Non-Cheesy DJing: curation Vs cringe on modern dancefloors
By DJ Tommy K
In this lactose-intolerant lament, DJ Tommy K slices into the controversial concept of “cheesy” DJing and suggests another way. How dairy?
Non-cheesy DJing is a hill I am willing to die on. It means playing quality music across many genres, while avoiding those over-played, clichéd or embarrassing tracks. The cheesy ones. But what is cheesiness? Why does cheesy music divide people? This blog tries to take a balanced look and suggest some positive alternatives.
I always ask my wedding couples why they chose me. The most common answer? My online presence screams “non cheesy DJ”. I use this as a guiding principle that helps the right people find me. From spinning vinyl records alongside the latest digital tracks, to the custom DJ booths I build by hand, the plants surrounding me in my videos, even the pastel colours I wear: it’s all part of who I am. Not your typical wedding DJ. Aesthetics aside, couples need to feel secure in the knowledge that their night won’t be train-wrecked by the wrong music. For many young people, this means not hearing those traditional wedding tracks which feel “cheesy”.
I often wonder how can “cheesy” be a bad thing, when cheese the food is so delicious? The roots go back to colonial India, when British soldiers picked up the Urdu word “chiz” meaning “a thing”. This developed into “the real chiz” meaning someone was “a big thing”. In records from 1858, Victorians used the word “cheesy” for something really showy and stylish. This is also reflected in the term “a big cheese” to describe someone important or influential. By 1863 however, Americans were using the word negatively. Some linguists suggest college students took the original positive meaning and flipped it. Damn young people, changing up the language! By the end of the 19th Century, “cheezy” was not a good thing to be on campus.
Today, cheesiness is not just something of low quality, it communicates the reaction something creates. From a physical cringe, to that sickly feeling of sentimentality when something is not genuine. A “cheesy grin” for example, is a wide smile, but not sincere. At the same time, songs which are overly sincere can also cause us to feel a sense of embarrassment, enough to make you wince or feel your cheeks flush: “and IIIIIIII will always love youuuuuuu!” When you’re celebrating on the dancefloor on your wedding day, I don’t want you to feel like that.
For many, cheese is comfort food for the ears. I understand that it reminds people of family parties, brings back childhood memories and creates a fun danceable moment between old and young. This sounds great, in theory. The problem is that it clashes with how many modern couples want their celebration to sound.
Cheesy music can play out as a battle between generations, between past and present. At a wedding this might look like boomers requesting songs that the newly married couple find uncomfortable, such as “Sweet Caroline” or “Come on Eileen”. Us millennials, we fear the 90s school disco flashbacks: “Cotton Eye Joe”, “C’est La Vie”, or “Angels”. Many cheesy tracks feature their own dance routine: “The Macarena”, “Saturday Night”, “YMCA” or “Cha Cha Slide”. While these can energise the dancefloor, for example at an office party where there’s very little shared musical taste, they can also create the feeling of forced fun. Some people love these moments, but if you’re paying for the entertainment, you get the final say.
So why do many DJs play cheesy songs? There’s a cultural aspect here. If you play lots of office parties, pubs, holiday resorts, working men’s clubs and working-class British weddings, songs such as “Oops Upside Your Head” and “Agadoo” are standards. It is culturally appropriate for those DJs to play to their audience. Respect. For other DJs, “cheese” is short-cut to a big crowd response. Playing these “bangers” can be a habit of laziness for DJs who over-rely on the mic to drop songs, don’t truly read the room, and don’t work the dancefloor properly with a range of genres. As an event host, if you trust your guests to dance without needing set dance routines, a non-cheesy DJ is the way forward.
It can be snobby, even classist, to call out “cheesy” songs. I recently received a critical message from a fellow DJ who felt personally targeted by my posts speaking out against cheesy DJing. I politely explained to him that I am not taking a personal shot and that I admire his craft. I said how my customers tell me they want “non-cheesy” entertainment, so I use the same language to describe what I do. It’s how I find my people, and how they know they’ve found their DJ when they land on my pages. I recognise my privilege in being raised on a wide range of music and having the communication skills to articulate my taste to an educated audience. Today however, the expression of musical taste is more democratic than ever, with widely available streaming services. People of all backgrounds can make up their own minds, and a good DJ will work with you to express your taste in a way that makes the dancefloor go off!
If you want the opportunity to discuss your music plans with a non-cheesy DJ, on a relaxed video call, please get in touch. I love a whole range of music (including pop) and keep it fun, energetic and crowd-pleasing. I work the dancefloor hard and cater to every generation of music lover, all without crossing that forbidden line: into the stinky realm of cheese.
Contact DJ Tommy K
Email: tommykevents@gmail.com
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