Music is the strongest form of magic.
Music is a vital force. You can feel a good song deep in your bones. When you can’t articulate the feeling, the music speaks for you. Picking out music sounds easy. But when you do it for a whole crowd, it’s really hard to do.
Dart is a premier Los Angeles-based DJ and event entertainment company. So, I chatted with them to learn more about their secret sauce.
Let’s dive right in. How did Dart Collective get started?
It's a company that I started with Jesse. We were in our early 20s, recording music together, and we were both getting married. At the time, there were no performers that we connected with on a musical level, so we had our friend DJ at both of our weddings. In that experience, we quickly realized that options for those not connected to the music community were really grim. The genesis of Dart Collective was bringing our musician friends into the private event space and providing an infrastructure for them. Dart's guiding principle was to elevate the music, blurring the line between a wedding music vendor and a professional musician or DJ.
How have you grown in the last decade?
Our offering has become more colorful and nuanced. We started by DJing and playing vinyl records. Now we represent twenty bands ranging from dance bands across all genres, a brass band, a string quartet, a bluegrass band, solo musicians, Grammy-nominated artists, multiple DJs and so much more.
How do you find such talented musicians?
Our approach is entirely network-based. When we interview, we'll see if we connect on a personal level. Because, to me, that is so much more important than musical proficiency. Is this someone that I can relate to? Can this person represent the company on-site at events? It's important to me that the person is not only skilled but also a decent human being. Their talent, repertoire, and everything else that comes with it is highly vetted.
Can you share more about the “music map”?
Once a client books with us, we send them a “music map.” It is a questionnaire that our clients fill out. Some questions are hyper-specific, like processional and recessional songs in a wedding. We want to know 20-50 of the songs you love to dance to and your must-play songs. We ask what not to play and what your preference is for the clean or dirty version. We also ask for your Spotify so we can dig a little deeper.
While the map is incredibly helpful, we pride ourselves on reading between the lines. We’re music nerds. We can understand the references and build on them. It's about taking what clients provide, making some choices, taking a few risks, and adding spontaneous elements that resonate with them. What really elevates the event is when we play something that wasn't on the music map. There’s an element of surprise they feel like, "Oh, you read my mind."
When creating a playlist for a client, how much is planned versus done in the moment?
We provide a lot of guidance, but the DJ's role is crucial in adapting to the moment. What the client has laid out for us is helpful because we know what they want. But in the moment, the DJ reflects, "Oh, this is actually way too low tempo for this cocktail hour where everyone's kind of buzzing.” So, they ramp it up slightly. The success of an event largely depends on the performance of musicians and DJs as well as their ability to adapt to the situation.
How do you motivate people to the dance floor without the cha-cha slide?
If you get to know your clients and their guests well, it is much easier to play a song that will galvanize the dance floor without resorting to a cheesy/overplayed wedding song. So, the more prep work you put in on the front end, the easier it is in that moment to bring everyone to the dancefloor with good and personal music!
Do you help couples choose songs for special moments throughout the day, should they need guidance?
Absolutely. We have made long lists of outside-the-box suggestions for special moments throughout the day. These are often based on our personal taste and our rad past clients who have guided us to new and inventive ways of thinking about the music during these moments of the event.
Do you have a few go-to hits for weddings?
Currently, I am loving Abba's Gimme, Gimme. Beyond that, I would have to say a lot of our "go to" tracks are custom edits, remixes we make of songs. That custom touch is really what makes Dart unique.
Why do you think you're the unsung hero of the wedding vendors?
I have a bit of a biased answer because the people who reach out to us care deeply about music. If you're reaching out to Dart, music matters a lot to you. We understand that on a profound level. We aren’t just providing a playlist or a DJ. We are crafting an immersive soundtrack that intertwines the musical highlights of their life, and all the emotions and moments that define a wedding. Our approach is relational, focusing on the personal connection we establish with our clients. I don't think we need to convince people why they should care. Instead, we should focus on building a partnership and trust.
As an event planner, sometimes I do have to convince a client of the importance of music.
At this point, I rarely have to sell somebody on the importance of music as a concept at the event. Most people have seen it go wrong enough. They know they have to work with a professional. For those who aren't particularly passionate about music, it's still important to ensure that the microphone and volume control at their event are not handled by someone careless or inexperienced.
What's the best part of your job?
Community building. At our annual holiday party, where everyone from the community gathers, it’s corny, but it is a breathtaking experience. A lot of these artists are Grammy-nominated and tour at the highest level. They come to work at Dart to perform at our clients' weddings or private events and really put their heart into it. That is my favorite. Also, connecting with some clients. There have just been many meaningful moments that transformed music, family, love, people, and all this stuff. The magic has never been lost on me all these years later.
Dart is clearly passionate and dedicated to what they do. But that's not their secret sauce. There are a ton of DJ's out there that put love and effort into their work. After getting to know them personally in the making of this, I think that the key to their success - and the key to having incredible music at an event - is working with cool people who have really good taste in music. It's so simple, but it's hard to replicate. Add that sauce to a top-notch level of professionalism, and you get a party I'd attend any day of the week.
