing?
For weddings, the energy of the bride and groom is key to getting people up and dancing. People follow the couple’s energy, If they are dancing, then everyone else is too. Also keeping the energy up with a good dinner playlist is always helpful. Dinner music should be like a great appetizer, getting you ready for the main course. I would also say to give your entertainment the flexibility to read the room and use their expertise to lead the dance floor energy.
What’s the song you get asked to play the most?
My most requested song right now is Murder on the Dance Floor by Sophie Ellis Baxter or I’m Good by David Guetta. They have been on every must play list this past year. People love both of those songs. Murder on the Dancefloor is groovy while I’m Good is pure energy.
We know you probably love all music, but is there a genre that gives you the ick?
I don’t really have a genre that gives me an ick. You would be surprised what is in my personal playlist. I would say that I tend to listen to music where percussion dominates. So if you don’t have any drums, I will probably press skip.
How do you balance what you know are party hits with the requests from event hosts?
There is a big challenge in playing for the crowd versus the host’s vision. I try to always please the host first, but sometimes that means I have to sacrifice what I know will take the party to another level. I think it is very important to give your entertainment some room to flex. I recently had a wedding where the party was going great, I veered off of their playlist for one song and the host asked me to stick to their list only. I obviously made the adjustment, but the dance floor lost a lot of potential energy. I would try to advise hosts that ultimately they want a happy crowd and not to micromanage the playlist too much, there is a reason why you hired me. Ultimately though, I’m here to please.
How do your wedding playlists differ from other event types?
My wedding playlists are different from week to week. In the same weekend I can be an EDM festival DJ, run a southern rock dance floor and make grandma twerk to new hip hop. It really depends on the couple’s taste and the crowd demographics. I would say that I use public performances as my place to experiment. I use bars as practice to stay sharp for weddings basically.
What’s your favorite first dance song?
My favorite first dance song is Beyond by Leon Bridges . I just really really like that song. Real Love Baby by Father John Misty is also so good. Beyonce’s Love on Top , Stephen Sanchez with Until I Found You. There are so many.
Cannon Green is here to help take care of all the fine details from your linens and tableware to your passed canapes and specialty cocktails, but we’ll leave the perfect playlist up to the experts! If you’re curious about our full list of preferred vendors including musicians and DJs, you can check them out HERE.
Interested in booking Cannon Green for your next Charleston private event or wedding? Inquire HERE.
Photography by: Alyson McCroskey and Richard Israel
